Corvette C4 Emergency E Brake Handle Assembly Oe+ on 2040-parts.com

Japan hopes to make EV recharging technology the global standard

Japan's automakers aim to cement their lead in electric vehicles by making Japanese recharging technology the global standard and bringing it to the United States. A coalition of manufacturers, including Nissan and Toyota, is teaming with Japan's biggest electric company and the government to make it happen. They aim to corner the market on one of the technologies that will be key to the eventual acceptance of electric-powered cars: the high-speed charging points that will act like gasoline stations of the future and enable drivers to recharge and keep driving after their batteries run low.

Autoweek's top-12 most read stories of 2012

From an infamous Texas house fire, to the death of one of the greats, autoweek.com's top-12 most read stories of 2012 offer a look back at a wild year. This year while we tested some of the best enthusiast vehicles, ran around auto shows and spoke with automotive movers and shakers, we kept track of what piqued your interests. What, you thought we weren't paying attention?

Saleen S5S Raptor

By Liz Turner Motor Shows 20 March 2008 21:13 Saleen is best known for its red-hot Mustangs, but at New York it revealed an American supercar concept to rival the Europeans. Its S5S Raptor is around the same size as a Ferrari 430, and should be close to the same price, but boasts 175bhp more. It’s powered by a Saleen-built supercharged 6.0-litre V8, that will run on ethanol (like an increasing number of race cars).