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

Acura promotes movie role with secret-agent kit

Rarely do the lengths to which a carmaker will go in promoting a product raise eyebrows here at AutoWeek, but it still happens from time to time. Case in point: Acura sent us a kit of secret-agent tests showcasing the role of its cars in the movie Thor. Touting the carmaker’s first stint in a major motion picture, the so-called Acura S.H.I.E.L.D.

Classic style for road-ready Beetle Dune

A VERY special Volkswagen Beetle has hit the coastal roads of northern Germany, and it might just arrive in showrooms soon, too. The new Beetle Dune concept captures a little of the spirit of the classic version, with 50mm of extra ride height, big, bold wheels and a rear-mounted ski rack. It looks stunning on the move, where its broad-spoked 19-inch wheels look almost like solid discs of polished metal and the ski rack has the visual effect of an old-school Porsche 911-esque spoiler.

Mercedes S-Class production increased to meet demand

Mercedes S-Class production increased We’ve reported recently on the strong sales Mercedes is enjoying with the new A-Class (and its swoopy-coupe sibling CLA), but it’s not just Mercedes compact cars that are flying out of showrooms. Mercedes has revealed it’s having to increase production at its plant in Sindelfingen by prolonging shifts by 74 minutes (after increasing them by 30 minutes earlier this year) in order to churn out enough S-Class cars to meet strong demand. But it’s not just the S-Class (as well as the A-Class cars) that are selling strongly, Mercedes are also upping production at Bremen to build more GLK and C-Class models.