Yamaha Ty250 Fork Brace & Fender Mount on 2040-parts.com

ZF boss thinks 9 speeds is enough for transmissions

The nine-speed transmission might be where the race to add gears ends, ZF Friedrichshafen CEO Stefan Sommer said. He referred to nine speeds as the "natural limit" because going beyond that number adds weight and complexity that cannot be offset by gains in fuel efficiency. "There is no hard line, but you have to consider the law of diminishing returns.

Toyota NS4 Plug-in Hybrid Concept – better looking than a Prius

Toyota NS4 Plug-in Hybrid Concept The Toyota NS4 Hybrid plug-in has been revealed at the Detroit Auto Show, a glimpse at Toyota’s future design direction and full of concept gimmicks. When we had the teases for the Toyota NS4 plug-in Hybrid, Toyota made big claims about the NS4 being an ‘Advanced’ Plug-in Hybrid. But strip away the concept-only stuff like the camera door mirrors and trick doors and what we have left is a look at the next generation Toyota Prius – perhaps.

MINI Clubvan AXED in the US after just 50 sales

The MINI Clubvan (pictured) has been axed in the US after just 50 sales The MINi Clubvan – a van version of the Clubman – arrived in 2012 as a concept and instantly evoked fond memories of the original Mini van that used to roam UK roads with the black and yellow livery of the AA. By the time the new MINi Clubvan arrived as a production model last summer – and debuted at the 2012 Goodwood FoS – it had changed little from the concept, but looked set for success as a funky little local delivery vehicle. And it does seem as though the Clubvan is selling quite well, with florists and posh food delivery firms jumping on the Clubvan as a great way to move their product to customers, and look just that bit different in the process.