2000 Chrysler Concorde Cruise Control Module 2.7l on 2040-parts.com

NHTSA proposes rules for automakers to add sound to hybrids, EVs

Automakers would need to make hybrids and electric vehicles emit sound under rules that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed on Monday. The rules, ordered by Congress three years ago, are meant to protect pedestrians and bicyclists from vehicles that make little sound when using electric power. NHTSA says that designing the vehicles to make noise at speeds below 18 mph would prevent about 2,800 injuries over the life of each model year of vehicles.

German Grand Prix (2012) RESULT

With Alonso on pole and Vettel alongside – and rain in the air – is the 2012 German Grand Prix going to be Silverstone repeated? Qualifying for this year’s German Grand Prix in Hockenheim was a rather damp affair, with final qualifying run in a monsoon. A monsoon that saw Fernando Alonso put his Ferrari on a convincing pole with the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel alongside.

Concept Car of the Week: Bertone BMW Pickster (1998)

The creation of new niche products is an ongoing process for car manufacturers and sometimes combining different segments into one can provide a popular solution. Nowadays, all these mongrels are usually categorised under the same label ‘Crossover', which doesn't mean much anymore a part perhaps for an artificial off-road appearance. But back in America's sixties, the combination of a pick-up's functionality with the style and driving performance of a sports car became so successful that it created a whole new segment.