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

Future products: Kia seeks lively, upscale look

Kia's redesigned Optima sedan and the Cadenza replacement for the Amanti, both due next year, reflect an emphasis on creating a livelier and more upscale look for the once-bland brand. Indeed, styling has been a crucial element of Kia's new-product push in the past 18 months. The team at Kia Design Center America near Los Angeles--part of the automaker's global design network led by onetime Audi design chief Peter Schreyer--has helped set the new styling direction.

2012 BMW 3 Series launches in the UK from £29,060

The 2012 BMW 3 Series is launched in the UK The 2012 BMW 3 Series has been launched by BMW UK, with just three engines available at launch and prices starting at £29,060. It’s taken a few months from the debut of the 2012 BMW 3 Series back in October to actually launching it in the UK, but now BMW UK has officially launched the sixth generation of the car that underpins their sales. Last week we had the prelude to the official UK launch with a huge gallery of UK-specific new 3 Series Photos, and there’s not a lot more to say we haven’t covered already – we even had UK prices for the new 3 Series back in October.

New BMW X5 meets its E53 & E70 X5 ancestors (video)

The three generations of the BMW X5 meet The new BMW X5 has just been revealed, and it follows the formula of its predecessors to deliver a new X5 that has more of everything previous X5s offered – performance, economy, space, practicality and luxury. BMW like to call the X5 an ‘SAV’ (Sports Activity vehicle) to differentiate it from real SUVs; although the X5 has four-wheel drive it’s not really a mud-plugger like a Land Rover, but more a 5-Series on stilts. But it’s a successful formula that started with the first generation X5 (E53) in 1999.