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

Demise of kei cars on the horizon?

The kei car has long been a staple of the Japanese automobile industry and its car culture. Too diminutive for Western markets, the tiny cars and trucks are a strong influencer of design in Japan. Now, as The New York Times reports, the Japanese government has hit kei cars with increases in sales tax, gasoline prices and has reduced the kei car tax break introduced to make the cars popular in the first place by 50 percent.

VW Up Taxi Concept (2010): first official pictures

Volkswagen has shown off its Up Taxi Concept at a special unveiling in London today. The Up Taxi is VW's vision of a quirky and environmental rival to the classic London black cab, the Hackney carriage, and offers a very good idea of what the Up will eventually look like. The concept has luxurious leather seats and big touchscreens in the front and rear.

McLaren unleashes its new round of MP4-12C test prototypes

The finish line is in sight for development of the next McLaren supercar, the MP4-12C. The project has entered the final phase of testing with a new round of prototypes that feature significant advancements from last year. McLaren released film on Tuesday of two versions of the new testers, called the XP8 and the XP10, which it says are in the "beta phase" of development.