1999-2005 Vitara Ac-climate Control. Oem. on 2040-parts.com

U.S. set to raise fuel-economy standard

Government regulators will get their prize of higher fuel-economy standards, and automakers will get the certainty of a national emissions standard, under new rules to be proposed Tuesday by President Barack Obama. The fleet average fuel economy for automakers will rise to 35.5 mpg in 2016 under the president's proposal--10 mpg more than today's mandate. At the same time, the president's proposed rule will cut carbon emissions, thought to be a key factor in global warming.

Audi Q5 concept is killer

Audi has provided the strongest hint yet that it plans to crown its Q5 lineup with an RS model by revealing a one-off, 408-hp, supercharged 3.0-liter V6 concept version of its compact SUV. The vehicle’s public premiere comes this weekend at the annual Woerthersee meet in Austria. Although Audi officials are playing down the importance of the custom concept, insiders have told AutoWeek that it was constructed to provide customer feedback on a possible performance-oriented version of the Q5, the likes of which would almost certainly form part of the company’s future North American lineup.

SEAT Leon Twin Drive Prototype surfaces in Barcelona

VW’s Spanish arm SEAT today unveiled their vision of the future, with the SEAT Leon Twin Drive Prototype unveiling in Barcelona. The Twin Drive concept is simple, but quite promising. It offers an electric motor for running around town, but switches to a diesel or petrol engine when out of town.