Volvo Penta 8.1gxi-alternator/hydraulic Drive Pump Bracket #12558985 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.

Logbook loans signal increasing debt risk

CONSUMERS who buy second-hand cars are at risk of unwittingly inheriting debts taken out by the previous owner that could end up with their vehicle being seized, Citizens' Advice is warning. The charity said one in five people who reported a problem to it about “logbook loans”, where a person places their car as security against a loan, ended up having their car repossessed – despite not being the one who borrowed the money. Citizens' Advice warned someone who buys a car which is still the subject of an outstanding logbook loan taken out by a previous owner could end up being chased for the debt – leaving them with the choice of making the repayments or having their vehicle repossessed.

Smart fortwo ED (that’s the electric one) 3rd Gen in 2012

2012 Smart fortwo ED You’ve got to admire Mercedes for persevering with the Smart, despite not exactly setting the car sales charts on fire. Even braver is their faith in producing an electric Smart when electric cars are just not selling. Still, their pockets are deep enough to play, so we’re to be treated to the third generation Smart EV with the arrival at Frankfurt next month of the 2012 Smart fortwo ED.