5005699 Evinrude Johnson 150-300 Hp Outboard Muffler Assembly on 2040-parts.com

Toyota targets conventional engine in defense of green image

In the race to boost fuel economy, overhauling the internal combustion engine is all the rage. Ford, Hyundai and Mazda are among those focusing on direct injection, turbochargers and improved transmissions as they reinvent their powertrain lineups. So with its emphasis on hybrids, Toyota Motor Corp.

Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster Undisguised

The topless AMG SLS out playing in Hamburg It’s not too hard to tell we’re coming up to two major motors shows in April – the New York Motor Show and the Shanghai Motor Show. Earlier today we had the first real photos of the 2012 BMW M5, and now we get a completely undisguised Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster out playing in Hamburg. Of course, we’ve already seen the SLS Roadster without any disguise in the 2011 Super Bowl advert from Mercedes.

2013 Nissan LEAF updated

Nissan has updated the LEAF EV in Japan for 2013 with better range, less weight and a new LEAF S entry-level model. Revealed in Japan – but likely to come to the UK from 2013 when the LEAF starts rolling out of Nissan’s Sunderland factory – there are significant upgrades to the powertrain which result in both less weight and better range. Nissan has had a play with the electric powertrain and made it both smaller and lighter with a new motor that uses 40 per cent less dysprosium (a rare earth metal) than before, and comes in 30 per cent smaller and 10 per cent lighter, and a new streamline battery case and a few other tweaks drops the LEAF’s weight by 80kg.