Voo Doo Series 412 Chrome Wheel Rim Center Cap 3250 Made In Korea on 2040-parts.com

Volkswagen trots out Mini Vader for Chattanooga plant inauguration

Volkswagen is hoping that a little advertising goes a long way. The company brought its Super Bowl star Mini Vader back for an encore during the opening ceremonies for VW’s new Chattanooga factory. The pint-sized Dark Lord gave a final blessing to the plant before pushing a red button to make things official.

2010 Lotus Exige S 240 confirms specs and pricing

The latest speed demon from Lotus, the 2010 Exige S 240, will start at $65,690 when it goes on sale in the United States in this fall. The S240 gets a restyled front end with a larger, more angular air intake flanked by two other vents. There also is a new splitter that wraps around the face of the car.

Mercedes-Benz axes Maybach

High ranking Mercedes-Benz sources have confirmed to Autoweek that the underperforming Maybach brand will be officially killed off in 2013. The decision to disband Mercedes-Benz’s upper luxury marque comes after a decade of disappointing sales for the Maybach 57 and 62 and a recent decision from the German car maker’s chairman Dieter Zetsche not to push ahead with the development replacement models – the likes of which were tentatively due out in 2014 – owing to what one insider describes as a “positive move to focus greater attention on the Mercedes-Benz brand” . “We’ve come to the conclusion that it is better to cut our losses with Maybach than to continue into an uncertain future with a brand that has failed to live up to original sales expectations," the insider said.