Trim Cover,lower Cowl #17258c, 25 Hp Mercury on 2040-parts.com

Ken Ma appointed VP Design at Chang'an

Former Shanghai Automotive Technical Center (SATC) design director Ken Ma joined Changan Automobile Group as vice president of the firm's Engineering Research Center late last year. Ma's new role puts him in charge of the Group's global design department, reporting directly to Changan group chairman LiuPin Xu on all design matters. But the move also effectively places him in the highest design position at any mainstream automotive company in China – a breakthrough for the country's automotive design industry.

Porsche nearing 900 orders for its 918 Spyder hybrid concept

When Porsche AG showed the 918 Spyder at the Geneva show in March, we said it was a car to “make anyone a believer in hybrid supercar tech.” Well, maybe not anyone, but Porsche now says it has almost 900 potential buyers for the two-seater hybrid prototype as the German automaker gets closer to approving production. Porsche development chief Wolfgang Duerheimer said he is confident the company will soon reach the threshold of 1,000 orders, which is how many the company needs to “make a sound business case.” The 918 has 680 hp and, according to Porsche, will get 78 mpg and run from 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds. Porsche said it wants to double its overall vehicle sales to 150,000 in the next five years or so.

Mercedes SL 65 AMG 45th Anniversary brings a tear to the eye

Mercedes-Benz has released a promo video for the SL 65 AMG 45th Anniversary model giving grown men permission to cry. The 2012 Mercedes SL does look to offer far more for the driver than any SL that’s gone before, and the range-topping SL 65 promises to be a proper supercar. Mercedes are kicking off the SL65 with the Mercedes SL 65 AMG 45th Anniversary Edition, built to celebrate 45 years of AMG, which offers extra goodies over and above the already well specced SL 65.