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

Tesla ‘drops’ entry-level Model S. But was it ever going to be available?

The 40kWh version of the Tesla Model S is being dropped by Tesla in the US, but we do wonder if Tesla ever had any intention of delivering it in the first place. Tesla’s big claim ahead of the arrival of the, very impressive, Model S – and a seemingly vital part of the US taxpayer funding Tesla to develop the Model S – was that they would deliver a car that cost under $50k, something the car industry thought impossible. But when the Model S was launched, Tesla did indeed have an entry-level model available with a 4okWh battery that was listed at $58,750 (taking it almost down to the $50k mark after the US taxpayer chipped in the EV bribe) so Elon Musk could, quite reasonably, claim Tesla had delivered.

Meet the Porsche Macan small SUV

The small Porsche SUV that goes on sale about 18 months will wear the Macan nameplate, the German automaker said on Thursday. Until now, the SUV project had been known by the code name Cajun, created from the concept of “Cayenne Junior.” Porsche says Macan is “derived from the Indonesian word for tiger and combines suppleness, power, fascination and dynamics.” The Porsche Macan will share a platform with the Audi Q5 and will be built at the Porsche plant in Leipzig, Germany, that now builds the Cayenne. Porsche is spending $650 million to expand the Leipzig plant, adding a body shop and a paint shop.

Kia Picanto three-door (2011): first pictures

Kia is launching a three-door version of the Picanto for the first time. The new entry-level supermini arrives in showrooms on 1 September 2011, priced from £7795. It's a wedgy, attitudinal hatch designed to broaden the appeal of the Picanto.