Sea Doo Gas Cap on 2040-parts.com

Automotive X Prize teams begin performance testing in Michigan

The 28 teams competing in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize will begin performance testing this week at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich. The teams are vying for $10 million in prizes, which will be awarded to consumer-friendly vehicles that exceed 100 mpg. This week begins the first of the three on-track performance testing stages: shakedown, knockout qualifying and finals.

Mazda sells 10 millionth car in America

The first car Mazda ever sold in America was the R100, a cute lil' two-door fastback that was, unsurprisingly, rotary-powered. The year was 1970. Iggy Pop had made that much explicitly clear with "1970." Just imagine how weird it must have been for Americans to wrap their minds around some tiny Japanese upstart, selling a car approximately the size of a 1970 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham's wheelwell, powered by -- what's this, German technology?

Nissan design chief Shiro Nakamura meets Jay Leno, talks about new 240Z

Nissan Design's Chief Creative Officer Shiro Nakamura met talk-show host Jay Leno in the latest of the ‘Jay Leno's Garage' YouTube series, chatting candidly about the possibility of a new 240Z within the next two years. Next year will be the 80th anniversary of Nissan and the new model would be a celebration of the occasion, taking the spirit of the 240Z while refreshing the original design and shape into what Nakamura hopes will be an exciting new product. Speaking at the Nissan Technical Center in Japan, Nakamura said: "I don't regulate everything, I don't come too often.