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

Marchionne says he'll likely step aside from Chrysler in 2015 or 2016

Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne on Wednesday hinted that he will be stepping aside from the helm of the U.S. automaker within five years. During a question-and-answer session at the 2011 Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Mich., the 59-year-old executive said Chrysler's future plans "will be up to the guy after me--after 2015 or maybe a year later….

Mini Paceman

Mini has presented its latest model, the Paceman, as it ventures into a new vehicle class. Appearing – almost to the millimeter, bar colour and trim detailing – to be the Paceman concept seen at NAIAS 2011 in Detroit, the Paceman Sports Activity Coupe features many traditional Mini design cues. Where it moves away from them, it is in keeping the new-style squared off front lamps of the Countryman (with which it shares a front end up to the base of the windscreen) and a roofline which tapers down much more than we've seen in any previous ‘new' Mini before.

MIT develops self-transforming materials that behave 'like robots without robots'

A cross-disciplinary research lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed a suite of programmable materials, including carbon fiber, printed wood grain, textile composites, rubbers and plastics, that self-transform when exposed to an external stimulus. Director of the Self-Assembly Lab, Skylar Tibbits, presented a TED talk on 4D printing in 2013, where he demonstrated how a flat sheet of material could effectively build itself when exposed to water, like a robot without a robot. Following positive feedback from industries including aviation, automotive and manufacturing, his lab has been working on developing materials that change according to different activation sources, including heat, light, and air pressure, in addition to water – all of which have automotive relevance.