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

Volvo V40 Cross Country arrives

Volvo has revealed the 2013 V40 Cross Country, a new variant on the new V40, offering a more rugged option for the V40 range. We thought it was going to be the Volvo XC40 – denoting an SUV come crossover version of the new V40 – but Volvo has decided that their more rugged version of the V40 will take the Cross Country name - first used on the V70 in 1997 – and so we get the new Volvo V40 Cross Country. Following on from the new V40 R-Design, revealed last week, Volvo now offers a V40 they say is for ‘those who want a sense of adventure in their everyday life‘ – in other words, this is a slightly more rufty-tufty V40.

Mercedes S-Class Convertible confirmed

The Mercedes S-Class Convertible will be based on the S-Class Coupe (pictured) The new Mercedes S-Class has already arrived, and we’ve also got the new S-Class Coupe (in concept form, at least) with the next variant of the new S-Class now looking likely to be the Mercedes S-Class Convertible. We’ve known since 2011 that Mercedes were planning to chop the top off the S-Class for the first time since the W111 S-Class in the 1960s, but this is the first time anyone from Mercedes has officially confirmed it. Thomas Weber, Mercedes’ product development boss, has told Automotive News that the S-Class Convertible is on the way and will be based on the new S-Class Coupe.

Modified Mercedes turned to gold

GERMAN tuning firms are known for occasionally crossing the barriers of taste, but this latest offering from Carlsson appears to have gone into new territory. Called the CS50 Versailles – after the Palace of Versailles that King Louis XIV turned into a opulent chateau – it’s based on the latest generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class, which is hardly a car short on luxury. But that hasn’t stopped Carlsson turning it into an automotive homage to gold.