05-12 Toyota Avalon At Fwd Steering Gear Rack And Pinion Assembly on 2040-parts.com

Ford warms up new era of car-guy leaders

A minor temblor shook Dearborn, Mich., today with the announcement that Mark Fields, president of the Americas, climbed the golden corporate ladder to grab the chief operating officer ring, setting him up to succeed Alan Mulally in a couple of years. The move did not come as a shock-it only confirmed the whispers of auto industry Royal Watchers. The biggest news for those who care about cars, however, is two-fold: Jim Farley, Ford's global marketing boss, also takes the helm of Lincoln.

Beijing motor show: China means (auto) business

By Guy Bird Motor Shows 22 April 2008 05:34 Only a fool wandering around this week's Beijing motor show would still dismiss China as some also-ran automotive market full of rip-off designs and outdated ‘new’ cars based on old Western designs. While all of those clichés were still in evidence at the Chinese auto show, the copycat mentality is much less obvious than even a year ago at last year's Shanghai show. And every western car exec CAR spoke to was in awe of the upward sales trajectory that means China is still the place to do business in 2008.Yes, there are still some odd automotive fish, usually small ‘three-box’ saloon in shape such as the Chinese market only Citroen C-Elysee and the VW Lavida (a Jetta/Bora Plus car with less style).

Video: Adrian van Hooydonk on the BMW 4-Series Coupe concept

BMW's Director of Design Adrian van Hooydonk explains the design strategy behind the 4-Series Coupe concept's design in a video interview filmed at the car's reveal at the Munich Design Night. He talks us through how the design team played with the wheelbase length to create new shapes and convey a sense of "elegance and power". Check out the full story and gallery of the BMW 4-Series Coupe concept for more information on the car that will replace the 3 Series coupe.