Toyota Prius C Hybrid Batteryoem on 2040-parts.com

Center stack is new high-stakes battleground; showdown with safety regulators looms

For auto suppliers and gadget companies eager to get a piece of the auto industry, the hottest chunk of vehicle real estate now is the center stack. That corridor of interior space, running from the driver's right hip up through the center of the cockpit to the bottom of the windshield, has become a California gold rush of opportunity. But it is less so for traditional suppliers of molded plastics, cables, levers, buttons and radios.

BID TO SLOW TRAFFIC ON M3 STRETCH

FIRST it was a stretch of the M1 and now the same speed reduction plan has been announced for a stretch of the M3 motorway in Surrey and Hampshire. The Highways Agency (HA) has proposed that a three-mile section of the M3 between junction 3 at Lightwater in Surrey and junction 4 near Farnborough in Hampshire be subject to a 60mph restriction. This section is part of a 13.4-mile stretch that is being upgraded in a £174 million scheme, with the 60mph proposal, to operate between 7am and 7pm daily so air quality levels can be met.

2011 Infiniti M gets price increase

Infiniti has increased the sticker prices of the 2011 Infiniti M sedan. The price increase, effective immediately, is $250 for M37 models and $350 for M56 models. Revised sticker prices are $47,375 for the Infiniti M37, $49,525 for the Infiniti M37x AWD, $58,775 for the Infiniti M56, and $61,275 for the Infiniti M65x AWD.