Yamaha Outboard Square Fuel/speed Gauge on 2040-parts.com

Motorcycle makers revved for rebound

Bikes are back. After being hit a lot harder by the recession than carmakers, the motorcycle industry, more susceptible to the whims of discretionary spending, is on its way back. “Unit sales are growing for the first time in several years,” said Danny Phillips, executive vice president of Advanstar, the parent company of Progressive International, which put on last weekend's motorcycle show at the Long Beach Convention Center.

Vauxhall Meriva (2010): first news and pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 05 January 2010 00:01 The new Vauxhall Meriva is opening up entry to the suicide door club – previously the preserve of Rolls-Royces and Mazda sports cars. Unveiled today, the new Meriva mini-MPV premieres GM’s FlexDoor technology, designed to make it easier to climb in and out. Or just show off in the car park (delete according to your personal scepticism).Although available on one side of the Mini Clubman, the Meriva promises to democratise the suicide door, with prices from around £14,000 when UK sales start in June 2010.The rear-hinged back doors open to nearly 90deg and are claimed to help ease access to the Meriva – a promise we’ll check out when we sit in it at the 2010 Geneva motor show.

DeLorean DMC-12 electric prototype debuts

The DeLorean DMC-12, one of the world's most iconic cars, is making waves again, re-emerging as an all-electric vehicle. The DeLorean Motor Company, now based in Texas, rolled out the proof-of-concept version of the eDeLorean to customers at its biannual DMC headquarters gathering in Houston over the weekend. “I wanted my customers to see it first,” DMC owner Steven Wynne told Autoweek.