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

Lexus IS 300h promises unrivalled ownership costs

The new Lexus IS - launched at Detroit in January and costing from £26,495 for the IS 250 in the UK – actually offers ownership costs that eclipse diesel offerings from the likes of Jaguar, BMW, Audi and Mercedes, say Lexus. Despite the logical assumption that the complex hybrid powerplant in the IS 300h would cost more to maintain, Lexus say the opposite is true. Because it has no clutch and the starter motor and alternator are integrated they require no servicing or replacement and Lexus has fitted a timing chain instead of a timing belt, so it won’t need regular replacement either.

CCS receives $2.5m GM Grant

General Motors is set to strengthen its longstanding commitment to Detroit's College for Creative Studies with a $2.5 million donation, a contribution that will help the university undertake a $145 million redevelopment of its A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education. This is not the first time that GM has given to CCS – the ongoing relationship between them sees members of the GM design team teach and mentor students, while CCS also receives loans of industrial equipment from its Detroit neighbor.

Lincoln's big ad is a FAIL, LOL, OMG

The automotive punditsphere mocked Lincoln's "Steer The Script" campaign when it was announced, in typical teaser form, a few months ago. Well, here it is -- what's essentially the culmination of Lincoln's hopes and dreams; its big comeback splash to the largest American audience of the year, distilled into a breathtaking work of staggering incompetence. Sometimes, the pundits are right.