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

New 2012 Mercedes SL costs from £72,495

New Mercedes SL 350 costs £72k The new Mercedes SL arrives in the UK next month (June) and will cost from £72,495 for the SL 350. Mercedes revealed the all new SL roadster – the first new Mercedes SL in a decade – just before Christmas, but it’s taken almost six months more to find out what it’s going to cost in the UK. With the first SLs arriving on our shores in June, Mercedes couldn’t really have left it much later to let customers know that the entry-level point for the new SL goodness is going to be £72,495 for the BlueDIRECT 3.5 litre V6 SL 350, rising to £83,445 for the 4.7 litre BlueDIRECT V8 SL 500.

Volkswagen e-Golf goes on sale – price from £30,845

The Volkswagen e-Golf (pictured) is now on sale in the UK The Nissan LEAF has almost had the market place for proper family EVs to itself until recently, but the arrival of the impressive BMW i3 -especially when specced with a range extending motor – threatens to make a dent in LEAF sales, and another dent could come courtesy of the new Volkswagen e-Golf, which goes on sale today in the UK priced from £30,845 (£25,845 after taxpayer bribe). In most of the ways that matters, the e-Golf is a regular Golf MK 7, but lurking under the familiar exterior lies a thumping great bank of batteries weighing 318kg (about the same as a car full of passengers) and an electric motor driving the front wheels and good for 113bhp. Range for the e-Golf is up to 118 miles from a full charge, a charge that will take 13 hours from a regular 3-pin socket, a more acceptable 8 hours if you use the optional 3.6 kW wallbox you can spec (for free from British Gas) and a quick charge of up to 80 per cent in 35 minutes.

CDOTY awards presented at Auto Design Night Geneva

Car Design News, in partnership with Interior Motives magazine, hosted the fourth annual Auto Design Night event at La Sip nightclub in Geneva last night. With more than 300 attendees reading like a who's who in automotive design, designers were able to reconnect with old friends and make new acquaintances in a comfortable and inviting environment.  One of the highlights of the evening's festivities included the presentation of the fourth annual Car Design News Car Design of the Year Awards (CDOTY), recognizing the most publicly acclaimed concept and production car designs of 2008. Car Design News Editor Eric Gallina presented the award to BMW Group Design in the Concept Car category and General Motors Design for the Production Design category.