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

All used up: Pre-owned sales rise as consumers seek new-car alternatives

Used-car sales took a leap upward in April, and the trend is expected to continue at least until midyear as pent-up demand for affordable pre-owned vehicles jacks up at least one segment of the car marketplace. Sales of new cars continued an unabated slide toward what analysts say is a 30-year low in the United States, but used-car sales showed strength as buyers unable to finance new cars shifted their sights to less expensive used models. As a result, retailers such as the large Penske Automotive Group reported that despite an overall decline in sales in the first three months of 2009, improving used-car sales kept them in the black.

NADA asks U.S. to suspend clunkers program

National Automobile Dealers Association officials asked the government to suspend the cash-for-clunkers program because a survey by the group found that the $3 billion fund has been exhausted, NADA Chairman John McEleney said. "We asked them to put a halt to the program--I think we said 'very soon'--but a suspension at midnight tonight would make sense," McEleney said in an interview Wednesday. "Our survey opened the eyes of the Transportation Department." A suspension would allow dealers to submit all pending claims and permit the government to process them so that a precise determination could be made of how much money, if any, is left in the program, he said.

2012 Porsche Cayenne GTS Beijing debut UPDATED +video

2012 Porsche Cayenne GTS The latest iteration of the Porsche Cayenne GTS – a sportier take on the Cayenne – will debut at the Beijing Motor Show. Porsche feels it’s time to roll out the GTS treatment for the latest version of the Cayenne, so pencil-in the Beijing Motor Show later this month for the debut of the 2012 Porsche Cayenne GTS. The GTS version of a Porsche usually bows in after the range has had a year or two to bed in and offers a sportier, harder-edged version of the standard Porsche offering; fitting in the range between the Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo.