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

Volvo plans to polish its image with styling, high-tech engines

Volvo's brand image is stuck somewhere between "premium" and "luxury," but the Swedish automaker aims to move further upscale with a fresh design language and a new generation of vehicles powered by more fuel-efficient engines. New mid-sized and large models will begin arriving in 2014 based on Volvo's lightweight SPA platform. The vehicles will use Volvo's coming generation of smaller four-cylinder engines.

Apple Watch users warned

IN THE wake of the new Apple Watch's arrival, early-adopters are being warned that using it while driving could be a deadly mistake that lands them in jail. Smart watches can issue regular updates from internet services, apps and the user’s mobile phone, but the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is urging people to turn them off while at the wheel. In a statement the IAM said: “The latest piece of wearable technology from Apple will allow users to make and receive calls, check their messages and monitor their health by operating the device on their wrists.

1 in 10 men prefer cars to women

Just over 12% of men think that some beautiful cars can look better than women, according to a new survey commissioned by Volvo in collaboration with brainwave monitoring specialists MyndPlay. The study analysed the electronic brain signals of respondents to measure the effect car design has on the human mind – and the results are very interesting… On Bing: see pictures of beautiful car design The most beautiful cars of all time In the interest of balance, women were also asked how they rank an attractive male compared to a good-looking car. The outcome showed one third (33%) of females asked actually rated images of impressive car design higher than pictures of an attractive man.