Changing from rear disc to rear drum might reduce costs (GM revises pickup brakes, June 24), but another reason to do so is to take advantage of the regenerative action of drums, since as the shoes dig in, they non-linearly increase stopping action, while disk pads are presumably linear with hydraulic pressure.

The concept of a two-wheel-drive motorcycle (think about it) may seem as pointless as a fish riding a bicycle, but for about the past 45 years, such a creature has been manufactured by New Hampshire-based Rokon International.

It is widely believed in the traffic-safety and driver-training field that up to 80 per cent of crashes can be eliminated or reduced in severity if the drivers involved have one additional second of warning.

Increasing globalization and the highly competitive nature of the auto industry has led to the widespread practice of platform sharing -- the amalgamation of disparate models into a common vehicular architecture, which can then be modified to produce distinct models, often for different brands.

What do a toothache and a faulty transmission have in common?They both require a trip to a specialist you'd much rather avoid.''It's a funny business,'' says Randy Moore, vice-president of operations at Mister Transmission. ''We don't have a single customer who wants to be in our stores. When a customer comes in and stands in front of that service counter we know they don't want to be there. It's like going to the dentist. The reality is, though, when they do need it [transmission service], they need to go to reliable experts in the field.''

With Ford's Escape Hybrid sport-utility vehicle due out this summer, the auto maker is training thousands of mechanics at dealerships around the country on how to service them.

GM's light hybrid system doesn't make a bunch of techno-noise or offer a big increase in fuel economy, but it sure will appeal to all those folks who like real-world utility in their vehicles.

Wolfgang Durheimer, who you might call the chief car guy at a company of ultimate car guys, is settled into his seat at the castle now known as Schlosshotel Munchhausen and is explaining how easy his job is.

Toyota Motor Corp. was the highest-ranking auto maker in an annual vehicle-quality survey released this week, with its luxury Lexus brand winning top honours for the 10th consecutive year.

Bob Singleton breathed a sigh of relief earlier this year when a group of Champ Car team owners repelled a hostile takeover bid by rival Indy Racing League and kept the financially troubled Championship Auto Racing Teams series alive.