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

European new car sales in record LOW

European new car registrations have plunged to their LOWEST level on record after slow August sales reversed an upturn in July. Registrations of 7,841,596 new cars between January-August 2013 marked a new low for the European new car market of 27 countries – so few cars have never previously been recorded since records began in 1990. 2013 UK new car sales forecast revised upwards European new car sales continue to struggle The UK new car market is the sole exception: so far this year, new car registrations have risen 10.4%, compared to the European decline of 5.2% in the same time period.

Rated: self-braking cars that avoid a crash

The most recent advance in vehicle safety has to be the autonomous emergency braking system (AEB) – a sophisticated suite of sensors and electronics that monitors objects in front of your car, automatically applying the brakes for you if it senses you’re heading to hit something. Up until now these auto-brake features have not been rated, but ahead of a new 2014 test that will include AEB systems in its overall safety star scoring, Euro NCAP has put the some of the vehicles already equipped with this technology through their paces. MSN Cars has the results.

Porsche Panamera S Hybrid (2011) first pictures

This is the Porsche Panamera S Hybrid, the cleanest, most fuel efficient Porsche ever. On the official combined fuel cycle it manages 159g/km and 41.5mpg, a big improvement on the Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid’s 34.3mpg and 193g/km, and comfortably ahead of the best non-hybrid Porsche, the PDK-equipped Cayman (31mpg and 214g/km CO2). The new Porsche Panamera S Hybrid will be unveiled at the 2011 Geneva motor show in March.