Raymarine Smartpilot X5 Control Unit Smart Pilot 5670-006 on 2040-parts.com

UPDATED: Three Tesla employees are killed in California plane crash

Three employees of Tesla Motors were killed in a small airplane crash in northern California on Wednesday, the electric-car maker's chief executive said. A Cessna 310 struck an electrical tower after taking off this morning and crashed into a residential neighborhood, killing all three people on board, according to local police. Tesla confirmed all had worked at the company.

Tis the season

It's time to once again show the world your giving spirit. The annual Championship Auto Racing Auxiliary (CARA) auction of racing items—cool stuff gathered during the 2012 racing season—is underway. The CARA auction is run in association with Autoweek and can be found here, at autoweek.com.

New techniques cut cost of carbon fiber

Carbon fiber, once so costly that it was the preferred material only for fighter planes and supercars, is catching the attention of weight-conscious automakers. Carbon fiber's cost is falling dramatically, thanks to production advances that let suppliers speed the material's finicky, and costly, curing process. One technological breakthrough that makes carbon-fiber auto parts more affordable may come from a process used to make carbon-fiber golf clubs.