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

2012 Canadian Grand Prix Qualifying: Vettel takes pole

Sebastian Vettel has taken Red Bull’s second pole position in a row with a stunning qualifying at the 2012 Canadian Grand Prix. Red Bull may have seemed a bit out of sorts so far in the 2012 F1 season, but Vettel’s pole at the Canadian Grand Prix on top of Mark Webber’s win at Monaco last time out may be an ominous sign for the rest of the grid. Vettel took his Red Bull round Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve a full three tenths of a second ahead of second place Lewis Hamilton and moves Vettel up to fifth place in the all-time pole listings alongside Nigel Mansell – and his career still has a long way to go to overhaul Schumacher, Senna, Clark and Prost.

Suzuki Regina, Q-concept, Swift EV (2011) first pictures

Suzuki is showing its vision for an aerodynamic city car at the 2011 Tokyo auto show: the regally named Regina. It's pitched as a radical 'next-generation global compact car', which sounds suspiciously as if it could have production intent. The new Suzuki Regina is all about minimalism: it weighs just 730kg, so it only requires a small capacity petrol engine, which brings emissions down to 70g/km and appetite for unleaded at a rate of 90mpg.

Japan automakers extend shutdowns as quake impact widens

Japan's seven big automakers are extending nationwide production shutdowns amid growing concern about supply chain interruptions, power shortages and export difficulties following the massive earthquake and tsunami that hammered northern Japan, killing thousands. Toyota Motor Corp., one of the few automakers with a major manufacturing presence in the quake zone, suspended all manufacturing--at both assembly and parts plants--on Monday and extended the shutdown through at least Wednesday as an added precaution. The company will lose output of roughly 40,000 vehicles over the three-day period, spokesman Dion Corbett said.