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

Toyota shelves A-BAT pickup concept

Toyota won't build the small, ultramodern A-BAT hybrid pickup concept that was a head-turner at the 2008 Detroit auto show and looked like a good bet for production. "We have a lot of top priorities, and A-BAT is not one of them right now," Bob Carter, Toyota Division's general manager, told the Web site PickupTrucks.com. "It's on the shelf." A Toyota official confirmed Carter's comments.

Michael Schumacher tests 2015 Mercedes C-Class

Formula One ace Michael Schumacher was back behind the wheel of a Silver Arrow in a new Mercedes C-Class video this week. He is testing the autonomous features such as pre-braking, lane keeping and radar cruise control. Mercedes director of driver assistance systems Jochen Hermann talks us through the video, with Schumacher behind the wheel, starting with the Distronic Plus system.

Multi-touch UI reduces touchscreen interaction to simple swipes [w/video]

Touchscreens have become widespread standard features in many cars over the last few years, consolidating the modern car's many functions into one interface. But despite their advantages there's the big downside of driver distraction, something user interface designer Matthaeus Krenn believes he has solved with his UI. Unlike most other touchscreens, Krenn's interface isn't organized into menus and small, hard-to-hit buttons, but instead makes use of multi-touch gestures, reducing the accuracy and attention needed to operate key functions.