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

New Lexus RC F to rival BMW M4

Lexus has confirmed the first details of a new RC F high performance model, which will debut at the Detroit Motor Show 2014 next week. Driven by what’s said to be the most powerful 5.0-litre V8 ever offered by Lexus, the RC F is set to top the new RC coupe range that was unveiled at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show last November. A spiritual successor to the old Lexus IS F, the RC F will become the first rival to challenge the new BMW M4 later this year.

Mercedes-Benz scores double wins at German Design Council awards

Mercedes-Benz took home two design trophies from the 2014 German Design Council awards, winning Special Mentions for the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-class and the Ener-G-Force concept vehicle. The German Design Council traces its history back decades, and every year dozens of experts evaluate more than a thousand entries, with just a fraction of them being automotive designs. This year 30 well-known design experts judged approximately 1900 submissions, assessing a variety of design elements in picking their top choices, and this year a duo of Mercedes-Benz vehicles won the praise of design gurus.

German new car sales drop 11 per cent – pre-reg accounts for 33.5 per cent

New car sales in Germany dropped by 11 per cent in September with pre-reg cars accounting for over a third of all sales. That drop of 11 per cent in Germany is despite deep discount offers – an average of 12.2 per cent in September – with even the previously invincible Mercedes and VW having to offer discounts of up to €3k, despite which VW’s sales fell by 20 per cent in Germany and Mercedes by 12 per cent. What’s perhaps most interesting about the decline in car sales in Germany is the number of pre-reg cars sold (pre reg cars are cars registered by dealers to hit sales targets and then sold at a discount of up to 25 per cent).