Hyundai i40 / Sonata launches

The new Sonata / i40 has launched in Korea The Sonata – which will be the Hyundai i40 in Europe – is yet another very convincing new model from the Koreans. Gone is the very boring old Sonata and in comes the very European style i40. It is a somewhat derivative design – from the  ’Coupe Saloon’ school of design – but that’s a positive for a budget car maker like Hyundai.

Long-wheelbase stretch Jeep Wrangler spied

A Jeep Wrangler JK with a third row of seating was recently spied at a suburban Detroit gas station. Wearing manufacturer plates, at first glance it looked like a prototype being tested by the Auburn Hills manufacturer. Closer inspection of the photos showed pieces from Wixom, Mich.-based American Expedition Vehicles, including bumpers and wheels with the AEV logos covered by painter's tape.

Driver in Paul Walker crash was racer in his own right: Roger Rodas: 1975-2013

You know the headline: “Fast and the Furious” star Paul Walker died Saturday when the driver of the red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT that Walker was riding in lost control in a business park drive, wrapped the Porsche around a tree, and then the Porsche burned. But less likely to make headlines was the death of the driver of the car, Walker's friend for nearly a decade, Roger Rodas, who became Walker's formal business partner and financial advisor in 2007. The crash, which occurred about 3:30 p.m., was near the end of a charity event that the tuner and racing company they operated – Rodas was the CEO -- Always Evolving, announced on the company's web site: “Our next open house and car meet is November 30th from 10 a.m.