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

Elon Musk unveils Hyperloop

Elon Musk has been teasing us with something called the Hyperloop for a while now, referring to some Goldbergian cross between a railgun and an air hockey table that would zoot us and scoot us from San Francisco to Los Angeles in a half-hour. Now, in a 57-page PDF available here or here, he's outlined just what Hyperloop could be. Bad news?

New Lexus IS to debut at 2013 Detroit Auto Show

The new Lexus IS - previewed at this year’s Paris Motor Show by the Lexus LF-CC Concept – will debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2013. Lexus effectively previewed the new IS with the Lexus LF-CC Concept (above) at the Paris Motor show in September (although that really previews a new Lexus IS Coupe to follow) so we know the new IS is going to follow the current Lexus path of producing good looking cars (like the latest Lexus GS). This time round it looks like Lexus are going to offer a hybrid IS 3000 as the route to the heart of fleet buyers in Europe with a 2.5 litre petrol four-cylinder mated to the usual box of batteries and motor, all running through a CVT ‘box (sadly).

2013 VW Beetle Convertible: Price from £18,150

After a reveal in October, the New Volkswagen Beetle Convertible has debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show and will cost from £18,150 in the UK. In fact, not only does the Beetle refuse to go away, it’s selling better than the ‘old’ Beetle ever did, with 230,000 Beetles built since the Beetle was revived eight years ago, only 100,000 fewer than the old Beetle sold in its 31 year history. And the new VW Beetle promises to be more appealing than the first iterations of VW’s revival of the Beetle, with their strapline for the latest model setting out its intentions clearly: ‘Less Flower – More Power’.