Events to fire up your Independence Day

AAA expects 34.9 million people to travel at least 50 miles from home this Fourth of July weekend. We don't know where they're heading, but it looks like they have quite a few options. Our favorites?

Renault Sand'up concept

This is Renault's new Sand'up concept, developed by Renault Brazil and unveiled today at the 25th Salão Internacional do Automóvel in São Paolo. The modular 2+2 coupé can not only transform into a cabriolet, but it can also be used as a pickup by lowering the rear bench seat. As most pickups in Brazil are bought for their sporty image and not used for heavy workloads, but rather as an adventurous and fun vehicle, the car makes use of the rear passenger compartment by incorporating a mechanism that lengthens the cargo bed by up to 40cm to accommodate a range of objects.

Mini E electric car(2008): first photos

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 20 October 2008 09:36 The Mini has finally gone electric. As scooped by CAR Online, the Mini E is a pure electric car and just 500 will be built for corporate and private customers in the US, although a handful could make it to London where there is also a limited recharging infrastructure. The Mini E will only be available for one year as part of a trial and at the end all will be returned to BMW.