Hood 1963 Chevrolet Chevy Impala on 2040-parts.com

Mazda's rotary engine stalled, not forgotten

Development of the next-generation rotary engine from Mazda Motor Corp., first unveiled three years ago, is making slow progress despite missing emissions targets. A top Mazda powertrain executive said today that the 1.6-liter rotary engine, called the 16X, is about 30 percent more fuel-efficient than the current rotary engine used in the RX-8 sporty car. In fact, the 16X so far performs slightly better than Mazda's standard two-liter gasoline engine, said Mitsuo Hitomi, general manager of the Japanese carmaker's powertrain division.

Chrysler to build ZF's eight-speed transmission in Indiana

The Chrysler Group plans to spend $300 million to build a new eight-speed automatic transmission licensed from ZF Group, a transmission maker headquartered in Friedrichshafen, Germany. The investment will pay for installation of special tooling and equipment at Chrysler's Transmission Plant 1 and Kokomo Casting Plant in Indiana and help retain 1,200 jobs there, Chrysler said Wednesday. Production will start in 2013.

Queen’s hat causes car problem in France

Renault | AP The French president has a problem: it turns out none of the Citroen cars currently at his disposal are large enough to accommodate the Queen’s customary hats. So for Her Majesty’s state visit on 6 June, in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of D-Day, president Francois Hollande has ordered an old Renault out of retirement to make sure the Queen has the necessary headroom. On Bing: see pictures of the Queen’s cars60 years of Royal cars President Hollande is generally seen in a Citroen DS5, as this is the most prestigious French-made car currently available; alternatively he also has routine access to the slightly more limo-like Citroen C6.