00 Lexus Gs300 Electrical Relay 12017 on 2040-parts.com

From 'Made in China' to 'Designed in China'

Visitors to the recent Auto China in Beijing may have noticed an impressive new Chinese sports car – called Aculeus – on one of the smaller exhibitor stands. The concept car is the latest project undertaken by CH-Auto Technology Corporation – one of a growing number of automotive R&D service companies based in China that provides support to the OEMs. The company was established in August 2003 by Lu Qun, an engineer who originally trained at Tsinghua University and later specialized in engine development testing.

BMW makes 1,000 workers permanent

AROUND 1,000 agency workers at car giant BMW are to be made permanent employees, guaranteeing job security for years. The change, being made in two phases, was warmly welcomed by the Unite union, describing it as a great Christmas present. The announcement covers workers across a number of BMW sites including the Mini plant in Oxford, pressings plant in Swindon and Hams Hall engine site near Birmingham.

Autoweek's Best of the Best winners announced

Today, Autoweek announced the winners of our yearly Best of the Best competition with the Porsche Boxster S and Mercedes-Benz GL taking top honors. Presenting the awards, editor Wes Raynal said, “It was a tough call to make this year with so many incredible cars and trucks that debuted. After a year of evaluating everything on the market, the Porsche Boxster S and Mercedes-Benz GL rose to the top, really earning these two awards.” For Best of the Best awards, the Autoweek editors considered publicly available, all-new or substantially new 2013 model cars and trucks.