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

Mercedes SLA Roadster looks likely

As car manufacturers start to look with fresh eyes at smaller, cheaper cars, reports from Germany confirm that Mercedes is close to committing to the SLA, a small Roadster to be based on the next generation A-Class platform. The original SLA concept was shown at Detroit in 2000, and aimed to slot in beneath the SLK. But at that time Mercedes didn’t have a suitable platform on which to base the car, and the project was shelved.

BMW Concept X5 eDrive hybrid set for Frankfurt motor show

BMW is on a roll when it comes to electric-car technology, and the German automaker will be showing a new X5, dubbed the BMW Concept X5 eDrive, at the Frankfurt Motor Show in just a few weeks. The concept uses a four-cylinder gasoline engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology coupled with a 95-hp electric motor. This hybrid powerplant is coupled with BMW's xDrive all-wheel drive system.

Land Rover Range_e – Hybrid test-bed

The Range Rover Sport based Land Rover Range_e Pragmatically, Land Rover are working hard to change the world’s perception of its products by shouting as loudly as they can about the ‘Green’ credentials they have, from off-setting carbon emissions to 45k miles on every car they sell to adding stop-start to the Freelander 2. But long-term Land Rover are looking to introduce new, lightweight cars in 2012/2013 with the same aluminium underpinnings as Jaguar, and introducing some hybrid technology on the way. With that in mind they’ve put together a Range Rover Sport based Range_e to trial the tech ahead of its use in the next generation of Land Rover’s cars and are planning on running five cars as test-beds this year.