Raytheon Autohelm Raymarine M81190 Autopilot Fluxgate Compass W/ 2' Lead, Tested on 2040-parts.com

Infiniti demands luxury look for Leaf variant

Infiniti executives are taking pains to ensure that their luxury version of the electric Nissan Leaf hatchback will be markedly different and more upscale. This year, U.S. officials of Infiniti reviewed initial designs at Nissan's San Diego styling studio and complained that they simply looked like another version of the Leaf, say people who were there.

Ralph Gilles talks past, present and SRT future

Ralph Gilles -- SRT boss, Chrysler vice president of design, curator of something called the "Man Van," has become the public face of Chrysler performance, carrying the legacy of Firepower engines and 428 Coronets and the Dodge Viper RT/10 into the future with the Challenger, Charger and Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8s. Since "unofficially" helping form it in 2003, Gilles has seen SRT transformed into Chrysler's most coherent performance strategy since Plymouth Rapid Transit, a company-wide force so much greater than the flagship Dodge Viper. He was there from the beginning.

Fisker expects to partner with automakers

Fisker Automotive's CEO, warning of the pitfalls facing independent small automakers, says the luxury plug-in hybrid manufacturer is poised to partner with other automakers next year. Tony Posawatz, Fisker's CEO and former chief engineer of the Chevrolet Volt, told Automotive News that Fisker is in talks for three potential deals in which executives at the "highest levels" of the companies involved are "talking specifics." "We are absolutely committed to making this company win longer term, and the history of smaller companies living on their own in the automotive business is not stellar," Posawatz said in an interview. "We are not going to go it alone." Posawatz said alliance deals could be completed within the next year.