Standard Motor Products Gb-451 Distributor Cap on 2040-parts.com

Dodge to get 40-mpg small car; touts mid-cycle product changes

Dodge is 14 months away from having a 40-mpg small car based on a Fiat platform. The tooling for that car was recently handed off to Chrysler Group's engineering department, Dodge CEO Ralph Gilles told journalists in San Francisco on Sunday. That small car is key to Chrysler's recovery strategy and to meeting stricter U.S.

Chevrolet to dealers: Let Cruze shoppers test-drive competitors

Chevrolet is asking its 3,000 dealers to prepare for the late September launch of the Chevrolet Cruze compact by purchasing competitors' vehicles for test-drive comparisons. Chevrolet is encouraging dealers to have a Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic on site so prospective 2011 Cruze buyers can immediately measure the car against its segment competitors, said Margaret Brooks, Chevrolet small-car marketing director. At a media event Tuesday in suburban Detroit, Brooks said Chevrolet expects buyers to come away with a favorable view of the Cruze.

The air runs out of run-flat tires

After settling a lawsuit last month with disgruntled owners of Michelin run-flat tires, Honda dropped the tires for the 2010 model year. It was another disappointment for Michelin and other makers of run-flat tires in a 17-year effort to win customers in the United States. When run-flat tires appeared here in 1992, they were expected to win wide acceptance as original equipment.