06 Elantra Over Head Map Light 332520 on 2040-parts.com

AUTO SALES: GM, Ford, Honda, Toyota drag industry to 36% decline

General Motors, Ford Motor Co., American Honda and Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. all reported sales declines of more than 31 percent in December as the U.S. auto industry capped its worst year since 1992.

Cool Cars and Hot August Nights

Hot August Nights is a weeklong party, and the cars are the stars. Not just any cars--vintage, cool cars, mostly from the 1950s and '60s. American-made muscle cars such as Ford Mustangs, Shelby Cobras, Chevrolet Camaros and Pontiac GTOs dominate the festival in Reno, Nev., but there are also plenty of Cadillacs, Oldsmobiles, AMCs and even some Jaguars, Volkswagens and Mini Coopers seen cruising the streets of northern Nevada.

Only the top is soft in new Audi A5/S5 cabriolet

Audi is bucking the trend among luxury automakers who are churning out hardtop convertibles, as the new A5/S5 cabriolets that will reach these shores in October will be the old-fashioned, soft-top design. While other manufacturers such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus and Volvo, among others, offer folding hard-tops, Audi says the compromise necessary to make room for the top and all its mechanical apparatus makes a soft-top the right choice for a small to mid-size convertible. The soft top is well insulated; even during a steady rain during our first drive of the car, the cabin was relatively quiet.