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

Ford funks up the Focus

By Phil McNamara First Official Pictures 11 September 2007 04:34 Facelift for the Focus: all the details Ford is funking up the Focus with a mid-life facelift. Aside from the Mondeo-esque nose, the major talking point is a double-clutch transmission on the flagship diesels. It’s good news for the Focus, which would have looked pretty bland on the Blue Oval’s Frankfurt stand next to Ford’s other unveilings, the Verve supermini concept and the Kuga SUV.

Next-gen Passat to offer hybrid and twin-turbo power

VOLKSWAGEN is going even more upmarket with the all-new version of the Passat, which is due to hit showrooms later this year. Soon buyers will be able to include a plug-in hybrid and an all-new 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel among their forecourt options, as VW goes chasing after its sister company Audi. Weight-saving measures have chopped up to 85kg from the new kid on a like-for-like basis, which helps achieve VW's stated efficiency boosts of 20% versus equivalent outgoing Passats.

Saab 9-3 restarts production in Trollh

Would you look at that? They started building Saabs again. A bright future, perhaps, for the Sick Carmaker Of Europe, who after its excision from General Motors and dalliances with the Swedish government and the Dutch, was snapped up by an Asian conglomerate billing itself as National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS).