Yamaha Boat Cushion on 2040-parts.com

Corvette Central: Revamped C7, radical mid-engined C8 in GM's plans

General Motors is mulling a radical re-engineering for the Chevrolet Corvette, centered on a more fuel-efficient, mid-engined V6 powertrain, a lightweight alloy body and a more compact footprint. The idea is to re-energize GM's ambition for the Corvette, with fundamental changes that will make it into a contemporary global supercar. The changes are penciled into GM's product plan for the next major model change, the C8, with an on-sale date around 2016.

Update: Google self-driving car is really just a transportation pod

Google will launch its own fleet of autonomous vehicle prototypes – with no steering wheels and no gas or brake pedals – as the technology giant begins a new phase of its self-driving car project. Google designed the car and plans to have about 100 test vehicles that are fully autonomous with extra safety features, company co-founder Sergey Brin said during a conference Tuesday hosted by technology blog Re/code in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. > See how Google's autonomous car navigates city streets here The New York Times reported Tuesday night that a Detroit-area manufacturer is building the cars for Google, which declined to name the manufacturer, according to the Times' story.

2012 Mazda3 Facelift arrives in the UK. Price from £13,495

The 2012 Mazda3 arrives in the UK The 2012 Mazda3 Facelift arrives in the UK this month with minor tweaks and a starting price of £13,495. The Mazda3 is a car you can easily overlook when scouring the market for a compact family car, which is a shame. It’s a good car and, with the facelift for 2012 chucking in a few tweaks, is more appealing than before.