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

Ford gains ground in customer perception

The Ford brand gained ground in consumers' minds this year as Toyota slipped, though the Japanese juggernaut still leads the pack by a slight margin. Over the last two years, Ford climbed 35 percentage points while Toyota dropped 46 percentage points, according to the latest survey from Consumer Reports. During this time, Ford (144) moved within three points of Toyota (147).

GM's Tom Peters on breaking Corvette design tradition [w/Video]

GM design director of performance vehicles and full-size trucks Tom Peters has defended his decision to break from Corvette tradition by abandoning round rear lamps for the 2014 Stingray in an Autoweek video. The rear lamp design of the new model has been criticized as being "too Camaro" by some, to which Peters challenges them to park one alongside the other before he highlights just how different they are. Functionality also played a key role in the rear lamps' redesign, he explains, such as rear aerodynamic considerations, new LED technology previously unused in Corvette design, and depth of sculpture opportunities.

Fiesta grabs Women's World Car of the Year prize

THE FORD FIESTA 1.0 Ecoboost has been crowned the Women’s World Car of the Year 2013. A panel of 18 women judged the car on factors such as colour, sex appeal and ease of driving. Beating off competition from Audi and Range Rover, the Fiesta was praised by the all-women panel and the awards chairman Sandy Myhre said: ‘It was clear from the outset the Fiesta struck a chord with our panel of women as it has features which clearly chime with the needs of female drivers.’ Barb Samardzich, chief operating officer, Ford of Europe, said: ‘The success of the new Fiesta, both in terms of this award and impressive sales, has been achieved with a car which is sharp looking, better connected and even more fuel efficient and fun-to-drive.’