BMW USED CARS

Mercedes-Benz's AMG performance division chief, Volker Mornhinweg, offers this procedure for those who want to get the most out of the all-new 2010 E63 AMG:

Step 1. Fully depress brake pedal.

Step 2. Shift transmission to D.

Step 3. Switch electronic stability program to sport mode.

Step 4. Switch transmission to race-start mode.

Formula One powerhouse McLaren secretly has begun work on a replacement for its legendary F1 supercar, while it also gears up to become a mainstream sports-car maker.

McLaren's Technology Center in Woking, England, has been building just 100 McLaren SLR supercars a year for Mercedes-Benz, but McLaren boss Ron Dennis reportedly has his sights set on producing 1,000

Ikuo Maeda is the new head of design at Mazda Motor Corp.

The man who is credited with styling the Mazda's flagship sports car takes over for Dutchman Laurens van den Acker, 43, who has decided to leave the company "to pursue other interests," the automaker said in a statement today.

Van den Acker, who joined Mazda in 2006, will remain at the automaker until April 10 to ensure a smooth transition for Maeda, Mazda said.

Ford Motor Co. and General Motors posted the sharpest sales declines among major automakers as the industry headed toward its sixth straight monthly drop of more than 30 percent.

Ford's March sales fell 42.1 percent and GM's were down 44.7 percent, for its fifth decline of more than 40 percent in the past six months. Chrysler LLC tumbled 39.3 percent, its smallest percentage slide since October. Nissan North America drop

The return of cheap gas has been the one light moment in this tear-jerking economy. However, relief at the pump has been crushing for sales of hybrid cars, which have tanked faster than even the auto market at large.

Hyundai will launch its first plug-in hybrid in the United States in late 2012.

The vehicle will be based on the four-door Blue-Will sports car concept on display now at the Seoul auto show, according to Yang Woong-chul, president of Hyundai-Kia Motors' r&d division.

Yang said Hyundai's plug-in will target the upcoming Chevrolet Volt and Toyot

Toyota Motor Corp. is going for the jugular with its redesigned Prius, setting a 2.05 million yen starting price ($20,750) in Japan that is on par with the newly released Honda Insight.

Toyota notified Japanese dealers of the cutthroat pricing policy for its redesigned 1.8-liter gasoline-electric hybrid on March 25, dealer

When budgets get tight, many people are tempted to cut back on regular car maintenance. But that can lead to serious repair problems and even larger bills down the road. Weve found that you can save a lot of money on maintenance simply by shopping around.

We called dozens of dealers