Mercedes C230 C280 E300d E320 E430 E55 Window Control Switch Oe on 2040-parts.com

New BMW 760i sneaks out in Europe

BMW 760i in standard and long wheelbase versions has been announced. With the New York Motor Show going on across the pond, all eyes are on the Big Apple for the latest car news, but BMW has chosen today to launch what appears to be a car that won’t be going to the USA – The BMW 760i. Many of us wondered if BMW would give up on their V12 now the world is turning against seemingly profligate cars.

Post-World War II Japanese tin toys on display in New York

During the rebuilding of Japan after World War II, a Japanese toy designer took a discarded tin can and molded it into an intricate model car. Just inches in length, it created a phenomenon in the 1940s and '50s in Japan called “buriki.” Buriki is derived from “blik,” which is Dutch for "tin toy." A collection of 70 tin-toy vehicles manufactured in Japan is currently on display at New York's Japan Society Gallery. The exhibit, called “Buriki: Japanese Tin Toys from the Golden Age of the American Automobile, The Yoku Tanaka Collection,” runs until Aug.

Volkswagen plans 4 million cars from one platform

Volkswagen is pushing the global-platform concept to a level unprecedented in the auto industry, introducing a modular platform this summer that eventually will be the basis of microcars, sedans, crossovers and SUVs for its four largest brands. While automakers now share platforms across brands and sometimes even segments, the VW initiative that starts this summer is far more ambitious than anything seen so far. By 2017, some analysts estimate, the MQB platform that debuts with the Audi A3 eventually will be used in 4 million units a year--close to half of VW's annual production.