Vintage Champion Blue Ribbon Outboard Motor on 2040-parts.com

Ford aims to improve comfort for workers on its assembly lines

Ford Motor Co. is using a digital mannequin, customized to account for physical differences across regions, to determine how to make jobs less physically strenuous for its assembly-line workers. The digital worker avatar is based on Ford's virtual North American Jack and Jill workers.

The AutoWeek list: Foolish cars we should never have bought, but did

2001 Pontiac Aztek Our take: The most recent black eye to the General's style department. A car equivalent of the ubiquitous camel design, put together by a committee whose members obviously didn't speak to each other. 1999 Isuzu VehiCROSS Our take: We don't doubt this Japanese ute's off-road prowess, but its goggle-eye front and corrugated steel door ripples were enormous design miscues.

Low-emissions Chevrolet Volt models shipped to California

Californians won't have to wait much longer to take their Chevrolet Volts in high-occupancy vehicle lanes. General Motors began shipping a special version of the range-extended sedan to the state this week. The cars will arrive with a special Low Emissions package that makes it legal to drive them in the Golden State's carpool lanes.