Suzuki 59317-94j00 Grommet on 2040-parts.com

Porsche seeks ‘everyday magic' with film contest

Porsche North America has tapped into its considerable fan base, seeking homegrown visions for its My Daily Magic filmmaking contest. Aspiring directors made 60-second spots for the brand that show his or her interpretation of “everyday magic.” Of those entries, 10 finalists were chosen to make 90-second commercials that will be voted on by the public, as well as by Porsche brass. One film shows a father that has to run some errands on a weekday.

Rinspeed XchangE concept previews cabin of self-driving cars

Ever wondered what you'll be doing in your car once cars become driverless? We'd probably just sit in the back seat and read the financial section of the paper (on some kind of transparent tablet computer, of course) to see how our Tesla shares are doing and make small talk about the weather with our imaginary chauffeur named James in a faux British accent, asking him to pass the Grey Poupon from time to time. But unlike us, coachbuilder Rinspeed is actually taking the yet-to-materialize issue seriously, and at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show it will debut its XchangE concept.

Ford opens online reservations for the 2012 Focus electric

People can now place their online orders for the 2012 Ford Focus electric, Ford's first all-electric passenger car. The electric Focus carries a base sticker price of $39,995 including shipping charges, but that price does not reflect any tax credits available. The electric Focus comes standard with MyFord Touch with an eight-inch touch screen, two 4.2-inch color LCD displays in the gauge cluster for EV monitoring screens, and the MyFord Mobile App for remotely monitoring the charge status of the lithium-ion battery.