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

Toyota Yaris Hybrid: First photos of the production hybrid

Toyota Yaris Hybrid in production guise Toyota has revealed the first photos of the production version of the Toyota Yaris Hybrid ahead of a public reveal at Geneva 2012. We’re still not really sure we understand Toyota’s policy when it comes to hybrid cars. It’s clear they still see hybrid as the future, but they no longer seem to believe that Prius is a brand to promote hybrid goodness, at least not in Europe.

New Mercedes SL 400 replaces SL 350

The new Mercedes SL 400 (pictured) replaces the old SL 350 It’s a little over two years since the latest Mercedes SL arrived, and Mercedes has now decided to add a little zest to sales by dropping the old SL 350 and replacing it with a new Mercedes SL 400. The new SL 400 gets its power from the new E400 which means a twin-turbo 3.0 litre V6 with 328bhp and 354 lb/ft of torque – 26bhp and 81 lb/ft more than the old SL 350 – enough to let the SL 400 scoot to 62 mph in 5.2 seconds – 0.7s better than the 350 -= and on to a limited top speed of 155 mph. The new SL 400 has to make do with Mercedes tried and tested 7-speed auto – despite a new 9-speed now being available in Mercedes’ arsenal – which gives the SL 400 official economy of 38.6 mpg and emissions of 172g/km – not that you’ll come close in the real world.

Porsche Panamera Turbo S – Shanghai debut

The Porsche Panamera Turbo S - to be revealed at the Shanghai Motor Show Just as we expected, the Porsche Panamera has turned out to be yet another cash cow for Porsche, following on from the very successful Cayenne and proving conclusively that’s it’s the passenger carrying Porsches that sell the best – and make the money. So far with the Panamera we’ve had everything from the £62k V6 Diesel through to the £102k Panamera Turbo, and we know the Panamera Diesel and the Panamera Hybrid are already in the pipeline. But now comes news of another Panamera variant – the Porsche Panamera Turbo S.