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

Magna Electronics develops 'Touchskin' concept [w/video]

Electronics firm Magna is working on a new technology it calls 'Touchskin concept' that has the potential to eliminate traditional switches and instruments inside vehicles. As part of its ‘Intelligent Surface Technology', the Touchskin concept is set to be an integral part of a system that allows the user to control the car via intuitive gestures – such as pinching, tapping and swiping – as we've become so familiar with when using smartphones. The potential design implications are easy to see with the large amount of space made available by removing the traditional instrument cluster and its wiring and the removal of wired-in switches and buttons.

Mitsubishi Shogun drops in price by up to £5,000

The Mitsubishi Shogun (pictured) drops in price We have to confess we have a big soft spot for the Mitsubishi Shogun. The Shogun is an SUV in the old sense of the word; it’s good at towing and mud and going anywhere, but it’s a bit of a boat on road. But, once you’re used to its ways, it’s very hard not to appreciate, and revel in, its strengths.

College Exhibition: RCA/GM - Fast Forward 2049

First year students at the Royal College of Art recently held an exhibition at the London Transport Museum commemorating the 40th anniversary of the school's vehicle design course. Sponsored by GM's Opel/Vauxhall division, 19 students responded to a brief that called for them to ‘Fast Forward into the Future'. Divided into three groups - Inside Out, Urban Flow and Automark - the students devised their own notions of vehicles for the year 2049, and in some cases entirely reinvented Opel brand values and aesthetics.