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

Suzuki showing signs of distress, scaling back U.S. operations

Struggling Suzuki is shrinking in many ways. Insiders say the company is slashing marketing while sales and the dealer roster dwindle. The many signs of trouble: -- In a market up 13 percent through March, Suzuki was down 2 percent to just 6,561 sales.

Crunch watch Dec 08: the auto industry in crisis

By Tim Pollard and Simon Stiel Motor Industry 31 December 2008 14:05 Wednesday 31 December 2008• GMAC, GM's finance arm, said it would immediately revise its criteria for providing loans, after the US government bail-out of the General's credit arm. It will now supply credit for anyone with a score of 621 or more on the Fico scale, the scale used to assess Amercian customers' creditworthiness (Financial Times)• The news means that 80% of US consumers would now qualify for a loan from GMAC – which should improve sales in the depressed US market (Detroit News)• Chrysler is being lambasted for taking out full-page adverts in the American national press thanking the nation for supporting its auto industry. But critics point out this is a fresh waste of bail-out resources, as pages in the Wall Street Journal – one of the titles in which the ad ran – reportedly cost up to $264,000.

BBC’S TOP GEAR HIGHLIGHTS THE DANGERS OF BUYING USED

A RECENT episode of BBC Two’s Top Gear shone the spotlight on the pitfalls associated with buying a used car. The team bought three BMW 325i convertibles and demonstrated how seemingly identical vehicles can have a very different past. HPI warns consumers to remain vigilant and protect themselves with an HPI Check.