When you’re drifting your FD RX-7 through the streets of Tokyo and need to snatch a bite of sashimi at Tsukiji fish market, these carbon fiber chopsticks are the only way to go.

At least it doesn't have gold emblems.

I’m a pretty easygoing guy, and I’m generally not one to lecture on wrong versus right, especially when it comes to issues of style. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and nothing says that louder than the car you drive, how you treat it and how you customize it. There are a few sins I can’t forgive, because everytime I see them it’s like nails across a chalkboard inside my head. Please, people, for the love of God, don’t do any of the following to your car.

Ok, so you’ve got this car in your garage that you’ve done a butt-load of bodywork to. It’s straight as an arrow with a quick primer coat on it. The interior and gauges are installed and mechanically your baby is ready to roll. There is however one small problem. You’ve put so much money into the car already to get it to this point that you don’t have the capital for the paint job. Now it’s springtime and the car you thought would be ready will now just be taking up space in the garage unless you find an alternative.

It’s January 2010, which means there is action going on in garages all over the United States. Why you might ask? Well, this is the time of year when guys begin to get itchy to drive. We’re sick and tired of the snow and crappy weather and are longing for those first few 60 degree spring days. Until then we’re stuck with the snow, sleet & rain that engulfs the northeast from January until March… (those of you who live on the west coast can suck it).

Since we’re not really driving, racing or attending car shows yet, this is the time of year when all the superfluous automotive crap gets done. It’s time to install those new heads, suspension systems and or custom brakes. Guys all over the place are captivated by their Summit Racing and Jegs catalogs whilst they sit on the proverbial throne. Credit cards all over the northeast are beginning to sweat like a whore in church…

Well… that may be going a bit far, but you get the idea.

My point is that now is the time of year to take care of any modifications that you’re planning for the upcoming car season. Hell, my list is flippin’ huge. My ‘68 Charger is getting a host of suspension upgrades as well as some major TLC and my ‘69 Daytona has already gone under the knife by getting a full repaint, new front spoiler, windshield clips and rear window straps with more to go. I figure that if I’m lucky, I’ll have everything bought, paid for and installed by mid-March, it’s going to be close though. There’s a lot of parts and not a lot of garage space.

So what does everyone else have planned? New headers for the Honda? Perhaps new wheels and skins for the old Chevy? What-cha’ all doing? Post up… inquiring minds (mainly mine) want to know.

Kia has just introduced their own “infotainment” system to rival Ford’s SYNC.  The Kia UVO (Your Voice) will be extremely similar to the SYNC system as they both run off of Windows software and share many of the same high-tech features, some of which include the voice commands and ipod compatability. The big difference? UVO uses Microsoft’s latest and greatest software available, which can decifer intricate speech patterns and words that, which with previous versions such as SYNC, proved to be an annoyance.  No more screaming at a voice recognition system that only gets more confused we scream louder. However UVO was not only developed for its convenience but also for its safety aspect. Drivers will have the ability to answer phone calls verbally through UVO, allowing them to keep their eyes on the road instead of being distracted by searching for their phone.

Although some might reasonably argue that its bloated proportions cause it to lag significantly behind the competition (literally), the Dodge Challenger nevertheless continues to be a favorite amongst nostalgic muscle car enthusiasts and/or balding guys with a slight paunch. Since the part of that demographic that isn’t blowing their disposable income on alimony would gladly shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars to recapture the glory days of their youth, Mopar has released yet another aftermarket package for the Challenger.

The newest offering is dubbed the “Performance Appearance” Package, which achieves the same thing for the Challenger that a hairpiece does for its driver. Available in two parts, the exterior package includes body-color hood with scoop, body-color rear “Go-Wing” spoiler and strobe stripe performance graphics, while the interior package features a Mopar-branded T-handle shifter, bright pedal kit (automatic only), bright door-sill guards, premium carpet floor mats and a full vehicle cover. Prices begin at $1,995 and $945 (respectively) and do not include the ill-fitting Ed Hardy tee or the Journey’s Greatest Hits CD.

The accelerator pedal, right, in a 2010 Toyota Avalon is seen on the show room floor of Bobby Rahal Toyota in Mechanicsburg, Pa. , Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009.

When the news of Toyota’s spontaneously accelerating vehicles first broke, it was in the form of a grisly accident in Texas involving a Lexus, a jammed accelerator pedal, and 3 unfortunate fatalities. In response to the outcry immediately following the accident Toyota released a 3.8 million vehicle recall, pinning the primary source of the problem on improperly secured floor mats. Suspecting something significantly more sinister at play, a class-action lawsuit sprung up in California alleging that the problem was not with wayward accessories but rather an intrinsic, and fatal, design flaw.

Today, just a few short weeks after the lawsuit was filed, Toyota has recalled the same group of vehicles affected by the flighty floor mats for a different issue: misshapen accelerator pedals. Apparently, Toyota reached the conclusion that jerry-rigging the floor mats was not enough to eliminate the problem entirely and although they have not admitted to any faulty engineering, they do appear to be treating the issue with considerably more severity. In addition to reconfiguring the shape of the accelerator pedal in all vehicles recalled (which includes the bulk of the current line-up), Toyota will also install a brake override system in Camry, Avalon, and Lexus ES 350, IS 350 and IS 250 models.

Technically, it’s Ford that’s being formally recognized for their outstanding achievements in the field of safety but it’s Volvo that should be directly credited for nearly every technological advancement Ford has made since 1999. Of course, even as Ford scrambles to ensure the intellectual property they jacked from Volvo doesn’t fall into the scheming hands of Geely, you’ll never catch them acknowledging as much. So, it is with near tella novella-like levels of drama that Ford accepted today Popular Science’s 2009 “Best of What’s New” award for their Active Park Assist feature.

As the name suggests, APA acts as a digital version of your husband standing on the curb and guiding you into parallel park, minus the argument that would inevitably ensue afterward over his inability to clearly articulate his thoughts. Working in conjunction with passive aids like audible and visual cues that alert the driver to the vehicle’s location and its proximity to other vehicles, curbs, small children, etc, the automated steering system works to independently park itself. The driver is still responsible for maintaining control over the transmission, gas pedal, etc, which would seem painfully obvious to most but was nonetheless reiterated twice in the official press release.

For people like myself whose most cutting-edge piece of in-car technology is a mint condition tapedeck, it’s difficult to pretend like you don’t regard someone who can’t parallel park their own car as being only slightly more cognitively aware than a horned toad. For the rest of you who feel otherwise and are likely drafting up your own scathing review of my intelligence as we speak – relax, take the caps lock off, and hit the jump to check out a soothing video of Active Park Assist in action.

We’ve yet to take a spin behind the wheel of the new Suzuki Kizashi, but that hasn’t stopped us from falling head over heels for the design (two words: dual exhaust). As a matter of fact, so enamored are we by one of the first 4-wheeled Suzuki products that doesn’t appear destined to suck, we’re not even phased by the $20k pricing announcement.

Purportedly inspired by the style of young, urban professionals, the Camaro Dusk is apparently intended to be an exercise in understated, relatively subtle aftermarket luxury. The bulk of the modifications are focused on refining the visual aesthetic and lending the Dusk an air of “recent business grad” rarely seen outside of a 3 Series. As such, the body is finished in an ambiguous Berlin Blue and the front splitter, rocker extensions, and rear diffuser are painted in a contrasting tone. The interior is upholstered in Jet Black and Sedona and comes replete with a Boston Acoustics sound system, WiFi connectivity and an iPhone cradle, all of which also appears to be borrowing heavily in theory from the vast array of interior options available from BMW. Continuing in that same upwardly mobile vein, the performance mods are also modest and tastefully executed and include a custom exhaust, Brembo brakes from the SS, and 21-inch BBS wheels.

“This is a car with an international flair, bringing the Camaro to a place it hasn’t traditionally been,” explained Todd Parker, GM Accessory Studio design manager. “It is a very tailored look that is stylish and sophisticated, but with a distinct American accent.”