Beck Arnley 041-8079 Oil Filter on 2040-parts.com

BMW X6 ActiveHybrid & BMW 7 Series ActiveHybrid at Frankfurt

Production versions of the BMW 7 Series & X6 ActiveHybrid will show at Frankfurt The Concepts for the ActiveHybrids were originally shown in 2008, and the production models are expected to be pretty much the same. They are in effect ‘Mild’ Hybrids, using a 20hp electric motor – with an additional 155lb/ft of torque – to add efficiency to the 4.4 litre twin-turbo V8. The electric motor will be fitted in the transmission housing and replaces stuff like the alternator and starter.

Saab parent company to sell Spyker luxury brand to U.S. firm

Saab parent company Swedish Automobile plans to sell its Spyker luxury-sports-car brand to U.S. private-equity firm North Street Capital for about $44 million. Spyker has been careful to point out to European news sources that the agreement has not been made final.

Dual-clutch transmission put on hold at Chrysler

Chrysler Group has delayed introduction of a fuel-saving automatic transmission so it can make the shift patterns more palatable to U.S. drivers--the latest sign that a key tool in automakers' plans to meet tougher fuel-economy rules needs some fine-tuning. Two weeks ago, Ford Motor Co., which uses a similar dual-clutch transmission in its Fiesta and Focus, took a hit in Consumer Reports' annual reliability survey because many drivers complained about balky shifting.