Volvo Penta Aq 125 Copper Cooling Tube Aq125 / Aq140 on 2040-parts.com

Is Mercedes preparing to buy Ducati?

Remember the AMG-Ducati deal made at the 2010 Los Angeles auto show last month? A partnership of like-minded brands, albeit on two wheels and four. Daimler marketing types reckon that buyers of its AMG go-faster cars could in many instances be equally interested in go-faster motorbikes of the sort Ducati specialise in, and vice versa.

Nissan creates a self-cleaning Note – and this one’s for real. (video)

The Nissan Note that cleans itself The Sunday chore of cleaning the car is beloved (and loathed, in equal measure) by those who’d rather do it themselves than pay a man with a bucket, a sponge and a chamois  to oblige. But regular car washing – for anyone – could be a thing of the past thanks to a new nano-paint technology. The newly developed super-hydrophobic and oleophobic paint manages to repel water and oil, which means stuff like everyday dirt, mud and rain don’t have the chance to cling to the car’s paintwork.

Chevrolet plays the name game with paint color for the upcoming Volt

We know the Chevrolet Volt is going to be green, but what color will it be? Chevy is staging a contest to officially name the color of the Volt, and it's down to three finalists: EV-ergreen, environMINT and Viridian Joule. Two of the names were submitted by California residents, and one came from Florida.