Porsche 924 Throttle Body 047. 133. 063, 047. 133. 063. F, 047. 133. 063. B on 2040-parts.com

Car buying, minus the dealership

“Test drives delivered” is the motto of Tred, a Seattle-based startup that's taking the car dealership out of the car-buying process -- at least from the shopper's perspective. Wired.com reported Thursday that by accessing Tred via the Web or an iPad app, shoppers will be able to select the cars they want to test-drive and have them delivered to the location of their choice. Each car is then delivered by a Tred staffer rather than a dealership salesperson.

Fiat, Mazda to jointly develop roadster

Fiat Group and Mazda Motor Corp. plan to develop and build a new roadster for the Mazda and Alfa Romeo brands, the companies said Wednesday. Alfa will launch its version of the roadster in global markets starting in 2015.

GM recalls 1.5 million vehicles for oil leak

General Motors is recalling nearly 1.5 million Buick, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Pontiac mid-sized cars equipped with a 3.8-liter engine because an oil leak could start an engine fire. Under hard braking, engine oil could leak past a heat shield and drip on the exhaust manifold. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that could start a small fire that could spread to a plastic spark plug wire guide and beyond.