Mercedes W124 Hvac Heating Control Valve Solenoid Heater 0018303984 on 2040-parts.com

The scramble for scarce tires

North American automakers are struggling with a nagging shortage of tires, caused in part by tire plant closings and rising demand for low-volume specialty tires. Automakers are paying much higher prices -- double-digit percentage increases from a year ago -- as tire makers gain pricing power. "We have been bombarded from every side for additional tires, and we can't keep up," said David O'Donnell, Continental Tire's vice president of original equipment in the Americas.

New BMW 1-Series (2012) Price & Details

2012 BMW 1-Series - Full UK Prices & Details Back in June we got the official reveal of the 2012 BMW 1-Series ahead of a launch at Frankfurt. Which did seem a bit early, but as we’d published a whole heap of leaked photos of the new 1-Series just the day before perhaps BMW’s hand was forced? Still, it appears BMW’s plans were always to get the detail out on the 1-Series out well ahead of Frankfurt, because the 2012 BMW 1-Series is going to turn up in a showroom near you as soon as the cleaners hit the floor to wrap up the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Future Porsche Boxster prototype spied being tested on the road

We can all agree that there's never too much voyeurism when it comes to Porsche. Today, spy shooters nabbed the next Boxster. We expect the new Boxster to get evolutionary changes, nothing drastic.