Yamaha Xs500 Carburetor 2 Joint on 2040-parts.com

Who's Where: Satoshi Wada to open independent design studio

Satoshi Wada, former Senior Designer at Audi AG and Nissan Design Japan, is set to open his own design studio. Called SWdesign TOKYO, his ambitious plan follows on from a growing line of design managers who have left successful OEMs to establish their own design practices. Wada, who resigned from Audi AG in Ingolstadt earlier this month, told CDN he is aiming "to create a new vision with my own independent design studio in Tokyo".

All used up: Pre-owned sales rise as consumers seek new-car alternatives

Used-car sales took a leap upward in April, and the trend is expected to continue at least until midyear as pent-up demand for affordable pre-owned vehicles jacks up at least one segment of the car marketplace. Sales of new cars continued an unabated slide toward what analysts say is a 30-year low in the United States, but used-car sales showed strength as buyers unable to finance new cars shifted their sights to less expensive used models. As a result, retailers such as the large Penske Automotive Group reported that despite an overall decline in sales in the first three months of 2009, improving used-car sales kept them in the black.

Porsche reveals extreme 911 GT2 RS

Porsche has revealed its most powerful and arguably most extreme road-going 911 to date: the GT2 RS. The new rear-wheel-drive road rocket will debut publicly at the Moscow auto show in late August and will go on sale in the United States in October. The GT2 RS, to be built in a limited run of 500, is powered by the latest evolution of Zuffenhausen's 3.6-liter, twin-turbocharged, horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine, tuned to deliver a Le Mans-grade 620 hp.