With Krom line, Nissan goes wild on accessories

As if the new Cube weren't accessory-oriented enough, Nissan North America also is launching a U.S. business unit that will push accessories even more. Nissan's Specialty Vehicles Group will create model variations with thousands of dollars of accessories and extra vehicle features.

2013 Maserati Quattroporte night testing (video)

Maserati has released a video of the 2013 Quattroporte out night testing ahead of a Detroit Auto Show public debut. The new Quattroporte is bigger and more powerful than the current model and leaves Maserati room to introduce a smaller version – the new Maserati Ghibli – to take on the sports saloons from BMW, Mercedes and Jaguar. To be honest, the video tells us little we don’t already know about the new Quattroporte (except perhaps that it has frameless glass in the side windows), but it does indicate how keen Maserati are to keep the new Quattroporte’s PR momentum on the move ahead of its debut.

Extreme sports safety kit to inspire Volvo technologies

SWEDISH car maker Volvo is aiming to develop new safety technologies based on processes used to make extreme sports safety gear. The firm has announced a partnership with POC, another Swedish company, which designs lightweight, strong and high-tech safety equipment for climbers, snowboarders, mountain bikers and other extreme sports fanatics. The initial focus will be on the relationship between cars and cyclists, with the specific aim of developing a one-way method of communicating that the driver has seen the cyclist.