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

Famous British car brands achieve record sales

SALES figures from two of Britain’s most famous car brands have reached record highs in 2013. Mini and Rolls-Royce, which are both owned by BMW, have sold more cars than ever before. Thanks to a spate of popular new models, a total of 305,030 Minis were purchased across the globe last year - up 1.2% on the 2012 figure.

VW reveals T-ROC before Geneva motor show

The Volkswagen T-ROC concept will debut at the Geneva motor show next week. The chunky, raised-up crossover is based on the increasingly prevalent MQB architecture, which also underpins the Golf. VW says the T-Roc slots in below its current SUVs and it’ll even be smaller than the forthcoming Taigun.

Kia goes (dark) green

By Jesse Crosse Motor Industry 23 September 2008 11:00 Kia has unveiled a portfolio of new environmental technologies, including a 1.4-litre Ceed with stop-start (due in the UK in 2009), a Ceed hybrid and the latest version of its fuel cell-powered Sportage. The Korean manufacturer is investing heavily in research and development and will increase its spend on R&D from £2.2 billion this year to £2.6 billion by 2010, combined with a 40 percent increase in manpower at its research centres around the globe. The money is being spent on developing downsized, turbocharged engines, efficiency improvements to conventional engines such as friction reduction and the separation of accessories like water pumps from the engine.