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

Vauxhall Insignia facelift revealed for 2014

The Vauxhall Insignia gets a facelift for 2014 with new engines and lower prices The Vauxhall Insignia is a more than decent car – and a big improvement on the Vectra that went before – but it’s now almost five years old so it’s time for a bit of a facelift. Vauxhall has revealed the updated Insignia for 2014 that gets a decent raft of changes, both cosmetically and under the skin, to make it better to live with and more economical. Sensibly, Vauxhall has cut the bewildering range of Insignia trim levels from 14 to eight (do they need even that many?), with Design Trim at the bottom and Elite trim at the top, and the new Insignia Design starting at £16,279 – £3500 less than the old Insignia ES.

Toyota shelves A-BAT pickup concept

Toyota won't build the small, ultramodern A-BAT hybrid pickup concept that was a head-turner at the 2008 Detroit auto show and looked like a good bet for production. "We have a lot of top priorities, and A-BAT is not one of them right now," Bob Carter, Toyota Division's general manager, told the Web site PickupTrucks.com. "It's on the shelf." A Toyota official confirmed Carter's comments.

GM claims 23-mpg average in E-ROD 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air

First introduced in 2009, the GM Performance Parts (GMPP) E-ROD program was born with the mission of creating fuel-efficient, emissions-compliant engine packages for hot-rodders. Now the program is back in the news as GMPP claims that an E-ROD-powered 1955 Bel Air returned 23 mpg on a trip from Michigan to Florida while producing emissions comparable to those of a new Camaro SS. All of that green doesn't come inexpensive--or easy.