01 Porsche 986 911 Boxster R Front Control Arms 2 Right Passenger 36,628 on 2040-parts.com

General Motors to keep green car technology in house

For the first time in its 100-year history, General Motors plans to design, develop and manufacture electric motors for its growing array of gasoline-electric hybrids and electric vehicles. The electric motors used in GM's current lineup of hybrids are made to GM specifications by outside vendors. GM wants to bring the design and manufacturing in-house to save money and to apply its own technology to boost performance, lower weight and reduce power consumption, said Larry Nitz, GM's chief hybrid powertrain engineer.

John Teller: Diesel truck mechanic, Olympian

Sorting through the cable listings, trying to pick out which of the six million events to watch in the winter Olympics this February, you can be forgiven if you find the sheer volume overwhelming. Who knows the difference between the two-man luge and the biathlon? No one does, that's who.

Toyota hands over small-car development to its European unit

Toyota Motor Corp.'s European division next month will take charge of global product planning for small cars as the Japanese automaker expands model research and development in the region. The change, announced Dec. 17, means that Toyota will count on Europe to develop future products in the minicar, subcompact and compact segments, something that Ford Motor Co.