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

Honda Insight hybrid sticker price to start at $20,470

Honda has delivered on its promise of bringing the 2010 Insight to market priced less than the rival Toyota Prius. The new Honda hybrid will start at just $20,470 in base LX form, including shipping charges, which undercuts the Prius by $2,250. Insight LX models come standard with front-side and side-curtain airbags, ABS, automatic climate control and power windows.

Poll: Would you buy a Hyundai i20?

Last week we asked you if you'd be interested in a Nissan Micra, which is built in Mexico and is available in Canada and dozens of other countries, but not in the U.S. A substantial majority of our readers, 77 percent, voted that they would be interested in buying the $9,100 Micra if it was sold in America, a slightly lower percentage than for most of our past foreign-vehicle polls (which were all quite different, it should be noted). The Micra essentially offers the same engine and almost the same amount of interior space as the Nissan Versa Note at 2/3 the price of a stateside Note, which is already considered to be about as spartan as it gets despite a $14,780 price tag.

Auto-safety history gets its place in the Smithsonian

Smithsonian museum officials say their new collection of auto-safety objects dating to the 1930s is about America's love affair with its cars. But really it's about our passion for, well, staying alive. While some enthusiasts might question whether their cars should be braking for them, it's hard to quarrel with most of this technology.