Bikers Choice Starter Motor (hitachi Type) 31570-73 on 2040-parts.com

What's different about electric cars this time? A column by Kevin A. Wilson

Thirteen years after the General Motors EV1 was rolled out to cheers from advocates of a revolution in the way we power automobiles, those same advocates are out front cheerleading yet another revival of an idea as old as the automobile itself: Run 'em on batteries. Batteries aren't a source of energy. They're just storage units, a convenient means of making power portable.

2013 Range Rover: Paris 2012

The 2013 Range Rover has been given its public debut at the 2012 Paris Motor Show and takes centre stage on the Land Rover stand. We know, for example, that the new Range Rover weighs as much as 420kg less than the current model, that it comes with a choice not just of a 4.4 litre V8 diesel and 5.0 litre supercharged 5.0 litre V8 – as in the current model – but also get a new 3.0 litre diesel option. Which, thanks to all that weight loss, is as quick – and far more economical - than the 4.4 V8 diesel was in the current model.

BMW expands Mini lineup with two-seat coupe, roadster models

Mini is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its original model by confirming plans for a new compact performance-oriented coupe. The two-seater, revealed 50 years to the day after the premiere of the first Mini back in 1959, will make its public debut at the upcoming Frankfurt auto show. At the show, the BMW-owned carmaker also will unveil a similarly styled two-seat roadster, which sources say will head into production as part of a strategy aimed at further raising the appeal of the wildly popular and iconic small car.