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

High Fuel Costs Forcing Drivers Off Road

THE latest AA/Populus survey released to coincide with the Government’s Autumn Statement tells us something we probably already know: high fuel prices are continuing to force drivers to use their cars less. As part of its poll of 21,587 AA members, the organisation found that 45% are cutting down on car usage and 28% are slashing family or personal budgets to compensate. Semi or unskilled workers and pensioners are cutting back most on motoring, with 53% using their cars less.

Volkswagen CrossBlue Coupe photos arrive early

We didn’t expect the CrossBlue Coupe to look quite as dramatically ‘squashed’ as the design sketches, and it doesn’t. But it does look like a decidedly rakish SUV with a distinctly more coupe look than the full-sized CrossBlue SUV we saw at Detroit in January. Apart from being sleeker than its boxy sibling, the CrossBlue Coupe is also less compendious, and drops the full 7-seats the Crossblue had in favour of a 5-set layout.

Mercedes touts future safety with research vehicle

In 1980, when several automakers began to use airbags, there were people who thought that cars couldn't possibly get any safer. Karl-Heinz Baumann, a safety researcher at Mercedes-Benz AG in Stuttgart, was not one of them. "We said, 'No, it cannot be all,' and we kept doing more research." The results of that research are presented on the company's most recent Experimental Safety Vehicle (ESV), on display now in the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart.