Lifestyle: Autos

Destruction of the orange sedan with slapdash paintwork was all part of Volvo's bid to create an injury-proof car.

Faced with chronic fuel shortages due to an Israeli blockade and a strike by Palestinian distributors protesting supply caps, taxi drivers in the Gaza Strip are filling their tanks with cooking oil, often scrounging leftover fat from street vendors.

Chinese cars have been on Quito's roads for barely a year but they are fast becoming a force in the snaking lines of traffic that clog Ecuador's hilly capital.

Nissan is using a specialized driver's suit and goggles to simulate the stiff joints and weaker eyesight that may accompany senior citizenry.

Even with swelling gas prices, experts say buyers want green cars that not only reduce fuel consumption but also make a statement about the environment.

In the century since the first Model T in 1908, Henry Ford's vision of top-down efficiency has been swamped by thousands of features on new cars, trucks and SUVs.