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

Fiat 500 Cabrio hits the US

The Fiat 500 Cabrio hits the US for Spring Actually, we’re not completely convinced that the Fiat 500 cabrio (that’s Fiat 500 Convertible for those of us on the old continent who prefer real words)  has hit the US. Because although Fiat has told us the 500 Cabrio hits the US ‘Just in time for spring’, it doesn’t say when US customers will start to get cars. Which may be a bit nit-picking, but there doesn’t seem much point saying it’s hitting in time for Spring when Spring’s a third done and there’s still no date.

2014 Acura RLX Sport Hybrid to make 377 hp

The 2014 Acura RLX Sport Hybrid will make its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week. It will feature a new three-motor hybrid system and Acura's torque-vectoring Super-Handling All-Wheel-Drive, along with 377 combined hp. The RLX continues with Acura's 3.5-liter V6 making 310 hp with variable cylinder management.

Better Place Electric Car visitor centre opens

Better Place have opened a visitor centre in Israel to demonstrate their battery swap technology for electric cars Last October we wrote about a start-up company in Israel – Better Place – that had a new way forward for electric cars by taking the purchase of battery packs out of the equation, and was developing a system for ‘Battery Swap’ stations where electric car owners could drive in and swap their battery pack for a fully-charged one in a few minutes. That story first brought to our attention our favourite quote of last year – by Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn – who said “A hybrid is like a mermaid: if you want a fish, you get a woman; if you want a woman, you get a fish.” Which probably explained why Nissan – and its partner Renault – got involved with Better Place. Better Place aims to address the main concerns of electric car drivers by making the battery packs in electric cars ‘swappable’.