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

Toyota Hybrid X concept (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 16 February 2007 09:47 Toyota Hybrid X: the lowdown Toyota's love affair with the hybrid continues: it'll show this Hybrid X at the Geneva Motor Show next month, hinting at a second Toyota hybrid to sell alongside the Prius. It's designed to showcase Toyota's new hybrid design language - a fresh look for its high-tech petrol-electric models, to differentiate them from its more conventional-fueled models. More excitement, less prosaic ordinariness, is the order of the day.

Small but safe: the Fiat 500

By Ben Pulman Motor Industry 31 August 2007 10:29 Fiat’s new baby, the 500, has just achieved a full five-star Euro NCAP rating for adult safety. The 500's score of 35 points puts it ahead of cars like the Mini and Renault Clio while the 500’s closest rival, the Renault Twingo, only achieved four stars in the latest tests. The 500’s 35 points bettered the Twingo’s 28, as did its 14 point to the Renault’s 11 for pedestrian safety (though both ratings are equivalent to two stars).

Bentley uses 3D printing to prototype new designs [w/Video]

3D printing is changing the way the world makes things by helping people of all disciplines to enhance and refine their ideas cheaply, quickly and effectively.  Bentley is the latest carmaker to utilize the technology to fabricate and prototype different parts to see how they'll look and work on the finished design. Using 3D printers, designers can produce parts from the exterior and interior such as the grille, tires, headlamps and door handles as well as combine different types of contrasting materials, ranging from hard plastics to rubbers of different tensile strengths.  The technology allows the user to create a solid 3D object straight from a digital model by printing layers of material on top of each other. This process rapidly decreases the delivery time, as parts can be printed overnight, and allows designers to be more creative in their ideas because of the reduced cost. Bentley isn't the first carmaker to use 3D printing technology. Audi announced last year it was beginning to prototype vehicle parts using 3D printers.