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

Honda Civic Type-R MUGEN (2009) first official pictures

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 22 June 2009 18:00 Honda's Mugen Motorsports performance tuning arm has released the first official pictures of the company's stripped-out Civic Type-R hot hatch. Details are still sketchy, but let's start with the visual changes. There's a deeper and wider front spoiler (sans fog lights), a new grille, a vented bonnet, plus vents just behind the front wheels.  At the back the Civic's triangular exhausts have been replaced by two huge bazooka tailpipes, which fit beneath a more angular rear bumper, and there's also a double-decker wing to make rear visibilty even worse.

Volkswagen's U.S. boss talks Beetle, future plans

It's been a crazy week for Volkswagen and U.S. chief executive Jonathan Browning. On Monday, the 2012 Beetle was revealed after great anticipation at gala events in New York and Shanghai.

Crunch watch Jan 09: the auto industry in crisis

By Tim Pollard, Ben Pulman and Gareth Evans Motor Industry 30 January 2009 12:39 Friday 30 January 2009• Honda is about to close the Swindon factory for four months when Friday's shifts are finished; the shutdown will affect 2500 of the 3700 staff, who will receive full pay for two months and then 60% pay for the next eight weeks (BBC News)• Porsche has announced a sharp drop in sales and likely profits. It forecasts a 27% drop in 911, Boxster, Cayman and Cayenne sales to around 34,000 units in the six months to the end of January 2009 (Financial Times, subscription required)• Ford wants Washington to do more to stimulate car sales, after posting a record loss of nearly $14.6 billion earlier this week (Detroit News)• Honda's quarterly profit has crashed by 90% – forcing the Japanese car maker to halve its annual profit target (Detroit Free Press)Thursday 29 January 2009• Ford of Europe is a bright spot in the Blue Oval's quarterly results today, making $1.06 billion pre-tax profit in 2008 (up from $997m in 2007). It's the first profit of more than $1bn since 1989 (Automotive News Europe, subscription required)• Volvo suffered a 'disastrous 2008' with a pre-tax loss of $1.46bn.