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

Skoda Octavia Scout (2007): first official pictures

By Jack Carfrae First Official Pictures 23 January 2007 12:27 The new Skoda Octavia Scout… yet another soft-roader? Sort of. Skoda isn’t kidding itself into claiming that the Scout would win if it took on a Defender; think of it as a slightly chunkier alternative to the current 4wd Octavia estate, or a cut-price rival to the Audi Allroad and Volvo XC70.

CES: Cranking up Harman's QuantumLogic 3D surround-sound system

Yesterday we reported how Audi was readying a lavish 3D sound experience with 23 speakers and 1,400 watts of goosebump-inducing audio power. Not to be outdone, Harman had been quietly developing a system of its own: Quantum Logic 3D brings together 25 speakers and more than 2,000 watts of Tubthumping power to a new car near you, like driving inside Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. Sitting inside the demonstration BMW 7-Series that Harman painstakingly lifted into the Studio at the Palms, Global Audio Engineering vice president Phil Muzio explained, "great music is delivered in stereo, yet our consumer research indicates that people enjoy surround sound." QuantumLogic 3D's surround sound expands beyond the boundaries of the vehicle's cabin, providing "a sense of detail and spatial placement that you don't get in stereo." Five height component speakers mounted in the corners of the headliner, and above the rearview mirror, elevates audio beyond the confines of the roof, "almost like you're in a convertible," said Muzio.

One:1 halo car coming from Koenigsegg

Christian von Koenigsegg talked to Bloomberg Businessweek over the weekend, telling the publication about his youth, the supercar business and how most Koenigsegg designs start in his head. It's all worth a read. But at the end of the four-page article, the head of the brand hints at a new car, built as a “money-is-no-object venture” for a dealer in China.