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

New Kia Rio (2011 / 2012) starts at £10,595

New Kia Rio - on sale 1st September Last week we had the reveal of the 3-door Kia Picanto, and today confirmation that the 2012 Kia Rio - revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in the Spring and first cousin to the Hyundai i20 – will be on sale in the UK on 1st September from just £10,595. Busy times for Kia. The new Kia Rio will launch as a five door, but we can expect to see a sportier three door version in the New Year.

Alfa Romeo MiTo Maserati – the courtesy car

The Alfa Romeo MiTo Maserati - the Maserati courtesy car As you’ll know if you read here regularly, we like the Alfa Romeo MiTo. Sure, it has its faults (what car doesn’t) but it’s very stylish, remarkably well put together (certainly for an Alfa), fun to drive and holds its value well (which is a real first for Alfa Romeo). But it’s not necesarily the sort of car that would register on the radar of the average Maserati owner.

Crunch watch Dec 08: the auto industry in crisis

By Tim Pollard and Simon Stiel Motor Industry 31 December 2008 14:05 Wednesday 31 December 2008• GMAC, GM's finance arm, said it would immediately revise its criteria for providing loans, after the US government bail-out of the General's credit arm. It will now supply credit for anyone with a score of 621 or more on the Fico scale, the scale used to assess Amercian customers' creditworthiness (Financial Times)• The news means that 80% of US consumers would now qualify for a loan from GMAC – which should improve sales in the depressed US market (Detroit News)• Chrysler is being lambasted for taking out full-page adverts in the American national press thanking the nation for supporting its auto industry. But critics point out this is a fresh waste of bail-out resources, as pages in the Wall Street Journal – one of the titles in which the ad ran – reportedly cost up to $264,000.