Qal Front Coil Over Springs on 2040-parts.com

Honda speeds up major changes to the Civic

Honda will bring out a significant mid-cycle change to its embattled Civic compact this fall, just 18 months after it launched, a high-ranking executive told dealers here. The move is a rush to improve the Civic in time for the 2013 model year. The Civic's cheapened interior and other reductions in content got a critical reviews from The Wall Street Journal, and Consumer Reports removed the model from its recommended list.

Suzuki seeks end to partnership with Volkswagen

Suzuki Motor Corp. Chairman Osamu Suzuki on Monday said he plans to end his carmaker's turbulent two-year capital alliance with Volkswagen AG, citing concerns about independence and a dearth of technological exchanges and joint projects from the tie up. The spry, 81-year-old Suzuki executive compared the breakup to a divorce and said the two companies should "say goodbye with a smile" instead of trading bitter accusations.

E85 makes inroads on cost and availability

Three years ago, we embarked on a Midwest road trip in search of what was then the Holy Grail of fuel: E85. Our findings weren't too positive--there were far more E85-compatible vehicles on the road in 2006 (5 million) than there were E85 pumps to fuel them (about 700 out of some 200,000 fuel stations nationwide). In addition, those burning the mix of 15 percent gasoline and 85 percent ethanol were paying a pretty penny for their earth-friendly ways, losing about 15 percent in fuel economy while often paying the same price as regular unleaded.