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

Crash avoidance technology 'can cut crashes by a third'

GROUND-BREAKING rear-end crash avoidance technology can cut the likelihood of these accidents by up to a third, according to the latest crash test results by European safety body Euro NCAP. The Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) systems were trialled by Euro NCAP, which independently tests the crash safety standards of new cars in Europe. It tested the cars by driving them towards a dummy car made of an airbag to see which would stop before a collision occurred.

Bungling thief caught after stealing hire car's steering wheel

A DIM-WITTED criminal has been convicted of theft after stealing parts of a brand new Audi A3 hire car and replacing them with old bits taken from his much older Audi S3. Alexander Keating, a 23-year-old former bodyshop technician who lost his job following the conviction, stole parts as obvious as the steering wheel and gear knob from the A3 that his mum had hired after damaging her car in an accident. Keating foolishly believed no one would notice the battered old steering wheel on the otherwise shiny, new car, but sure enough the mismatched parts were spotted and the hapless bungler was caught by the car hire firm’s bespoke anti-fraud team Asset Protection Unit (APU).

Volkswagen to buy 42 percent of Porsche, full merger planned

Volkswagen will buy 42 percent of Porsche's sports-car business en route to a full merger by the end of 2011, the companies announced Thursday. VW will pay $4.7 billion for its initial stake in Porsche. It positions the new company to have 10 brands and global sales of 6.4 million, and Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn is likely to lead the entity.