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

Frankfurt Motor Show 2009 Preview

The Frankfurt Motor Show 2009 runs from 17th -27th September to the public Many of the Japanese makers will be conspicuous by their absence, but that should be more than made up for by the launches from the big European makers. And of course the Koreans – in the guise of Hyundai and Kia – will do what they’re starting to do in the market place and fill the gap left by the Japanese. You can already check out all the stories in one place for The Frankfurt Motor Show 2009, but we thought we’d highlight a few of the cars we know are making an appearance, in case you’ve missed them in the last few weeks.

Honda Small Sports EV Concept

Honda has released these renders of the Small Sports EV Concept it hopes will be the star of the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show. Very few details of the compact sports car have been revealed, but it looks to be similar in size to the Mazda MX-5, but with an almost monovolume silhouette, with virtually no transition from hood to windscreen at the front and a pair of buttresses that extend from the top of the seats to the trailing edge of the rear deck. The front mask features full-width blue lighting and a glazed 'grille', which appear to becoming visual identifiers for EVs.

Mercedes to build CLS Shooting Brake

Mercedes has announced that the CLS Shooting Brake, which was shown as a concept at the Beijing motor show in April 2010, will go into production in 2012.  Well, if you want a car that will turn heads around town – and find the E-class estate has a little too much room – then this is the car for you. Mercedes flatly refuses to admit that the CLS Shooting Brake is an estate, preferring to call it a ‘sporty four-door coupe with a sloping tail end based on the CLS’. In essence, this car is a hatchback version of the CLS, and despite a slightly raised roof, it still sits a full 10cm lower than its E-class sibling.