Ritchie Explorer Extern. Compass 2 Inches 3/4 White/white on 2040-parts.com

Center stack is new high-stakes battleground; showdown with safety regulators looms

For auto suppliers and gadget companies eager to get a piece of the auto industry, the hottest chunk of vehicle real estate now is the center stack. That corridor of interior space, running from the driver's right hip up through the center of the cockpit to the bottom of the windshield, has become a California gold rush of opportunity. But it is less so for traditional suppliers of molded plastics, cables, levers, buttons and radios.

McLaren lock out front row (again) in Malaysian F1 Grand Prix qualifying

2012 Malaysian Grand Prix Qualifying - it's another McLaren front row. In a repeat of last week’s Australian Grand Prix, McLaren have locked out the front row in qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix, with Hamilton on Pole. Another week, another 2012 F1 Grand Prix; this time in Malaysia – sort of up a bit and left from last week’s Melbourne race.

Mitsubishi returns to Pikes Peak with all-new MiEV Evolution III

Mitsubishi is back again with an all-new version of its electric hill-climbing machine, the MiEV Evolution III. A pair of the fully electric race cars will compete in the 92nd running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 29, held just outside of Colorado Springs, Colo. Replacing the MiEV Evolution II that came in second in the EV division in last year's, “Race to the Clouds,” the MiEV Evolution III comes with a full force of upgrades that look to bump it to first place.