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

CDN-GM Interactive Design Contest 2012 finalists announced

The CDN-GM Interactive Design Competition judges have announced the winners of the competition's first phase ahead of the launch of the second phase. This year saw another batch of high-quality entries from all over North America and the judges were understandably hard-pressed to pick out just a handful in each of the four brand categories. The judges gathered at GM's Design Center at the automaker's headquarters in Warren, Michigan, where they whittled down the shortlist.

Driven: Volkswagen Golf Mk7

Walking up to the seventh-generation VW Golf, redesigned flip key in hand, you're in no doubt that this is a) new or – perhaps more importantly – b) a Golf. It's the "200 meter test" lead exterior designer, Andreas Mindt tells us and, while we're suspicious of the idea of self-conscious ‘iconic design', you have to concede he's right. In fact the Mk7 Golf's pared-back graphics and a return to a true two-box proportion create a more accurate vision of what we imagine when we think ‘Volkswagen Golf' than either of its two most recent predecessors.

Keyless ignition trends toward standardization

A federal plan to require automakers to standardize keyless ignition systems in the wake of Toyota's unintended acceleration problems is likely to mirror industry guidelines issued in January, an automaker group said. Large automakers except Toyota said they already comply with the guidelines crafted by SAE International or plan to do so. These "recommended practices'' seek to counter the variation, driver confusion and safety problems that have ensued since automakers started installing push-button ignition in luxury models.