Mirka 6" Orbital Sander 1200 Rpm W/ Vacuum Pick Up & Dust Bag on 2040-parts.com

Geneva 2011 - Best in Show

Unlike Detroit, which generated a lot of hype for what turned out to be not as much new product as we'd hoped, the Geneva show was a true return to form, with all new vehicles occupying various different market segments making their debuts. But Geneva wouldn't be complete without the seemingly never-ending stream of concept cars filling the halls of the Palexpo. Every year the Swiss show's neutrality is the perfect breeding ground for the French, Italian and German automakers to strut their future visions for mobility about.

Consumer Reports gets top vehicle picks mostly right

Despite the publication's uncomfortably broad definition of reliability -- it spans everything from "the engine fell out" to "the touchscreen display shows fingerprints too easily" -- automakers still clamor to get on the Consumer Reports recommended vehicle list. This year's winners cover a broad spectrum of vehicles, and for the most part, we're in agreement with the magazine's editors, with one significant exception at the top of the list. Best overall vehicle went to the Tesla Model S.

Connecticut garage fire destroys Volt and homemade EV

News reports say two plug-in electric cars--a 2011 Chevrolet Volt and a home-converted Suzuki Samurai--were destroyed in a garage fire in Barkhamsted, Conn., on April 14. The destroyed Volt had just 2,000 miles on the odometer. The owner said he converted the Samurai to electric power a few years ago.