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

Caterham Seven 160 launches as a back to basics Seven

Caterham Seven 160 launches as a back to basics Seven The promise of 80bhp from a tiny Suzuki 3-cylinder turbo engine may not sound the perfect recipe for a fun little sports car, but wrapped up in the ‘back to basics’ Caterham Seven 160 it very well could be. Caterham has revealed details of their new entry-level Seven – called 160 – after a tease earlier in the year, which comes with the aforementioned Suzuki 3-pot engine which is powerful enough to promise brisk acceleration of 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds. Caterham has stripped the 160 back to the bone with very low weight, it gets a five-speed manual – from Suzuki but tweaked by Caterham – and a live rear axle.

November a strong month for car sales

U.S. auto sales--led by BMW, American Honda and Volkswagen Group--rose 15 percent to 1.14 million in November, exceeding analysts' forecasts and setting the stage for the industry to finish 2012 on a high note heading into the new year. The annualized industry sales rate, adjusted for seasonal trends, accelerated to 15.56 million--the highest rate since 15.59 million in January 2008.

SsangYong Korando 4×4 gets cheaper with arrival of the Korando SX

SssangYong has dropped the entry price for its 4WD C-Segment SUV Korando with the launch of the Korando SX. SsangYong is the Korean car maker that hasn’t yet quite managed to drag itself out of the bin marked ‘Oh, dear’, but the takeover of SsangYong by the deep-pocketed Mahindra and the launch of the seemingly convincing SsangYong Korando Crossover/SUV last year auger well. The Korando is aimed at cars like the Hyundai ix35 and Kia Sportage, and it seems a decent enough offering in a slightly generic way (even if it is penned by Giugiaro), with a 2.0 litre turbo diesel with a decent enough 173bhp and with a choice of auto or manual, FWD or 4WD.