Beck/arnley 101-7183 Lower Ball Joint on 2040-parts.com

2012 Volkswagen Beetle guest stars on ‘Oprah'

Volkswagen used the “Oprah Winfrey Show” to tease the 2012 Beetle, which arrives in showrooms next fall. A silhouette of the diminutive new car was shown on Monday on the TV show, and it's expected to have sleeker styling with a stretched-out roofline. That cue was also seen on the 2005 Ragster concept.

Google reveals its first self-driving car prototype (video)

Google’s first self-driving car prototype (pictured) Google might not be the first company that springs to mind as a car maker, but Tesla has already proved that Silicon Valley can produce a car that buyers want and Google are intent on following a similar route. But where Tesla’s USP is its long-range electric capabilities – and a desire to build cars for the market – Google’s goal is more technology orientated and is all about developing self-driving car technology that works in the real world. For the last few years, Google has been experimenting with existing cars kitted out with self-driving gubbins, but now they’ve taken the next step and built their own self-driving prototype.

Are the Mini Coupe and Roadster on their way out?

The slow-selling Mini Coupe and Roadster could be replaced by an all new sports model soon, Australian site CarSales is reporting. The pair haven't fired up the Mini faithful as some other recent models from the brand, and a refreshed Mini lineup is on the horizon including 18 new cars based on Mini's two platforms. Knowing Mini's ability to spin off models, that number doesn't sound too far-fetched.