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

Porsche Panamera designer focused on rear-seat passengers

There's no mistaking it for anything but a Porsche, but with four doors and four full seats, the Panamera is like no previous Porsche. Styled by a team of in-house designers under the direction of Michael Mauer, the Panamera is 195.7 inches long, 76.0 inches wide and 55.8 inches tall--making it slightly shorter but wider and lower than the Maserati Quattroporte, with which it shares a coupelike profile. As with all such silhouettes, "the real challenge is giving the rear-seat passengers enough headroom," says Mauer.

Chrysler vows to rebuild SRT

Ralph Gilles promises that Chrysler Group will be "very choosy" about the cars and trucks that get the SRT performance badge. Gilles, recently named head of SRT, is charged with rebuilding the SRT unit, which languished when Chrysler was owned by Cerberus Capital Management. Three new SRT vehicles, versions of the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans and the Jeep Grand Cherokee, will arrive in dealerships this fall, joining the Challenger SRT8.

Production output decline slowing

By Alex Michaelides Motor Industry 24 July 2009 12:09 It appears there may be some light at the end of the tunnel for ailing car manufacturers as the most recent vehicle production figures are released. The data, presented by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), show that, while production levels are still on the decline, the pace at which they are declining is slowing. Car production figures for June 2009 are still down by 30.2% compared with this time last year, however this is an improvement on the 50.2% by which production is down so far this year.