Nissan Teana 2004 Trunk Panel [9815300] on 2040-parts.com

Automotive X Prize teams begin performance testing in Michigan

The 28 teams competing in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize will begin performance testing this week at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich. The teams are vying for $10 million in prizes, which will be awarded to consumer-friendly vehicles that exceed 100 mpg. This week begins the first of the three on-track performance testing stages: shakedown, knockout qualifying and finals.

Porsche 918 Spyder: The first ride in the future game changer

Faster than the iconic Carrera GT yet more economical than parent company Volkswagen's frugal new Up supermini, Porsche's next supercar, the 762-hp gasoline-electric powered 918 Spyder, promises to offer the best of both worlds—scorching performance and ultralow consumption. Autoweek joins Porsche's engineering team for the very first test of the car that is already causing headaches in Maranello and Sant'Agata. For all of its intense promise and awesome potential, the very first running prototype of the upcoming Porsche 918 Spyder looks suspiciously like a refugee from a shadowy postapocalyptic movie set as it glides silently into view across the vast expanse of bitumen at the Nardo test track in southern Italy.

GM board will again delay decision on Opel's future, report says

General Motors Co.'s board will again postpone a decision on Opel's future at a two-day meeting starting today despite pressure from Germany to accept an offer for the European unit from Magna International Inc, a newspaper reported today. GM's board will delay a decision until October at the earliest, the German business daily Handelsblatt said, citing company sources. The paper said the board favors keeping Opel or, as a second choice, selling a majority stake to Belgian investment group RHJ International, which is offering 300 million euros ($433 million) in cash for a 50.1 percent stake in Opel.