Skid Plate on 2040-parts.com

Chinese brands are narrowing the quality gap with foreign automakers

When it comes to vehicle quality, domestic Chinese brands are catching up to their global peers, according to the 2010 China Initial Quality Study published by J.D. Power and Associates. The consultancy found that the quality gap between domestic and foreign brands has reached its narrowest margin in the survey's 11-year history.

A beautiful F1 book when you subscribe to CAR

Art of the Formula 1 Race Car, worth £30 – free when you subscribe to CAR Magazine By Ben Barry Motoring Issues 17 August 2010 16:51 If you subscribe to CAR Magazine this month, we've got a special treat in store for you: a wonderful hardback book charting the art of the greatest Formula 1 racers over the decades. It's a glossy book with sky-high production values worth £30 – yet it's your free when you take out a year's subscription to CAR Magazine. Click here to see more details on this great offer, which is available to all UK-based subscribers.

Where is Nissan and Infiniti design headed? Just look at the lamps

For a glimpse at future styling trends from Nissan Motor Co., look to the headlamps on the Nissan Leaf electric car and the sculpted rear of the Infiniti M. Front and rear lamps raised from the body surface and pronounced spoilers are two tricks Nissan will use more often to improve the aerodynamics and handling of vehicles--in addition to giving them a futuristic flair, global design chief Shiro Nakamura says. The goal: Win young drivers and bring sales of models such as the Nissan Altima in line with Japanese rivals "The important thing is the front end and the rear end," Nakamura said during an April 12 interview at the company's main design studio south of Tokyo.