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

GM to slash global vehicle platforms by more than half, to 14, by 2018

General Motors says it will cut the number of vehicle platforms it uses globally by more than half over the next decade, in a bid to reduce complexity and save on product-development costs. “More of our components will be common, and more of our vehicles will be on global architectures,” GM CEO Dan Akerson told analysts on Tuesday. His remarks came as GM kicked off a series of presentations online, billed as its 2011 Global Business Conference.

'Ambulance chasers' face new controls

THE CULTURE of "ambulance-chasing" lawyers and bogus whiplash claims could come to an end following new measures set out by the Government to crack down on insurance fraud. Lawyers will be banned from offering accident victims incentives such as money or free iPad computers to encourage them to make a claim and courts will be given powers to throw out compensation actions where claimants have been dishonest. The reforms by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) aim to tackle the rise of the compensation culture and reduce the amount being paid out unnecessarily by insurance companies - which can lead to higher premiums for honest customers.

Celebrate 40 years of Nissan's Z car with our special Web-zine

It's the 40th anniversary of Nissan's iconic Z car. You can join the celebration with a special-edition Web-zine created by the editors of AutoWeek. A great historical compilation from the AW archives, this special issue will take you from the Fairlady to the latest 370Z, with the race cars in between.