Cessna/arc In385a Tso'ed Vor/loc Indicator Guaranteed on 2040-parts.com

Pebble Beach and Monterey car week 2013 preview: in pictures

Every August, car nuts from around the globe congregate on the Monterey Peninsula, on the west coast of America, to pay homage to the internal combustion engine. A series of events is run, culminating in the most prestigious concours in the world – Pebble Beach. Over the next few days we’ll be bringing you coverage of the key events and some of the smaller ones too, all leading up the grand finale.

Volkswagen launches Car-Net in-car assistance system

Volkswagen has launched an in-car assistance system which will offer a number of convenience and diagnostic features. Not too dissimilar from some other systems already on the market -- such as BMW Assist, Mercedes-Benz'sMbrace, and GM's On-Star -- VW's system will offer roadside assistance, service appointment scheduling, and automatic crash notification. The latter triggers a call from the vehicle to a Car-Net customer specialist when the airbags in the car are deployed, which will then connect the occupants with a local public safety answering point, which can send emergency vehicles to the scene if needed.

Volvo's Mean Green semi breaks records in Utah

The Volvo hybrid truck, a.k.a. Mean Green, achieved two world speed records at Wendover Airfield in Utah, one for the standing kilometer and one for the flying kilometer. It didn't hit its planned top velocity of 165 mph, but 147 mph is still a respectable speed for a truck originally meant for hauling trailers down a highway.