Sunroof Assembly Vw Passat 98-05 Gray B5 on 2040-parts.com

Two of Detroit Three bail on Tokyo show, Ford wavering

Two of Detroit's three automakers are confirmed no-shows for this year's Tokyo Motor Show, with the third uncommitted as the deadline nears. General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC will sit out the December event, skipping the show for a second straight time.

2012 Ford Focus Titanium sedan, an AutoWeek Drivers Log Car Review

DIGITAL EDITOR ANDREW STOY: After spending an evening in the upmarket 2012 Ford Focus Titanium, I'm decidedly torn. My feelings about the chassis, brakes, steering--everything about the driving dynamics--remain the same as with our SE Sport tester a few weeks back: brilliant. For a C-segment car (granted, one tickling $27,000), the Focus is incredibly composed and unflappable in all but the most ridiculous street driving.

“Where is the sustainable vehicle design?”

The notion of a 'new paradigm in car design' was a theme running through talks by five panelists at London's Royal College of Art last week, who debated "Seriously now, where is the sustainable vehicle design?" Despite disparate backgrounds, there was broad agreement that a truly sustainable form of personal transportation is unlikely to come from an established automotive firm any time soon. Panelist Rob Holdway of Giraffe Innovation was most vocal in his approach to the subject, saying "Frankly, I think the car is unacceptable - we hear a lot about the sustainable car, but I don't think there is such a thing as a sustainable car". The audience - made up mainly of RCA students - also heard from Nico Sergent of Riversimple about how the company's seven-point business model, and its open source strategy, incentivized the company to build a truly sustainable car and mobility package that the current auto model simply doesn't allow.