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

New Aston Martin Vanquish: The 2013 Vanquish officially arrives

The new Aston Martin Vanquish has officially arrived with sharp new looks, more power, less weight and a bigger price tag.  AM may not have been thrilled, but we all knew the AM310 from Villa D’Este was dusting off a moniker from Aston’s recent past to become the new Aston Martin Vanquish. And here it is – officially. In Aston’s best Porsche imitation, the DBS evolves in to the Vanquish without tampering too heavily with its looks, as AM310 already demonstrated.

Volkswagen 'will build the XL1' - Piech

Volkswagen will build the radical 313mpg XL1 eco cigar in 2013, Ferdinand Piech revealed at the Qatar motor show. In an interview with Automotive News, the VW chairman said: 'We want to go into series production with this car starting in 2013.' He insisted it would go on sale to real people, not just as media demonstrators. And VW chief exec Martin Winterkorn added the XL1 would be sold in Europe first, then be rolled into the US and Chinese car markets.

Future Audis may time traffic lights for you

Here's a trick efficiency-chasing hypermilers have been using for years: spotting the cycles of stoplights from 100 to 200 yards out and letting the car coast up to the light just before it turns green, then carrying on without ever letting the car come to a complete stop. These hypermilers, along with professional truck drivers, do this because they know that accelerating from a standstill burns the greatest amount of fuel, and because letting a car coast up to the light with the automatic transmission downshifting by itself is easier on the transmission than stomping on the brakes right beneath the stoplight. Oh, and it's easier on the brake pads as well.