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

Acura promotes movie role with secret-agent kit

Rarely do the lengths to which a carmaker will go in promoting a product raise eyebrows here at AutoWeek, but it still happens from time to time. Case in point: Acura sent us a kit of secret-agent tests showcasing the role of its cars in the movie Thor. Touting the carmaker’s first stint in a major motion picture, the so-called Acura S.H.I.E.L.D.

Stile Bertone goes independent

Stile Bertone is to forge an independent future under a new managing director by splitting with its coachbuilding arm and following a new business strategy. The changes were rubber-stamped at a meeting in Turin on Monday. The new managing director is former Aprilia CEO Teresio Gaudio, who has been a consultant to the Bertone family while the future of the business was sorted out.

Volvo’s KERS system improves performance and cuts fuel use.

The Volvo S60 with KERS Flywheel (pictured) boosts economy and performance As car makers continue to get bashed by more and more stringent CO2 targets from governments around the world, cleverer solutions are called for to squeeze the best performance and economy balance possible from their products. And Volvo’s new Flywheel KERS system does look promising. Volvo are currently running UK tests of a KERS flywheel system developed by Flybrid Automotive, which takes kinetic energy generated under braking and stores it in a flywheel fitted to the back axle.