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

Hyundai Suicide ‘Advert’ causes a rumpus

It’s not easy advertising your wares and finding the right balance between mainstream and innovative to capture attention, as Hyundai has found out to their cost with an ‘advert’ for the hydrogen powered ix35 FCEV which, rather distastefully, depicts a man trying to commit suicide by running a hose from the tailpipe to the cabin before realising he can’t achieve his aim as the FCEV’s only emissions are water. It’s a proper cock-up from Hyundai – usually so sure-footed with their PR – but, despite Hyundai US putting the blame at the door of Hyundai UK, there’s more to this suicide ‘advert’ than meets the eye. It seems the suicide video was put together by Innocean – a European Ad Agency owned by Hyundai’s Chairman Chung Mong-koo and his daughter, and responsible for much of Hyundai’s marketing output – and was a clumsy attempt to gauge reaction to the somewhat macabre take on the benefits of an FCEV.

The world's best-selling passenger car is…

UPDATE-Ford announced Tuesday the Focus nameplate sold more than 1,020,000 units in 2012 making it the best-selling passenger car in the world. Data supporting the claim came from Polk's annual vehicle-registration review, which, since it accounts for data from around the globe, comes out three to four months later than other 2012 recap results. In China, registrations for Focus vehicles were up 51 percent, accounting for nearly one in four global Focus sales, according to Polk.

BMW M5 Diesel Confirmed – the BMW M550d, perhaps?

A diesel M5 - the BMW M550d, perhaps? We’ve been reporting on BMW’s triple-turbo diesel engine since we broke the news back in 2009 that BMW could be working on a triple turbo option for their 3.0 litre diesel, designed to create an ‘M Diesel’. And it now looks as though that will arrive as the BMW M550d – or a variation on that name – as soon as 2012.