An-12 Aeroquip Style Lw Fittings Lot-4 on 2040-parts.com

BMW introduces diesel 2015 X3 before Chicago Auto Show

BMW's successful X3 SUV is getting new features for 2015, the company said on Wednesday before the Chicago Auto Show. For the first time in the U.S., a diesel engine will be offered on the midsized 'ute, as will a lower-cost rear-wheel drive model. The BMW X3 xDrive28d -- quite a mouthful -- will deliver 180 hp and a robust 280 lb-ft of torque using a 2.0-liter, TwinPower turbo diesel engine.

Concept Car of the Week: Matra Laser (1971)

Founded in 1937, French company Matra began its activities by manufacturing military equipment such as aeronautics and weaponry. In the mid ‘60s, under Jean-Luc Lagardere's ambitious direction, the company bought Automobiles Rene Bonnet to expand its portfolio with street and racing cars. The first model solely developed by Matra was the bonkers, but brilliant, 1967 M530, which took its name from the company's surface-to-air missile the R530.

European brands eye U.S. market for new small luxury cars

As head of Mercedes-Benz USA in the late 1990s, Mike Jackson was determined to keep the ungainly, expensive A-class small car out of the United States. "The original A-class, you would say, 'Oh, my God. I will never be able to sell that to anybody.