Yukon Gear & Axle Ya Ff30-33.5 Axle Shaft on 2040-parts.com

Hyundai increases its European Market share by 10%

Despite a weak car sales market across Europe, Hyundai has managed to increase its market share in January 2013 by almost 10 per cent. As we reported just the other day, the European car market is in a bit of a mess with sales down by 9.6% in January 2013 and even the mighty sales of the VW Golf – Europe’s best-selling car – dropping by 17.8 per cent. But despite the European car market falling back, Hyundai has managed to increase its market share in Europe by almost 10 per cent, from 3.3 per cent in January 2012 to 3.6 per cent in January 2013.

Toyota Urban Utility concept embraces maker movement

Toyota has unveiled a concept designed in response to the maker movement. Called the Urban Utility, or U2, the vehicle is intended to appeal to those who have embraced maker culture - the trend of learning new practical skills, embracing new construction technologies like 3D printing, and applying them in an inventive and often entrepreneurial way. The U2 will be unveiled at the World Maker Faire in New York City on 20 September and was designed at Toyota's Calty studio in Newport Beach, CA.

Better Place Electric Car visitor centre opens

Better Place have opened a visitor centre in Israel to demonstrate their battery swap technology for electric cars Last October we wrote about a start-up company in Israel – Better Place – that had a new way forward for electric cars by taking the purchase of battery packs out of the equation, and was developing a system for ‘Battery Swap’ stations where electric car owners could drive in and swap their battery pack for a fully-charged one in a few minutes. That story first brought to our attention our favourite quote of last year – by Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn – who said “A hybrid is like a mermaid: if you want a fish, you get a woman; if you want a woman, you get a fish.” Which probably explained why Nissan – and its partner Renault – got involved with Better Place. Better Place aims to address the main concerns of electric car drivers by making the battery packs in electric cars ‘swappable’.