1969-70 Corvette Original 4 Speed Shifter Plate on 2040-parts.com

50,000 copies of the 2012 Honda Civic recalled over driveshaft issue

About 50,000 copies of the 2012 Honda Civic are being recalled because of a potential issue with the left driveshaft. The automaker claims that the driveshaft “may not have been properly assembled, potentially allowing it to separate from the outer CV joint while in operation.” While such a separation could result in total loss of power to the wheels and the inability to securely park the vehicle without the use of the parking brake, Honda claims that no incidents related to the issue have been reported. Earlier this year, Honda recalled about 45,800 Honda Odyssey minivans for faulty tailgate struts, 8,700 Honda Pilot and Acura MDX SUVs to fix a problem in the fuel tank, and 1,300 copies of the Honda CR-V to correct a control-arm problem.

Panda Antarctica starts epic trip to Sochi Games

THE WINTER-THEMED limited-edition Fiat Panda 4x4 Antarctica has set out on an epic commute from Turin to its Winter Olympics home in Sochi, Russia. The Panda Antarctica, in association with sponsors Nokia, Nitro Snowboards and Beats by Dr Dre, began its journey last week. It’s a marketing exercise aimed at young people, who might be into fashion or winter sports and who just might buy a Panda.

Toyota Prius plug-in hits UK

The Toyota Prius plug-in arrives in the UK The next step in the Toyota Prius story is the plug-in Prius, which adds some Lithium-Ion batteries to the mix and the ability to plug the Prius in to the mains to get a usable kick-start to your day’s motoring, with an electric only range of up to 12.5 miles – around double the range a regular Prius can manage when fully charged. Toyota announced plans to get 500 Prius Plug-in Hybrids on the roads in 2010 back in September last year to evaluate their real-world performance before the plug-in gets a proper release – probably in 2012. Toyota are leasing 20 of the Prius plug-ins to a handful of public and private businesses in London as part of their plan to develop the Prius plug-in, and reduce the company’s overall CO2 levels – something which is sadly required by legislation.