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

After a miss with the Sebring, Chrysler resets its upscale mission

With the 2011 200 sedan, due in December, the Chrysler brand is taking another shot at the vast mid-sized sedan market, a target it missed badly with the Sebring. The 200, derived from the Sebring, resets the brand mission: refined design, luxury touches inside, a quiet ride and responsive handling--at affordable prices. The approach will be shared by the reworked Chrysler Town & Country minivan, also due in December, and the reworked 2012 Chrysler 300 sedan, which arrives in March.

London Taxi maker Manganese Bronze bought by China’s Geely

China automotive giant Geely has bought Manganese Bronze – makers of the iconic London Black Cab – in an £11.04 million deal. The iconic London Black Cab has been an accident waiting to happen for years, as under investment in making the Black Cab fit for the 21st century saw competition – like the Mercedes Vito Taxi and the Nissan NV200 Cab – start to offer serious competition to the taxi that identifies London. Despite an investment by China’s Geely – when Geely bought 20 per cent of Manganese Bronze, makers of the Black Cab – and the bulk of the Black Cab being produced in China and bolted together in the Midlands, the final nail in the coffin for Manganese Bronze was the recall of 400 TX4 cabs over a steering fault.

Lotus Elise Club Racer Launched

The Lotus Elise Club Racer Lotus may have plans to be the next Aston Martin, but for now it’s stuck with an Evora that’s not selling as well as it should and an Elise that is basically the same as the car that launched a decade ago. The plan with the Evora – apart from the rather odd move of getting Mansory to tart up an Evora – is to get the Germans in to give the Evora’s interior some class. As for the Lotus Elise, all there really is to do – because it has a hard-core clientele anyway – is to divvy up the odd special.