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

Interior Motives launches 2011 Design Awards

Registration for the ninth Interior Motives Student Design Awards has now opened. This is your chance to take part in one of the most important events on the design calendar, and to display your talent and fresh thinking to the world's top vehicle designers and automotive press. The theme of this year's competition is 'Back to Basics - Making Cars for People, Not Markets' and has been devised in collaboration with Volkswagen and Peugeot.

Volvo XC90 grabs IIHS Top Safety Pick+ on its way out

The Volvo XC90 may be the oldest car in Volvo's lineup, with 2013 being the last year for the XC90 before it's replaced by an entirely new model, but it has just captured the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Pick+ award. The award is a relatively new title, requiring a car or truck to achieve "Acceptable" or "Good" ratings on each IIHS test. Crucial to the Volvo XC90's achievement of this award was its performance in the new small overlap front tests, which test how a vehicle behaves in an front offset crash with a stationary object at high speeds.

How to cash in on 'cash for clunkers'

OK, the "cash-for-clunkers" or "cash-for-guzzlers" program has cleared both houses of Congress and is on its way to the White House for President Barack Obama's signature, which is likely. Now, you have questions, such as, "How do I cash in on this?" Well, here are some answers: -- The program applies only to 1984 model year and newer vehicles. And the "clunker" has to have a combined fuel-economy rating of 18 mpg or less.