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

Few cars perform well in new insurance group crash test

The insurance industry has unveiled a new, tough frontal-crash test. The first batch of 11 luxury and near-luxury cars put to the test by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety didn't fare so well--only three were rated as good or acceptable. The test rams the front corner of a car into a fixed barrier at 40 mph.

Honda Urban SUV Concept tease previews new baby Honda SUV

Honda has revealed a single sketch of an Urban SUV Concept that will debut at the Detroit Auto Show and previews a new baby SUV. The compact SUV, and sub-compact SUV market are growing strongly as car buyers eschew traditional small saloons and hatchbacks in favour of something perceived as a bit more rugged and more able to negotiate the urban jungle. So the tease photos of the Honda Urban SUV Concept – which will debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2013 – is pointing directly at a new baby Honda SUV likely to hit car showrooms in a couple of years time, and likely to be based on the new Honda Jazz.

Audi R8 Spyder raises £620k for Elton John AIDS Foundation

Elton, David and the man from Audi with the chromed R8 Spyder The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) needs no big introduction from us, especially to regular readers. Quite simply, it’s an astonishingly generous charitable foundation founded by, and driven ever on, by Elton John, and it’s raised getting on for £50 million since Elton founded it in 1993, thanks in no small part to Elton’s generosity with his royalties (always making sure he has enough left over for flowers, of course). And as it’s Elton who’s the heart and soul of the EJAF, fund raisers tend to be a little more interesting than a bring and buy stall on the local village green.