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

College for Creative Studies - GM Autonomy 2020 project

Final year Transportation Design students at Detroit's College for Creative Studies have presented the results of a GM-sponsored project, to design a GM vehicle for the year 2020. The proposals were to be based on the skateboard-shaped chassis of the Autonomy fuel cell concept shown at the 2002 Detroit Auto Show. This was one of several manufacturer-sponsored projects that were presented in the lead-up to the annual CCS Student Exhibition, which opens this Friday May 14.

Ford eyes dandelions as sustainable alternative to synthetic rubber

Ford, in conjunction with Ohio State University, is turning to the humble garden weed as sustainable resource, researching the dandelion's potential use as an alternative to synthetic rubber. While the automaker already makes considerable use of sustainable materials in its vehicles – such as soy foam seat cushions and straw-filled plastic for interior trim – this latest discovery opens up a wealth of new possibilities for automotive applications. According to research conducted by Ford, a milky-white substance that is found in certain dandelion roots can produce a sustainable rubber that could be used to create plastic parts for vehicle interiors.

Thomas Ingenlath: Volvo Concept C to end 'vanilla' design era [w/Video]

Volvo has promised a radical change in its future design language that will be embodied in its Concept C coupé, the first concept to be developed since head of design Thomas Ingenlath's appointment in July 2012. Our first look at the concept, which debuts at this month's Frankfurt motor show, comes from a video starring Ingenlath (see left). At first it seems to just show him sketching while he explains how some people see Volvo design as "vanilla" – nice, but not iconic or cutting-edge – but if we slow it down at around the 11-second mark, we get a preview of what we can expect.