1950 Dodge Truck Upper Grille Bar - Original on 2040-parts.com

Center stack is new high-stakes battleground; showdown with safety regulators looms

For auto suppliers and gadget companies eager to get a piece of the auto industry, the hottest chunk of vehicle real estate now is the center stack. That corridor of interior space, running from the driver's right hip up through the center of the cockpit to the bottom of the windshield, has become a California gold rush of opportunity. But it is less so for traditional suppliers of molded plastics, cables, levers, buttons and radios.

Citroen to revive the DS – sort of

It went on to spawn the legendary Citroen SM – a Maserati powered ‘Supercar’ – and its place in Citroen’s history is assured as the most significant model produced by the French manufacturer (together with the 2CV, at the other end of the cost scale). Citroen SM Supercar - Spawned from the legendary Citroen DS So it seemed like good news when we heard that Citroen was to revive the DS marque. But sadly, it doesn’t seem so.

Electric Ford Focus starts European production

The Electric Ford Focus (pictured) is now being built in Europe The electric Ford Focus is already in production, and on sale, in the USA, and now it’s gone in to production in Germany ahead of arriving with owners in July. So far, the Focus EV hasn’t been an overwhelming success in the US, with just over 700 sold in the first five months of 2013 but, even though Ford see the EV as a niche product, they’re still hoping to make a dent in sales of the Nissan LEAF in Europe. The Focus EV comes with an electric motor producing 143bhp and powered by a bank of lithium-ion batteries.