Honda Gl1800 Rear Passenger Headset Cord on 2040-parts.com

BMW 1 Series dead in US after 2013

With its successor set to bow at the Detroit Auto Show in a couple of months' time, word's come down from BMW that 2013 will indeed be the end of the line for the BMW 1 Series — at least in the US. It will remain available elsewhere in the world as a three-door and five-door hatch. The coupe and convertible, meanwhile, are being replaced by the 2 Series, in convention with BMW's new naming scheme.

General Motors fires back at Volkswagen

General Motors issued a terse response this week to published comments by Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn, who suggested to the German press that Opel could be sold to a Chinese competitor. Detroit-based GM called Winterkorn's comments “regrettable” and accused him of “fanning speculation.” Opel was nearly sold to Magna and Russian investors in the wake of GM's 2009 bankruptcy. But then-CEO Ed Whitacre and the corporate board reversed that decision, igniting controversy from German political and labor leaders who have long chafed under American oversight.

Audi A3 Concept (2011): first pictures

Audi has released first sketches of the Audi A3 concept, ahead of its debut at the 2011 Geneva motor show. Audi is previewing the upcoming A3 with this saloon concept. It's powered by the fan-favourite five-cylinder turbocharged engine in 408bhp specification. Quattro four-wheel-drive and a seven-speed S-tronic double-clutch transmission complete the powertrain.  Sizewise, the new A3 saloon is 4440mm long, 1840mm wide and 1390mm high.  That's longer than the current A3 Sportback (4.3m) but shorter than the current VW Jetta saloon (4.64m). The new concept is slightly wider and lower than the current A3.