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

Pace cadets: At AMG academy, students take their finals with their right feet

Mercedes-Benz USA launched the AMG Challenge in 2002, a program touted as "a chance to experience the thrill of driving the newest Mercedes AMGs on some of America's best racetracks." This year, MBUSA abandoned the Challenge in favor of the AMG Driving Academy, a multistage driver-development program pioneered by AMG in Europe. The difference? According to Greg Clark, AMG manager, "the Challenge was more about the cars, while the Academy is more about the driver." Having participated in both the Challenge and now the Academy, we'd say that difference is subtle, at least as it applies to the one-day program.

What's New: December 2005

Hyundai HCD9 Talus concept Following the Neos III concept shown in Tokyo, Hyundai will be revealing the HCD9 Talus sports concept at the North American International Auto Show in January. Hyundai will also be showing the all-new Santa Fe SUV. Mazda CX-7 At the Detroit show Mazda will showcase the CX-7, a CUV that uses the same platform as the Ford Edge, but with more expressive, less macho styling to befit Mazda's 'Zoom-Zoom' philosophy.

Volvo XC90 (2015)

After three highly-regarded concept cars and a rather extended gestation period, the first of the new generation of Volvo cars, the XC90 SUV, has been unveiled. Designed – at least latterly – under the auspices of Thomas Ingenlath, who joined the sole remaining Swedish brand from VW as its design director in March 2012, the new Volvo XC90 is the first to sit on the company's new, modular SPA platform (Scalable Product Architecture, if you're interested). This allows more freedom in terms of proportions, with a particularly generous axle-to-dashboard distance.