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

Volkswagen says Italdesign purchase will boost its growth strategy

Volkswagen AG will acquire a 90 percent stake in Italdesign Giugiaro S.p.A., VW said Tuesday. The Giugiaro family will retain 10 percent in the 42-year-old automotive styling company that is famous for designing cars such as the first-generation Volkswagen Golf. VW CEO Martin Winterkorn said Italdesign will make an important contribution to the automaker's 2018 global growth strategy.

Chrysler to begin building the next Jeep Grand Cherokee in May

Chrysler Group will begin building the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee--the first salvo in an effort to restore a product-starved lineup--on May 3, CEO Sergio Marchionne said Tuesday. Marchionne told an industry conference in New York that sales of the redesigned Grand Cherokee will begin in July. Chrysler plans to have 100 percent of its existing lineup refreshed or replaced by the end of 2012, as a wave of new products derived from the alliance with Fiat S.p.A.

Lotus Elise Club Racer Launched

The Lotus Elise Club Racer Lotus may have plans to be the next Aston Martin, but for now it’s stuck with an Evora that’s not selling as well as it should and an Elise that is basically the same as the car that launched a decade ago. The plan with the Evora – apart from the rather odd move of getting Mansory to tart up an Evora – is to get the Germans in to give the Evora’s interior some class. As for the Lotus Elise, all there really is to do – because it has a hard-core clientele anyway – is to divvy up the odd special.