Air Cleaner 164 Type Gl450 Thru 01/31/07 Fits 06-07 Mercedes Ml-class 799351 on 2040-parts.com

Lexus prices RX 450h hybrid ute, IS convertible

Lexus announced pricing for two of its spotlight vehicles for 2010, the RX 450h hybrid ute and the IS convertible. The RX 450h will start at $42,535 for the front-wheel-drive version and $44,125 for all-wheel drive. The vehicle reaches dealers mid-summer.

Next Dodge Viper will shed some rough edges

Little by little we're getting a clearer picture of the next-generation Dodge Viper SRT10. During a conversation with Dodge boss Reid Bigland at the Los Angeles auto show, Bigland told me the redesigned Viper "will appeal to a broader segment of the market." The car is expected to debut in 2012 but is not likely to appear at the Detroit auto show, he says. Today's Viper is essentially a street-legal race car.

The fall and rise of the budget car

Twenty years ago, the classic bargain brands like Lada seemed to be going the same way as the Soviet empire that spawned them. Woefully dated and badly made, only a weirdo would have bought a new Lada rather than a second-hand model from Ford, Vauxhall or VW. However, one of the big trends in the car industry today is the re-emergence of bargain cars.