Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

New Mercedes CLA helps Daimler to 16% profit jump

The new Mercedes CLA (pictured) help Mercedes to a 16% profit jump. There’s an argument that the move in to more compact car sales by premium car makers will see their turnover rise and their profits fall as more compact cars tend to work on smaller margins than high-end luxury cars. But Mercedes has defied that logic by posting a 16 per cent increase in profits for the third quarter of 2013, boosted by sales of the new compact coupé – the Mercedes CLA.

2014 Skoda Yeti Facelift – now comes as Town or Country

The Skoda Yeti gets a facelift for 2014 – and a split personality The Skoda Yeti has been a big success for Skoda – and rightly so, it’s very able and decently priced – but it’s been around for a while and is ready for a facelift. So Skoda has done the usual facelift tweaks for the Yeti – which will be revealed in public at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show – with new grill and lights at the front, titivated tailgate and lights at the back, some new colour options - Moon-White, Jungle-Green, Metal-Grey and Magnetic-Brown – and new alloys. Inside the tweaks are even less obvious with titivations for the steering wheel, dashboard trim and upholstery and the arrival of a rear view camera and automatic parking the main highlights.

2014 Corvette designer Kirk Bennion on resonance, legacy and the ever-evolving Vette

The way Kirk Bennion tells it, the Corvette is the only car that's steeped in history yet chooses to largely ignore it. Well, "ignore" is a harsh word. Let's say the Corvette "progresses past history" through the liberal use of aerodynamics, which the chief designer can't resist talking about -- first at the Autoweek Design Forum, then in our Feb.