Daihatsu Hijet 1999 Rear Propeller Shaft Assembly [4232200] on 2040-parts.com

One Lap of the Web: Peking to Paris Rally, classic car inspection guide and pointless cars

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- Join the Hooniverse debate as they ask: What's the dumbest car sold on the market today?

U.S. car sales jump 20% in August

UPDATED -- U.S. auto sales--led by Honda Motor Co., the Volkswagen Group and Toyota Motor Corp.--jumped 20 percent last month for the strongest monthly pace in three years. The Detroit 3 also posted double-digit sales gains for August, signaling the auto industry's recovery remains solidly on track despite sluggish economic growth, rising gasoline prices and widespread consumer uncertainty.

Tesla planning car to take on Nissan LEAF – and maybe sell out to Apple

Elon Musk is buoyed by the success of the Tesla S and the seemingly inexorable rise in Tesla’s stock which has allowed Tesla to repay its government loans way ahead of schedule. Now Musk has been getting adventurous in an interview with Bloomberg where he’s stated that the next plan for Tesla is to build a smaller, more affordable electric car that can take on the Nissan LEAF. Musk plans to stay in control of Tesla until plans for a news small EV are complete, and said: With the Model S, you have a compelling car that’s too expensive for most people.