Tic T-49c Mode S Test Set on 2040-parts.com

Japan automakers extend shutdowns as quake impact widens

Japan's seven big automakers are extending nationwide production shutdowns amid growing concern about supply chain interruptions, power shortages and export difficulties following the massive earthquake and tsunami that hammered northern Japan, killing thousands. Toyota Motor Corp., one of the few automakers with a major manufacturing presence in the quake zone, suspended all manufacturing--at both assembly and parts plants--on Monday and extended the shutdown through at least Wednesday as an added precaution. The company will lose output of roughly 40,000 vehicles over the three-day period, spokesman Dion Corbett said.

Transition flying car completes first public flight

Think of a flying car and - depending on your age - you may think of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or the Ford Anglia from the Harry Potter novels. But whatever, it's the stuff of fantasy, surely? The kind of machine that featured in those 'glimpses of the future' movies of the 1950s.

New Nissan creates 500 UK jobs

THE NEW NISSAN Qashqai starts coming off the production line today, which has helped create 500 new jobs at the Japanese car giant's UK plant in the coming months. The second generation Qashqai will be built in Sunderland, where the workforce is set to increase to over 7,000 for the first time. Around 286,000 Qashqai cars were built last year, with production numbers expected to be similar in 2014.