05 06 Kawasaki Zx6r Left & Right Rearsets Peg  on 2040-parts.com

Kia Soulster concept unveiled at Detroit auto show 2009

By Ben Pulman Motor Shows 12 January 2009 13:48 To rub salt into the wounds of the beleaguered Big Three, Korean manufacturer Kia unveiled its own version of the iconic American pick-up truck at the Detroit auto show. But rather than a ultilitarian flat-bed, the Soulster concept is something at the very other end of the scale, designed to drum up interest in the Soul (on which it's based) before the B-segment baby goes on sale later in 2009. The Soulster concept was penned at Kia’s LA design studio – where the original Soul concept was created – and while there are no current production plans, company insiders have said that the right reaction from American customers could see the Soulster become a reality.

Japan automakers extend shutdowns as quake impact widens

Japan's seven big automakers are extending nationwide production shutdowns amid growing concern about supply chain interruptions, power shortages and export difficulties following the massive earthquake and tsunami that hammered northern Japan, killing thousands. Toyota Motor Corp., one of the few automakers with a major manufacturing presence in the quake zone, suspended all manufacturing--at both assembly and parts plants--on Monday and extended the shutdown through at least Wednesday as an added precaution. The company will lose output of roughly 40,000 vehicles over the three-day period, spokesman Dion Corbett said.

Mercedes B-class fuel-cell drivers tell all

We met in a Los Angeles gas station, directly under the landing lights of LAX's south runway, our conversation interrupted regularly by the Prattt & Whitney thrust of 757s and Super 80s. We could easily be the main characters in an espionage thriller, handing off secret documents at great personal risk. But we're not.