Sailboat Schaefer Triple Block With Becket Used on 2040-parts.com

Kia Ray Concept at Chicago Motor Show

Kia wil preview the Kia Ray Concept plug-in hybrid at the Chicago Motor Show next month Yes, the Detroit Motor Show is only just about done, but waiting in the wings is the rather less fancy Chicago Motor Show (although they probably won’t thank us for describing it as such). But despite Chicago being a lower key affair than Detroit they will still get their share of new stuff. Well, not necessarily new (we reported that North America gets the BMW Alpina B7 which will debut at Chicago) but certainly new to the US.

Karmann files for insolvency

Karmann, the century-old German coachbuilder synonymous with cabrios and the famous 1950s Karmann Ghia, has filed for insolvency. The company made the move Wednesday in Germany in response to a dramatic decline in revenue, an inability to pay for its massive layoff plan and the worldwide economic crisis. The North American operations, which make convertible tops for Detroit car companies and Volkswagen, are not affected, a spokesman said.

Design and Technology at Siggraph 2008

From 11-15 August over 28,000 artists, research scientists, developers, filmmakers, and academics from around the world gathered in Los Angeles for the 35th Siggraph Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques. The Siggraph conference includes courses and technical paper presentations, new technologies demos, an art gallery, computer animation festival, and an exhibition by software and hardware vendors. While the New Tech Demos and the technical programs are focussed on technologies that designers will have to wait several years for, several automotive software and hardware suppliers announced new shipping products at Siggraph.