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

Chevy Cruze Diesel: As torquey as a classic Camaro?

From the Department Of Silly Press Releases comes this missive from deep within the bowels of the Renaissance Center, Junior Wool-Pulling Division, located next to the Quizno's. "Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel Delivers Classic Muscle Car Torque," it reads, and while torque is the Great Equalizer of the continued championing of the diesel engine, comparing it to the sturm und drang of launching a 1972 Camaro Z28 from the parking lot of the Hendersonville, Tenn., Shoney's is tantamount to the sort of blasphemy that gets people excommunicated. For the record, the Chevrolet Cruze Diesel's 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine produces 264 lb-ft of torque, more than the Volkswagen Jetta TDI's at 236 lb-ft.

New BMW 316d ES Saloon

BMW has announced the BMW 316d ES - its most economical 3-Series to date Car makers are falling over themselves to introduce new models that are more fuel efficient and less polluting than what went before, and this time it’s BMW’s time to play the game with the most economical 3 Series yet – the new BMW 316d ES Saloon. The 316d ES gets BMW’s 2.0 litre 4-pot diesel and a six-speed manual ‘box, which manages a quite impressive 62.8mpg and emits only 118g/km of CO2. That puts it in to the £35 a year VED band and makes this the cleanest and most economical 3 Series yet.

Fisker Automotive begins hiring blitz

Fisker Automotive will hire 120 workers in the coming months to staff the former General Motors factory in Wilmington, Del., that will build Fisker's next plug-in hybrid sedan, due in 2013. Code-named Project Nina, the future car will join the plug-in Karma sedan in Fisker's lineup as the company expands its portfolio of premium hybrid cars. The Karma is launching this year, and production of the future sedan--expected to be priced at about $39,000 after government incentives--would begin late next year.