Tyc 20-3172-88 Ford Thunderbird Left Replacement Headlight Assembly on 2040-parts.com

Ralph Gilles talks past, present and SRT future

Ralph Gilles -- SRT boss, Chrysler vice president of design, curator of something called the "Man Van," has become the public face of Chrysler performance, carrying the legacy of Firepower engines and 428 Coronets and the Dodge Viper RT/10 into the future with the Challenger, Charger and Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8s. Since "unofficially" helping form it in 2003, Gilles has seen SRT transformed into Chrysler's most coherent performance strategy since Plymouth Rapid Transit, a company-wide force so much greater than the flagship Dodge Viper. He was there from the beginning.

GM recalls 1.5 million vehicles for oil leak

General Motors is recalling nearly 1.5 million Buick, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Pontiac mid-sized cars equipped with a 3.8-liter engine because an oil leak could start an engine fire. Under hard braking, engine oil could leak past a heat shield and drip on the exhaust manifold. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that could start a small fire that could spread to a plastic spark plug wire guide and beyond.

Honda plans rapid-fire launch of 2012 Civics

Honda will take a hurry-up approach when launching its delayed Civic family in April. Unlike past Civic rollouts--which spread the debuts of model types and variations over months and even years--Honda will launch every variety of the 2012 Civic within weeks of each other, said John Mendel, executive vice president of sales for American Honda. The family includes a sedan and coupe, multiple engines, lithium ion hybrid and natural gas versions, and a Civic Si edition.