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

Jason Castriota to head Saab Design

When Car Design News spoke to Jason Castriota about the new design consultancy he had set up in New York and Turin back in March, the designer told us he was working on a very exciting automotive project that he couldn't talk about at the time. It turns out that automotive project was for Saab, as last week the Swedish automaker announced it had hired Jason Castriota Design to oversee the development of a new generation of Saab products – the first to be completed under the tenure of its new owners, Spyker. Castriota's new appointment marks the shift from Saab's former position – where the brand was an integrated company within GM – to its newfound placement as an independent automaker, with Castriota essentially filling the role previously occupied by Mark Adams, GM Europe's Vice President of Design.

McLaren launches P1 'Designing by Air' online experience

McLaren has developed a new online experience, 'Designed by Air' to tell the story of the car's design and development. Designed by Air is the first of a two-part series and gives users the chance to hear in detail how the car was created, as the car appears from raw metallic and carbon elements and is crafted by airflow. The P1 is eventually formed inside a wind tunnel, designed to emphasize the car's aerodynamic qualities.

Volvo’s KERS system improves performance and cuts fuel use.

The Volvo S60 with KERS Flywheel (pictured) boosts economy and performance As car makers continue to get bashed by more and more stringent CO2 targets from governments around the world, cleverer solutions are called for to squeeze the best performance and economy balance possible from their products. And Volvo’s new Flywheel KERS system does look promising. Volvo are currently running UK tests of a KERS flywheel system developed by Flybrid Automotive, which takes kinetic energy generated under braking and stores it in a flywheel fitted to the back axle.