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

Maeda named new Mazda design boss, replacing van den Acker

Ikuo Maeda is the new head of design at Mazda Motor Corp. The man who is credited with styling the Mazda's flagship sports car takes over for Dutchman Laurens van den Acker, 43, who has decided to leave the company "to pursue other interests," the automaker said in a statement today. Van den Acker, who joined Mazda in 2006, will remain at the automaker until April 10 to ensure a smooth transition for Maeda, Mazda said.

Electric cars enjoyed one of the best months of sales in June 2013

If you think you've been seeing more Teslas and Nissan Leafs on the streets, it's not your imagination -- there really are more of them on our roads. Just in the month of June of this year, almost 9,000 plug-in electric vehicles have been sold in the U.S. This adds to more than 110,000 plug-in electric vehicles that have been sold in this country in the last two and a half years, the Electrification Coalition reports.

Ford posts best June sales performance in down market

In a month of sandbagged auto sales, Ford was the clear winner. The Blue Oval posted a sales decline of “just” 10.7 percent in June, in a market that fell nearly 27.7 percent. It was by far the best showing of any major carmaker, helped by strong sales of its Fusion sedan and Escape crossover.