Mustang Wide Tripper Solo Seat - Smooth - 12in. 76724 on 2040-parts.com

Crunch watch Dec 08: the auto industry in crisis

By Tim Pollard and Simon Stiel Motor Industry 31 December 2008 14:05 Wednesday 31 December 2008• GMAC, GM's finance arm, said it would immediately revise its criteria for providing loans, after the US government bail-out of the General's credit arm. It will now supply credit for anyone with a score of 621 or more on the Fico scale, the scale used to assess Amercian customers' creditworthiness (Financial Times)• The news means that 80% of US consumers would now qualify for a loan from GMAC – which should improve sales in the depressed US market (Detroit News)• Chrysler is being lambasted for taking out full-page adverts in the American national press thanking the nation for supporting its auto industry. But critics point out this is a fresh waste of bail-out resources, as pages in the Wall Street Journal – one of the titles in which the ad ran – reportedly cost up to $264,000.

New BMW 4-Series shows its sporty side with M Performance add-ons

The BMW 4 Series M Performance Parts have been revealed (pictured) The new BMW 4-Series Coupe may not have arrived in BMW showrooms yet, but that hasn’t stopped BMW showcasing how you can spend extra money on your new 4-Series with a range of M Performance accessories. So when you do go and spec up your new 4-Series you’ll also be able to tick some of the boxes on the M Performance Accessories list for your dealer to fit when your car arrives for delivery and (almost) turn it in to an imitation M4 Coupe if you wish. Probably the biggest seller will be the showy stuff, like the M-Performance body kit which adds a lower front bumper with carbon fibre splitter and bigger air intakes, bigger sills, new back bumper with diffuser and ducts, carbon fibre spoiler at the back, dark chrome trim and carbon fibre door mirror caps.

Lexus CT 200h: Paris Motor Show 2010

The Lexus CT 200h at the Paris Motor Show We’re trying really hard to like the Lexus CT 200h. It could be very good. A compact executive car to take on the likes of Audi and BMW, but with a bit of Japanese comfort and build quality built in.