Auto Meter 17325 Gauge Pod on 2040-parts.com

Fiat 500 gets 3-star safety rating from NHTSA

The slow-selling 2012 Fiat 500 now has another obstacle in its sales path: It has been tagged by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with a three-star safety rating, the lowest of any new model tested so far. The two-door subcompact received four stars from NHTSA for frontal crash and rollover accidents but received just two stars for side-impact crash safety, the agency announced on its Web site, safercar.gov. The tests gave the car a combined overall safety rating of three stars, NHTSA reported.

Mercedes front row in China F1 Grand Prix – Rosberg on pole

Nico Rosberg is on pole position for the Shanghai Grand Prix Nico Rosberg is on pole position for Mercedes in the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai with team mate Michael Schumacher alongside. Not only has Nico Rosberg taken pole position at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, but he did it with one flying lap at the start of final qualifying to take his first F1 pole and Mercedes first since their return to F1 in 2010 after an absence of more than half a century. Rosberg beat second place man Hamilton by a full half second, but Hamilton has a five place penalty for a gearbox change so starts seventh.

Tesla Model S battery fire inquiry closed by NHTSA

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it closed a three-month-long investigation of fires in the Tesla Model S this week, as Tesla announced a design change to better shield the electric car's batteries. Tesla Motors Inc. said today it has started building the Model S with a titanium underbody shield to prevent battery fires like the two that occurred in the United States last year when Model S drivers struck road debris.