20" Avant Garde M510 5x114.3 on 2040-parts.com

NHTSA probes shattering liftgate glass on Ford SUVs

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating about 200,000 copies of the 2010 and 2011 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner SUVs for liftgate glass that reportedly shatters. There have been 18 complaints of the liftgate window breaking, four resulting in injuries. The models involved were built on or before Oct.

Chris Bangle begins work with Changan Automobile on its design strategy and methodology

Chris Bangle is to consult with Changan Automobile to help develop its design strategy and processes in his first official automotive project since leaving BMW in 2009. Bangle – through his company Chris Bangle Associates (CBA) – will work with Changan's team in its European design center in Turin, Italy, reporting to design director Chen Zheng. And while his role will be linked to the brand's Chinese products, his focus will be on the design team's methodologies and philosophy; its management and its process of critique, rather than the hands-on design of its products.

One Lap of the Web: Clooney on Tesla, Wes Anderson goes racing and an Aussie headbutts cars

More than a few Esquire readers were probably shocked to see George Clooney's disparaging remarks on Tesla in a recent profile of the "Facts of Life" star, but here they are if you want to read them. Jalopnik has a short film by Wes Anderson. The subject?