Auto Meter Pro Comp Ultra Lite on 2040-parts.com

Vette plant to build high-performance engines

General Motors is moving its Performance Build Center, which let enthusiasts pay $5,000-plus to build the high-performance engine for their Chevrolet Corvette, from Michigan to the Corvette assembly plant in Bowling Green, Ky. The move is expected to be completed by spring 2014. It will let a Corvette buyer build his own engine, with help from a GM technician, and then see it installed in his car as it goes down the Bowling Green assembly line.

Concept Car of the Week: Honda Kiwami (2003)

As part of Honda's exploration into new, clean-performing technologies, the Kiwami concept was created to test public acceptance of the idea of a large, fuel cell-powered luxury sedan.  Unveiled in 2003, the simple yet striking design seemed like a Japanese twist on the Renault Vel Satis concept, which shared a similar wedge profile, wide stance and minimalist approach.  However, the Kiwami found its own interpretation of modern luxury, expressed through elegantly integrated technology rather than with crystal champagne glasses.  Up front, a full-width LED strip headlamp sat flush with the flat bonnet and the rectangular bumper to create a design of primitive beauty.  Further examples of the same simple Japanese aesthetic are found around the car, including the uncluttered body panels and a full-width tail-lamp graphic that matched the front theme.  The dramatic proportions of the interior were closely related to the package of the hydrogen power plant. Unlike other manufacturers at the time, Honda engineers did not create a 'skateboard' fuel cell chassis below the cabin. Instead, a sideways H-shaped layout for the control unit, ultracapacitor, fuel cell stack, hydrogen storage and other components was used, helping to create a lower center of gravity.

April new-car sales winners and losers

U.S. light-vehicle sales rose 8 percent to nearly 1.4 million in April, with strong retail sales and pent-up demand adding momentum to the industry's spring thaw. Among major automakers, Nissan Motor Co., Chrysler Group and Toyota Motor Corp.