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

Suzuki Swift (2011) at Frankfurt motor show

Back in 2006, the Suzuki Swift took CAR Magazine’s Car Of The Year gong ahead of some pretty accomplished opposition. But, since then, it’s rarely featured in our pages while the Renaultsport Clio has stolen our small-car affections. Suzuki’s star of the Frankfurt show, the Suzuki Swift Sport, hopes to put the model back on the radar.

Jaguar’s XE Launch Exceeds All Expectations

AT a glittering launch event in London Jaguar treated the assembled media to a succession of theatrical and musical acts ahead of the main event – the long-awaited unveiling of its new XE compact executive saloon. The new car is a big deal for Jaguar, as it allows the Brit car maker to go head-to-head with the likes of BMW, Audi and Mercedes in the fiercely competitive compact executive market. Jaguar’s XE is tasked with showcasing a range of new technology that’s expected to be rolled out to other models in the coming years.

2013 Nissan LEAF updated

Nissan has updated the LEAF EV in Japan for 2013 with better range, less weight and a new LEAF S entry-level model. Revealed in Japan – but likely to come to the UK from 2013 when the LEAF starts rolling out of Nissan’s Sunderland factory – there are significant upgrades to the powertrain which result in both less weight and better range. Nissan has had a play with the electric powertrain and made it both smaller and lighter with a new motor that uses 40 per cent less dysprosium (a rare earth metal) than before, and comes in 30 per cent smaller and 10 per cent lighter, and a new streamline battery case and a few other tweaks drops the LEAF’s weight by 80kg.