2001 Yamaha Yz80 Yz 80 Rear Swingarm Back Suspension Swing Arm on 2040-parts.com

Lexus IS (2013) more details of new 3-series rival

Lexus has pulled the cloth back on the all-new Lexus IS at the 2013 Detroit motor show, and announced more details of its new hybrid 3-series rival. This will be the first hybrid Lexus IS, and UK sales will start in summer 2013.  What do we know about the new hybrid Lexus IS?  The IS300h combines an electric motor with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. The torque output is yet to be confirmed, but there's 217bhp and Lexus is aiming for a sub-100g/km CO2 output and fuel consumption of at least 65mpg. Figures like that are likely to grab the attention of fleet managers, as Lexus hopes to close the gap on rivals like the BMW 3-series, Mercedes C-class and Audi A4.  There's a non-hybrid model too, but this IS250 will be powered by a 204bhp 2.5-litre V6 petrol engine. It won't be a fleet favourite.  The IS250h has a six-speed automatic transmission, the IS300h has a CVT gearbox, and both cars are rear-wheel drive.

Art Center Winter Degree Show 2010

The 2010 Art Center Winter Show that took place late last month was the stage for many talented graduates. Sixteen students presented their work at the show, each with quality and finish that was extremely impressive. So too was each student's commitment to the design process and their own inspiration.

Audi A5 Coupe – the aluminium future.

Audi has built a lightweight A5 with aluminium body. Audi has taken a standard existing steel-bodied production car as its basis and utilised Audi’s Aluminium Space Frame which reduces the weight of the car body by at least 40% compared to a conventional steel bodied car. The result on the A5 is a drop in weight of 240 lbs (not quite the complete aluminium future Jaguar are working towards).