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

Vauxhall & Opel – no plant closures before 2014

Will the new Mokka help GM in Europe Despite reports that GM Europe are planning closures at Vauxhall and Opel, GM boss says there will be no closures before 2014. GM in Europe are not having an easy time of things, with both Vauxhall and Opel struggling for sales as the car market in Europe polarises and the mainstream car makers struggle. GM have made some moves to consolidate their European operation with a co-operation agreement with Peugeot Citroen, but that deal has more of a sticking plaster feel to it than a real way to fix the issues of over-production in a difficult European market.

Kia won't build Soul Koup, but it could

There are no plans whatsoever to bring a Soul coupe to the market, Kia said when we gave a spokesperson a call. "We're constantly evaluating the market," he told us, "but there are no future Soul derivatives in the works, no ideas currently being explored." This contradicts a rumor currently spreading across the Internet. They have all concluded that Kia's two-door Soul will look like the above.

New Jaguar XJ (2010) – Ian Callum speaks

Ian Callum reflects on the design of the new Jaguar XJ Ian Callum is Design Director for Jaguar, and the man does have a good pedigree. His career started round the corner from us, at Ford’s Design & Research facility at Dunton. He worked on a number of Ford’s RS projects, before moving on to TWR to join Tom Walkinshaw, and was responsible for the design of the Aston Martin DB7 and the Vanquish.