Mazda Bongo 2010 Speedometer [1661400] on 2040-parts.com

Why this year's UAW-Detroit 3 talks don't matter

Here's what you need to know about the current UAW contract talks with the Detroit 3: They don't really matter. Oh, sure, agreements must be reached and contracts signed. But some commentators would have you believe the Detroit 3's future competitiveness hinges on their ability to stand up to the UAW in this year's negotiations.

Saab owners Spyker NV to become Swedish Automobile NV

Is the rain coming to an end at Saab? In the seemingly never-ending saga of Spyker and Saab it does now seem likely that the deal we reported last week with Chinese distributors Pang Da is going to pan out. The messy-looking deal with Pang Da has seen the beleaguered Dutch car maker receiving €30 million already from the cash-rich Chinese, which it’s using to pay-off its suppliers in an attempt to get production lines rolling again in Trollhattan.

MINI Beachcomber Concept revealed

The Countryman-based MINI Beachcomber Concept Another month in 2009 and yet another MINI. When we reported last month on the MINI Rolls Royce Edition we reckoned that BMW had managed to produce a dozen new models of the MINI in 2009, although the number of new models and limited editions is so large we thought we might have missed one or two. But if we were right with the dozen models at that point you can now make that a baker’s dozen with the reveal of MINI’s latest creation – The MINI Beachcomber.