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

New Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive goes in to production

The first Mercedes B-Class ED (pictured) rolls off the production line in Rastatt With the BMW i3 grabbing headlines – and flying out of showrooms – as BMW’s first electric car, Mercedes need to play catch-up with a convincing EV of their own, and that’s the new B-Class Electric Drive – an EV version of the regular B-Class – which has now gone in to production in Germany. Built alongside regular ICE versions of the B-Class at Mercedes’ Rastatt Plant, the B-Class ED (Electric Drive) looks practically the same as its more conventionally powered siblings – although the front bumper does look a bit different – and has an electric motor good for 177 bhp and 250 lb/ft of torque, can manage a scoot to 62 mph in 7.9 seconds and has a range of up to 124 miles. The range – at least the quoted range – is a chunk better than the BMW i3′s and on a par with the latest Nissan LEAF, thanks to EV technology provided by Tesla, and the wrapping of an EV drivetrain in a conventional series production car could appeal to more buyers than the ‘statement’ design of the BMW i3.

Hyundai increases its European Market share by 10%

Despite a weak car sales market across Europe, Hyundai has managed to increase its market share in January 2013 by almost 10 per cent. As we reported just the other day, the European car market is in a bit of a mess with sales down by 9.6% in January 2013 and even the mighty sales of the VW Golf – Europe’s best-selling car – dropping by 17.8 per cent. But despite the European car market falling back, Hyundai has managed to increase its market share in Europe by almost 10 per cent, from 3.3 per cent in January 2012 to 3.6 per cent in January 2013.

Mercedes E63 AMG (2009) first pictures

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 31 March 2009 17:54 No, this is not an April Fool’s bad joke – this really is a 6.2-litre V8 super saloon packing 518bhp launched amid the credit crunch. Welcome to the Mercedes E63 AMG. Right, with 518bhp and 465lb ft, enough to match up with the XFR’s 503bhp and 461lb ft.