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

Ellesmere Port's bid to build Ampera hits snags

By Rob Golding Motor Industry 09 October 2009 15:02 Prime minister Gordon Brown’s personal crusade to get Vauxhall's version of the Chevrolet Volt petrol-electric plug-in hybrid – the Ampera – built in Britain's Ellesmere Port factory in 2012 is a dream delayed, CAR can disclose today.News that the UK Astra plant is the best in Europe, that the Astra's Delta platform will underpin the Ampera, and that Volt will be on US sale from 2010 had been taken to mean that Vauxhall would be churning out the cars in the north west within three years.But the prospect of an electric car industry growing up around the run-down Merseyside manufacturing site is not imminent, CAR has learned.'No Ampera to be built in Europe before 2015'Vauxhall insiders have made it clear that the car to be known as the Vauxhall/Opel Ampera in Europe will be an import from the US for at least five years. One senior planner told us: 'The US will be the sole source of Amperas until at least 2015.'Bob Lutz, GM's former product supremo who recently came out of retirement as a PR, said that the low value of the dollar made the US an ideal site for the manufacturing of export cars. And with forecast sticker prices of the range-extender electric car standing at a scary £35,000+, every price saving is vital to its marketability.The European market also needs time to get its electricity recharge infrastructure in place before it is worth making cars onshore in volume, GM high-ups point out.

Peugeot 107 facelift (2012) unveiled

The Peugeot 107 gets a facelift for 2012 Peugeot has revealed a facelift for the 107, with new exterior styling, increased specification and reduced Co2.  The Peugeot 107 is a fun little city car, as we discovered when we reviewed the Peugeot 107 in 2010,  but it’s now getting towards the end of its life, with an all new car due in 2013. But to keep things fresh Peugeot has revealed a facelift for the 107 for 2012 to keep it selling through to the end of its life. That means a new nose, better interior and improved emissions and economy.

Supermarkets cut diesel prices

SUPERMARKETS seeking to close the gap between the price of petrol and diesel have announced reductions at the pumps. Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco have all knocked up to 2p a litre off diesel prices over the weekend. Asda said that those filling up with its diesel would be paying no more than 131.7p a litre.