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

Last call for entries: IM Design Awards

As the deadline for entries to the 2010 Interior Motives Design Awards approaches – all designs must be received by 10 July – details of the judging panel and the upcoming awards ceremony in Paris are firming up. Judging the hundreds of student designs this year will be a panel of industry experts that includes such influential figures as Amko Leenarts, Interior Design Director, Peugeot; Robin Page, Interior Design Director, Bentley; Wolfgang Müller-Pietralla, Leader VW Future Research; Michael Robinson, Design Director, Stile Bertone; Andreas Stump, Head of Advanced Interior Design, Citroën; Romulus Rost, Chief Interior Designer, Volkswagen Advanced Design, Potsdam; and Euan Sey, Editor of Interior Motives magazine. The competition is open to students enrolled at any accredited undergraduate or graduate design degree programme, both in automotive and non-automotive disciplines – those studying fashion design, industrial design, architecture and other similar fields are also eligible.

Defending an old-school Land Rover

I don't know how to respond today after seeing on our very own homepage that the Land Rover people will bring the successor of its beloved Defender to the United States market. The Defender is a vehicle about which “lust” is an insufficiently weak noun or verb; current and vintage Defenders elicit something beyond an emotive response. They are visceral.

Hyundai i40 Hybrid & i30 CNG: Paris 2014

The Hyundai i40 Hybrid & i30 CNG on the floor in Paris Hyundai is busy trying to find ways to reduce emissions and increase economy – just like every other car maker – and has arrived at the Paris Motor Show with a pair of economy-focused models – the Hyundai i40 mild hybrid and an i30 running on compressed natural gas (CNG). The Hyundai i40 gets a 48V mild hybrid setup just like the Kia Optima-T Hybrid, which means a 48V lead-carbon battery which cuts emissions from the 1.7 litre diesel by up t0 20 per cent by allowing electric-only running at low speeds and when cruising and, just like the Optima, the i40 hybrid gets a belt-driven starter generator for seamless restarting, which also contributes to engine power in normal running. The beauty of the system – apart from improvements in economy and emissions – is that it’s very light compared to a full hybrid – just 46kg – and costs 75 per cent less than a full hybrid system to install.