Jeep Wrangler Tj Factory (1997-2002) Side Steps on 2040-parts.com

Electric Ford Focus to guest on Leno show

Jay Leno's new show goes live Monday on NBC, and a guest star from Dearborn, Mich., will have a recurring role. The battery-electric Ford Focus will be the centerpiece of a bit dubbed the “Green Car Challenge” on the show. Leno, a noted car guy, will have celebrity guests compete for the best track times in the Focus.

Aston Martin showrooms go Hi-Tec

I’m not too sure it will help much with sales at the moment, but it has been announced that Aston Martin are to become the first company to use Microsoft’s Surface Device in UK Car showrooms. The Surface device is in essence a glitzy coffee table, with a built in PC running the new software from Microsoft. Based on the software Aston Martin currently uses on its website, the device allows the salesman to configure the car on a coffee table screen, with changes of colour and wheels showing on the screen.

Future products: Kia seeks lively, upscale look

Kia's redesigned Optima sedan and the Cadenza replacement for the Amanti, both due next year, reflect an emphasis on creating a livelier and more upscale look for the once-bland brand. Indeed, styling has been a crucial element of Kia's new-product push in the past 18 months. The team at Kia Design Center America near Los Angeles--part of the automaker's global design network led by onetime Audi design chief Peter Schreyer--has helped set the new styling direction.