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

VW Touareg BlueMotion hits the UK

Volkswagen has announced the VW Touareg BlueMotion for the UK Offering improved economy and lower emissions, the Touareg BlueMotion manages to drop in to a lower Co2 band by emitting 219g/km (a reduction from 244g/km on the V6 TDi) and it delivers 34mpg as opposed to 30.4mpg on the V7 TDi. These improvements have been achieved by the usual ECU tweaking, low rolling resistance tyres, some aerodynamic tweaks and a lower ride height (exactly the same sort of stuff that Ford has done on the EConetic range). And the penalty for the lower emissions and better economy is very slight, with the Touareg BlueMotion still managing the 0-60mph in 8.5 seconds and a top speed of  126mph.

GM's Ed Whitacre meets the press in Web chat

General Motors' new front man, Ed Whitacre, remains a bit of an elusive figure in the car world. But at the very least, the former telecom honcho who's now the leader of the nation's largest automaker does like cars. “Oh yes,” he answered in response to that question during a Web chat on Tuesday, one of his first interactions with the media so far in his tenure at the helm of GM.

Infiniti Essence Concept bows in at Geneva

The Infiniti Essence Concept is a show-pleaser, designed to grab a few headlines and give Nissan (makers of the Infiniti – which is Nissan’s equivalent of Toyota’s Lexus) some coverage of the brand ahead of the launch of its cars in Europe. And we’ve got to admit, a classy-looking, swoopy-coupe with a few eco-credentials is not a bad way to go. The Infiniti Essence Coupe - Nissan's show stopper to raise brand awareness for Infiniti ahead of its European launch The Essence is actually pretty imposing in the flesh.