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

Lexus Fashion Workshop designers make car parts fashionable

Lexus is moving from the road to the runway with a new ad campaign set to appear in Vogue magazine. As part of the Lexus Fashion Workshop, the carmaker challenged four fashion designers to create wearable pieces using materials from a dismantled Lexus CT hybrid. The challenge is "elevating the notion of recycling to an art form," according to Lexus, which says the CT hybrid is 90 percent recyclable.

Toyota talks powertrain plans

After trailing many of its competitors in the recent engine- and transmission-technology wars, Toyota Motor Corp. will launch a swath of powertrains in the next several years, a top powertrain r&d executive said. Koei Saga, senior managing officer in charge of drivetrain r&d, said that Toyota is investing heavily in turbocharged engines, larger displacement Atkinson cycle engines, continuously variable and fixed-gear automatic transmissions, and new hybrid and fuel cell technologies.

Volkswagen Space Up concept

By Ben Pulman Motor Shows 24 October 2007 10:30 Up, up, and away… Yes, the Volkswagen Up is back. The Tokyo Motor Show today saw VW unveil a second iteration of their new small family car – a third model will be shown at the LA Auto Show in November 2007. Called the Space Up!, the rear-engined car is a stretched version of the three-door we saw at the Frankfurt Motor Show earlier in the year.