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

Driven: Mitsubishi i

We first reviewed the diminutive Mitsubishi 'i' when it was unveiled at the 2005 Tokyo Motor show and, while we were pleased with the overall design of the car, we were disappointed that Mitsubishi had chosen not to export the innovative vehicle to other markets. But with the popularity of this compact urban cruiser soaring in Japan and the recent availability of the vehicle in the UK, we now had a chance to give it a go on the often traffic crippled streets of central London. Congestion in urban milieus is not a new phenomenon, but even with London's congestion charging system extorting money from drivers it doesn't seem to be getting any better.

Reproducing reality – X-Rite’s Total Appearance Capture

Total Appearance Capture isn't some sinister new form of identity theft but a revolutionary method of digitizing physical models using a new scanning technology, with the ability to capture extraordinary detail and all input and output light. The system, from coatings color measurement experts X-Rite, combines color, texture, gloss and other surface characteristics into a digital material ‘description' that can be imported directly to computer-aided design programs. What sets it apart from previously available methods is its ability to collect information on complex materials such as textiles, leather, basketwork, stone, coatings and plated finishes, in a 3D scene lit by a virtual studio environment.

New MG: Is this the MG2?

Is this a new mini MG - the MG2? Despite it looking at one point last year as if MG – certainly in the UK – was close to biting the dust, we now know that the SAIC Roewe 550 will be made in the UK and sold throughout Europe as the MG6 in hatchback form and the MG5 as a saloon. But now we’re getting news from China that there is a mini MG in the pipeline – the MG2 – and that this car will be turning up as soon as the Beijing Motor Show as an MG and not – as is usual for SAIC – as a Roewe which then spawns an MG.