Sigmatek Attitude Gyro Indicator on 2040-parts.com

Bungling thief caught after stealing hire car's steering wheel

A DIM-WITTED criminal has been convicted of theft after stealing parts of a brand new Audi A3 hire car and replacing them with old bits taken from his much older Audi S3. Alexander Keating, a 23-year-old former bodyshop technician who lost his job following the conviction, stole parts as obvious as the steering wheel and gear knob from the A3 that his mum had hired after damaging her car in an accident. Keating foolishly believed no one would notice the battered old steering wheel on the otherwise shiny, new car, but sure enough the mismatched parts were spotted and the hapless bungler was caught by the car hire firm’s bespoke anti-fraud team Asset Protection Unit (APU).

MINI Crossman / Countryman on schedule

The MINI Crossover Concept. On target for a Geneva launch as the Countryman or Crossman The MINI Crossover – dubbed Crossman or Countryman – has been floating around as a ‘Concept’  since the Paris Motor Show in 2008. We even reported on the MINI Crossman testing back in April, and it’s been expected to launch for quite some time, so to say it’s ‘On Schedlue’ is probably a little misleading.

Explosion at GM Tech Center; lithium battery is the suspected cause

According to WWJ CBS Detroit, there was an explosion at the General Motors Tech Center in Warren, Mich., on Wednesday morning. Deputy Fire Chief Gary Wilkinson said the explosion most likely was related to a lithium battery. Wilkinson told Autoweek that a responder notified the HAZMAT team via radio that the explosion involved lithium batteries in the research facility's Alternative Energy Center.