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

Volkswagen Beetle R: Frankfurt debut planned?

2012 VW Beetle R - a Hot Beetle However hard they tried – and they did for a while – Volkswagen never managed to make the reborn VW Beetle anything more than a novelty; a girly car with a flower vase for girly drivers. That was enough to make the Beetle sell in almost respectable numbers in both North and South America, but it consigned VW’s retro effort to the novelty bin in Europe, where we tend to know a cynical marketing ploy from a real car. But Volkswagen seem intent on making the 212 VW Beetle rather more credible.

Toyota Avensis, Prius & Corolla recall affects 75,000 UK cars

Toyota is recalling 75,000 Corolla, Avensis and Prius models in the UK – and 2.7 million worldwide – to fix a steering fault. Last month, Toyota revealed a recall for the Auris, RAV4 and Yaris to fix a fault with electric window switches, and just to make sure those cars weren’t the only faulty Toyota’s, they’ve managed to find a fault with the steering on the Corolla  Avensis and Prius. Oh, and the Prius might have a water pump problem.

Who's Where: Satoshi Wada to open independent design studio

Satoshi Wada, former Senior Designer at Audi AG and Nissan Design Japan, is set to open his own design studio. Called SWdesign TOKYO, his ambitious plan follows on from a growing line of design managers who have left successful OEMs to establish their own design practices. Wada, who resigned from Audi AG in Ingolstadt earlier this month, told CDN he is aiming "to create a new vision with my own independent design studio in Tokyo".