8.8 31 Spline Spool on 2040-parts.com

Lexus wants more hybrids and a better performance image

Lexus plans to introduce hybrid versions of existing vehicles with each full model change, the brand's r&d chief says. Leveraging the electric-gasoline drivetrain technology of Lexus' parent company, Toyota, will be key to differentiating the brand from European rivals, said Kiyotaka Ise, Toyota Motor Corp. managing officer in charge of Lexus development.

One Lap of the Web: Motel kitsch, Bentley dragsters and rusting Porsches

-- The roach motel lives on in these postcards from Petrolicious. The Googie signs and modernist architecture jump from the Howard Johnsons and Travelodges of the 1950s, when buildings were built in color. For a precious few decades in the tapestry of American interstate travel, before they became the refuge of schlocky horror movies, the motor hotel was the true King of the Road.

BMW i8 Spyder leaks ahead of Beijing

BMW i8 Spyder What looks set to be the BMW i8 Spyder, an open top version of BMW’s i8 eco supercar, has leaked ahead of a debut at the Beijing Motor Show. The gestation period for BMW’s i8 eco supercar started with the reveal of the BMW Vision ED Concept back in 2009, with a production concept – and the BMW i8 name – arriving last summer. And now, ahead of a debut at the Beijing Motor Show in April we get the first photos of the BMW i8 Spyder.