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

Used car sales hit record high

USED CAR SALES were at their highest in five years in 2013. There was a 0.9% increase in used car trades, with more than 6.8 million exchanges of ownership recorded, though this is still some way behind the previous record high of 7.8 million used car sales in 2008. Analysis from Experian shows cars aged nine years old or over were among the strongest performers in the used car market, with sales up 6% in 2013 compared to the previous year.

GM's historic Willow Run plant closes

After 68 years of arming the nation and putting America on wheels, the Willow Run manufacturing plant in southeast Michigan closed on Thursday. The 5-million-square-foot powertrain plant, owned by Motors Liquidation Corp., the remnants of the former General Motors Corp., has fallen victim to GM's 2009 bankruptcy and subsequent restructuring. About 300 workers left at the plant will either “retire, transfer to another campus or go on layoff,” said Chris Lee, a spokesman for the reorganized General Motors Co.

Tesla Model X SUV delayed until 2015

Tesla has revealed that its Model X SUV – based on the Model S – will be delayed until 2015 so Tesla can concentrate on Model S sales. Despite plenty of cynicism in the car industry that Tesla could deliver their Model S saloon at all, never mind at a reasonable cost, Tesla has confounded its critics by not only launching the Model S, but seemingly taking as many orders as it can handle. On the face of it, that’s not surprising.