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

Thomas Ingenlath: Volvo Concept C to end 'vanilla' design era [w/Video]

Volvo has promised a radical change in its future design language that will be embodied in its Concept C coupé, the first concept to be developed since head of design Thomas Ingenlath's appointment in July 2012. Our first look at the concept, which debuts at this month's Frankfurt motor show, comes from a video starring Ingenlath (see left). At first it seems to just show him sketching while he explains how some people see Volvo design as "vanilla" – nice, but not iconic or cutting-edge – but if we slow it down at around the 11-second mark, we get a preview of what we can expect.

Rosberg & Hamilton make it a Mercedes front row: Spanish Grand Prix (2013)

Maybe Lewis Hamilton wasn’t as daft as we all thought jumping ship from McLaren and heading off to Mercedes F1. When we all thought the Mercedes F1 team didn’t have a chance of doing anything special in 2013, Hamilton and Rosberg have proved the 2013 car is a strong contender, and in final qualifying for tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix they’ve locked out the front row. Hamilton’s team mate Rosberg beat him to pole position – his second pole in a row – with Red Bull’s Vettel having to settle for third place alongside Kimi Raikkonen’s Lotus.

Daimler plans to offer a pilot Smart car rental program in Texas

With Smart's U.S. sales continuing to drop dramatically, Daimler AG is launching a pilot program in Austin, Texas, for short-term rental of the micro car. The program, called car2go, would allow registered users to pick up an available Smart, use it for as long as needed, and return it to designated locations in the city.