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

Lincoln shoots for a happier ending after troubled MKZ launch

How far off track did the launch of the redesigned Lincoln MKZ get? The car, whose chassis bears the burden of a once-thriving luxury brand now trying to prove it's still relevant -- originally was supposed to start arriving at dealerships last fall, around the same time Steven Spielberg's movie Lincoln was hitting theaters around the country. But by the time many customers who had ordered an MKZ actually got their cars, Lincoln already was out on DVD.

Daimler-Renault alliance to delay new Smart and Twingo models, report says

Renault SA and Daimler AG, who are sharing technology to build the new Smart ForTwo and Renault Twingo cars, will delay the introduction of the models by a year, according to a French newspaper. The cars will now come to market in 2014 instead of 2013, La Tribune said, citing industry sources. The next ForTwo and the third-generation Twingo will be built on Renault's A platform, with ForTwo production continuing at Smart's plant in Hambach, France, and Twingo output at Renault's Novo Mesto factory in Slovenia.

Town/country fuel price gap closes

THE PETROL PUMP postcode lottery, meaning rural drivers lose out to town motorists on price, appears to be coming to an end. The gap between prices in country districts compared with urban areas has closed from around 5p a litre to as low as 2p, according to the AA. This dip in rural prices has contributed to a general nationwide fall in the cost of petrol, which now averages 129.63p a litre compared with 130.46p in mid-January.