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

56% of drivers 'underestimated car expense'

MORE THAN half of people who have bought a second-hand car in the last two years have found it more expensive to run than they expected, according to a Government-backed body. Some 56% of motorists said that total cost, including maintenance, repairs, insurance and fuel had turned out to be higher than anticipated and one in five drivers (20%) have resorted to going into debt just to keep their vehicle on the road, the Money Advice Service (MAS) found. One in four (26%) of the 3,000 people surveyed who have bought a second-hand car since 2012 now has regrets about their purchase, with many of them saying they had not worked out whether it was really affordable or that the purchase price was too much in the first place.

Daimler to axe Maybach in 2013. New Mercedes S Class Pullman instead

Maybach Axed We’ve been preidtcing the demise of Maybach for some time. After all, who wants an old S Class with chintzy trim and lots of toys for more money than a Rolls Royce Phantom? And now it seems that Daimler has also realised their revival of the Maybach has fallen flat on its face (except in Germany and to a pair from the Dragons’ Den) and it’s time to move on.

Infiniti EV put on hold to concentrate on volume sales

An Infiniti EV based on the Nissan LEAF (previewed by the LE Concept above) have been put on hold Nissan’s luxury arm, Infiniti, is on a global push to try and make inroads in to the dominance of Lexus in the luxury Japanese car arena, and has ambitious plans to be selling 500,000 cars a year by 2017. But Infiniti sold only a third of that total in 2012, so any chance of hitting the lofty target of 500k cars in the next five years means they must concentrate on volume cars, not niche cars like a Nissan LEAF based EV. That means the LEAF-based Infiniti LE EV Concept we saw at the New York Auto Show in 2012 will stay as a concept for the foreseeable future as Infiniti boss, Johan de Nysschen, seeks volume cars that will push the brand forward and bring proper sales numbers.