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

Nissan future products: Focus is on technology

Nissan Division will be focused for the next few years not just on how to move its product line forward but also how to produce it less expensively. As the company embarks on a multiyear wave of new technologies and a brand-marketing campaign focused on innovation, it also is looking to bring down manufacturing costs through platform sharing, modular components and common parts. The first example of this new process is the redesigned Versa sedan, which will be assembled in Mexico.

Planning continues for driverless cars

OFFICIALS in California have been looking to the future as they bid to legislate for the arrival of hi-tech driver-less cars. A law passed in 2012 set a deadline of the end of this year for the state's Department of Motor Vehicles to decide how to legally integrate the so-called autonomous vehicles - which were once the stuff of science fiction but could be commercially available by the end of the decade. The latest talks on the matter among roads officials focused on how the vehicles will record actions so the data can be used to reconstruct an accident in an effort to trace the cause.

Group 2 Dodge Challenger echoes past SCCA racers

Among muscle cars--even among Dodge Challengers, new or old--the Classic Design Concepts Group 2 Challenger stands out. Winner of the Chrysler Design Excellence Award at the 2008 Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas last November, the Group 2 Challenger moves from concept to production this month as Michigan-based Classic Design Concepts begins building its version of the Dodge performance coupe. The Group 2 appearance package, inspired by the wide-body SCCA Trans-Am Group 2 race cars of the 1960s and '70s, includes custom carbon-composite lightweight front fenders and billboard-style rear fenders, aerodynamic front spoiler wings, Group 2 badging and mongo 20-inch wheels and tires.