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

Autoweek's Best of the Best winners announced

Today, Autoweek announced the winners of our yearly Best of the Best competition with the Porsche Boxster S and Mercedes-Benz GL taking top honors. Presenting the awards, editor Wes Raynal said, “It was a tough call to make this year with so many incredible cars and trucks that debuted. After a year of evaluating everything on the market, the Porsche Boxster S and Mercedes-Benz GL rose to the top, really earning these two awards.” For Best of the Best awards, the Autoweek editors considered publicly available, all-new or substantially new 2013 model cars and trucks.

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).

GM awards small-car production to Michigan plant

General Motors will make its new subcompact car in Orion Township, Mich., the automaker said Friday, dashing hopes in Spring Hill, Tenn., and Janesville, Wis., that the small car would keep one of their factories alive. Stamping for the new car will take place in Pontiac, Mich., GM said in a statement. The small car, which GM said it plans to start producing in 2011, will save about 1,200 jobs in Orion and 200 in Pontiac.