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Foamex International Inc., a bankrupt maker of polyurethane foam for bedding and automotive seat cushions, said Wednesday that it has reached a deal to sell most of its assets to a unit of debt investment firm MatlinPatterson. Full story...

Two seats. Rear-wheel-drive. Zero to 100 km/h in under five seconds. 268 horsepower with no fuel consumption and zero emissions. Like the car it describes, the last entry seems out-of-place. The Dodge Circuit EV is an electric-powered coupe designed to shock and jolt its way into commonplace. Full story...

Autoliv, the world's biggest maker of air bags and seat belts, said today that it would raise $364 million in a stock offering, with the money helping to boost its balance sheet. Full story...

We're finally getting to drive the Tata Nano, and the first thing that impresses is the space. Four adults can sit comfortably in the simple and spartan interior. The seats are thin and flat but surprisingly comfortable. Full story...

We're finally getting to drive the Tata Nano, and the first thing that impresses is the space. Four adults can sit comfortably in the simple and spartan interior. The seats are thin and flat but surprisingly comfortable. Full story...

The SEAT team have accomplished their mission: completing the American part of the season with four victories. Full story...

The SEAT team have accomplished their mission: completing the American part of the season with four victories. Full story...

First Drive: 2009 BMW Z4 Roadster

Now exiting its awkward adolescence, BMW's Z4 Roadster sDrive35i may not have the purity of the old M Roadster, but it essentially equals its straight-line performance and its handling is even better.

BMW has redesigned its roadster for 2009, and the change amounts to comprehensive maturation if not quite the obvious transformation from newborn Z3 to adolescent Z4. The new two-seater retains the name Z4, but it adopts two new model designations, the awkward sDrive30i and sDrive35i. You'll notice there's no M Roadster anymore, and word is that none is forthcoming. Nor will we see a return of the historically slow-selling hatchback coupe variant.

Photo Gallery: 2009 BMW Z4 Roadster - First Drive BMW Roadster Convertible Review - Automobile Magazine

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Seat has negotiated a deal with a majority of its Spanish workers that will see them accept a two-year salary freeze in exchange for owner Volkswagen assigning the Martorell factory a new car model to build. Full story...

Volkswagen group's Spanish unit, Seat, could build the new Audi Q3 SUV after a majority of workers accepted a two-year salary freeze. VW has asked Seat workers to accept a pay freeze in exchange for an order for a new car model. Full story...

Volkswagen brand engineers want to install components in the Up that would make it too expensive for Skoda and Seat, a VW group engineer told Automotive News Europe. Full story...

What a difference a year makes. In early 2008, Tata Motors unveiled its Nano to a rapturous media reception as the snub-nosed, 4-seater with a 100,000-rupee ($1,945) price tag created a new category of super-cheap cars for the masses. Full story...

Seating and electronics supplier Lear Corp. said this evening it may be required to file for bankruptcy protection despite winning an agreement with lenders that gives it until May 15 to restructure its debt-heavy balance sheet. Full story...

Lear Corp., the world's second-largest automotive seat maker, said late Tuesday that a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing remains possible as it seeks out a long-term restructuring of its capital structure. Full story...

Boston, MA - Terrafugia, Inc., a game-changing aircraft company, announced today the first flight of its Transition(R) Roadable Aircraft Proof of Concept. Often referred to as a "flying car", the Transition(R) is a two-seat aircraft designed to take off and land at local airports and drive on any road. Transforming from plane to car takes the pilot less than 30 seconds. Full story...

Seating and electronics supplier Lear Corp. said this evening it may be required to file for bankruptcy protection despite winning an agreement with lenders that gives it until May 15 to restructure its debt-heavy balance sheet. Full story...

For $45,000, you have a choice between two BMW compact family haulers, the X3 sport-ute and the 3-Series Touring you see here. Both have all-wheel drive, seating for five and the dog, but the X3 benefits from 30 extra horses. In the sales charts, though, the 3-Series Touring is way behind the X3. In 2008, BMW moved out 279 328i wagons and 2296 X3s, so why bother offering it? Because they can; premium wagons are popular in Europe, so it's not a big deal for the German brand to bring over the ocean. Full story...

For $45,000, you have a choice between two BMW compact family haulers, the X3 sport-ute and the 3-Series Touring you see here. Both have all-wheel drive, seating for five and the dog, but the X3 benefits from 30 extra horses. In the sales charts, though, the 3-Series Touring is way behind the X3. In 2008, BMW moved out 279 328i wagons and 2296 X3s, so why bother offering it? Because they can; premium wagons are popular in Europe, so it's not a big deal for the German brand to bring over the ocean. Full story...

You could nearly call the Volvo XC90 R-Design a sled. They both amount to entertaining cold-weather conveyance, but a sled's a primitive contraption that slides over snow and hopefully goes in a straight line with little to no control. Full story...

Toyota Motor Corp. has developed a rear-seat airbag that deploys between passengers and will install it on a model to be launched in Japan. Full story...