Trans-dapt Performance Products 8874 Water Pump Pulley on 2040-parts.com

Small cars bring higher risk while SUVs are safer, insurance-group study finds

As late as 2007, parents were warned against buying their driving-age teens SUVs because of the rollover risk. Now it seems those are some of the safest rides on the road, according to an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study released on Thursday. The Nissan 350Z sports car and the Titan pickup were on the low end of the list, along with the Chevrolet Aveo and the compact Cobalt sedan.

Concept Car of the Week: Renault Vel Satis (1998)

The approach to the design of top end models varies greatly depending on the manufacturer's heritage and the cultural differences of each country. It might be a conventional combination of wood and leather for some, power and technology for others, but it is generally packaged into a three-box four-door sedan or two-door fastback. Renault on the other hand had a much more cutting edge vision of what a luxury automobile could be.

Fritz Henderson removed as GM CEO

General Motors' board of directors ousted CEO Fritz Henderson after eight months, saying it wanted to chart a new course as the biggest U.S. automaker pushes ahead with its restructuring. Chairman Ed Whitacre, 68, will succeed Henderson on an interim basis while a search for a new president and CEO starts immediately, Whitacre said at a press conference on Tuesday.