Pregnant women 'more likely to crash'

BEING pregnant significantly increases a woman driver's chances of having a serious car crash, research has shown. During the second trimester of pregnancy – weeks 14 to 26 – the risk of being involved in a road accident requiring hospital treatment rose by 42%, a Canadian study of more than 500,000 pregnant women found. In the three years before getting pregnant, the women between them had an average 177 crashes per month.

Nissan Leaf gets lower base price

Nissan Motor Co. will cut the base price of the slow-selling Leaf electric car by 18 percent, or $6,400, the automaker said Monday. Nissan will sell a 2013 base Leaf S for $28,800, down from $35,200 on the 2012 base model.

Chris Bangle resigns as BMW Group Design Director

BMW today announced that Chris Bangle is resigning from his position as Head of Design for the BMW Group. Bangle will be handing over his post to current Head of BMW Automobile Design, Adrian van Hooydonk, when he leaves the company to pursue his own design-related endeavors outside the auto industry. Bangle has worked closely with van Hooydonk at BMW Group Design Development for nearly 17 years.