Chrysler scraps paper owner’s manuals, shifts to DVDs

Chrysler Group is replacing its traditional owner’s manuals with DVDs and an abridged printed guide in an effort to reduce costs and save 930 tons of paper annually. Chrysler will see “substantial savings” from the shift away from paper manuals, which often had more than 500 pages, spokesman Bryan Zvibleman said. He declined to say how much will be saved by the change, which is taking effect with 2010 models.

Enzo Ferrari died 25 years ago today

The word “Ferrari” is evocative enough as it is, but add “Enzo-era” to the mix and we imagine a very specific type of machine -- a vehicle that is raw, passionate, perhaps a bit prickly, but above all, utterly unique and irreplaceable. There's a reason Enzo-era Ferraris are magical: Enzo Ferrari himself. Born in 1898, Ferrari joined the Alfa Romeo racing team in 1920, established Scuderia Ferrari in 1929 and put his name on a V12-powered race car in 1947.

BMW X5 (F15)

This is the new, third generation BMW X5, the biggest-selling SUV in its segment with over 1.3 million sold since the first was launched in 1999. While the previous versions have sat more in the high-riding wagon space (BMW prefers to call them Sports Activity Vehicles), this latest F15 model appears to have shifted closer to a more traditional SUV, appearing taller and less ‘squat', certainly than the car it replaces. This is partly due to the DLO, which dips down behind the A-pillar, creating a deep window.