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

Chrysler gets improved performance and handling marks from Consumer Reports

Chrysler Group is making strides to improve handling and performance of its vehicles, but the gains vary from model to model, according to tests by Consumer Reports magazine. The magazine said Tuesday that its recent tests of eight 2011 Chrysler Group models found advances in performance, interior fit and finish and handling. But it said the level of refinement in some vehicles still lags behind rivals.

Toyota ME.WE concept

Toyota and leading European industrial designer Jean-Marie Massaud have developed a new electric car concept, dubbed the ME.WE. Developed at Toyota's ED2, Massaud and Toyota wanted the ME.WE – named after personal wellbeing and that of others – to be adaptable to suit a range of lifestyles while being high quality. It also had to "propose an alternative synthesis based on personal choices about vehicle architecture, lower running costs and the way the vehicle will be used".

The Porsche P1 is lighter, greener and more exclusive than McLaren's new hypercar

Long before the legendary Porsche 911 -- before, even, the Porsche 356 -- Ferdinand Porsche was tinkering with alternative powertrains and designing road-worthy vehicles. Though it wasn't the first vehicle to bear his name, the “Egger-Lohner electric vehicle, C.2 Phaeton model” was the earliest result of his efforts. Perhaps getting the jump on the modern alpha-numeric craze/plague, it was shortened to a simple “P1.” The P1 (we'll refer to it as the Porsche P1 from here on out to avoid confusion) made its first appearance in Vienna on June 26, 1898, and it didn't last long in the public eye: Before Porsche decided to pull it out and put it on display, it had reportedly been sitting in a warehouse, untouched, since 1902.