Vintage Merriman #5 Bronze Snap Swivel Shackle, 7.5" Long 4" Wide on 2040-parts.com

Toyota cuts 2014 Prius Plug-in hybrid prices

For the 2014 model year the Toyota Prius Plug-in hybrid will get a price cut, with the base Prius Plug-in model starting at $29,990, not including destination. The $2,010 drop in price comes without any changes to the vehicle, and Toyota was keen to point out that "This price repositioning on the base Prius Plug-in Hybrid is not accompanied by any reduction in vehicle content.” This drop in price can be viewed as part of Toyota's effort to keep sales volume of its popular plug-in hybrid model on target -- about the only place where the 2014 model Prius will look different will be the Japanese domestic market, where the Prius will get two-tone paint options, new wheels, and LED lighting. Likewise, the Prius Plug-in Advanced will also get a price cut for the 2014 model year, and will start at $34,905, not including destination.

The world's best-selling passenger car is…

UPDATE-Ford announced Tuesday the Focus nameplate sold more than 1,020,000 units in 2012 making it the best-selling passenger car in the world. Data supporting the claim came from Polk's annual vehicle-registration review, which, since it accounts for data from around the globe, comes out three to four months later than other 2012 recap results. In China, registrations for Focus vehicles were up 51 percent, accounting for nearly one in four global Focus sales, according to Polk.

2012 Mercedes SL63 AMG – now it’s the video

Mercedes SL63 AMG Video The official public debut of the 2012 Mercedes SL63 AMG is at Geneva next week and Mercedes has divvied up a video to pique interest. It’s easy to think of the Mercedes SL as an old man’s convertible; a soft and soggy soft-top for those who are more interested in the pose than the drive. But that’s not really been true for a long time, and certainly not in the SL AMG models, which have offered real performance and decent dynamics since arriving as the SL55 AMG a decade ago.