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

Tesla asks NHTSA to investigate fires

In response to concerns following a recent accident which appeared to result from road debris damaging the underside of a battery compartment of a Tesla Model S, causing a fire in the engine compartment, the company has announced that it has requested that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conduct a full investigation into the fire incidents. In a blog post, Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote the following about the investigation: "While we think it is highly unlikely, if something is discovered that would result in a material improvement in occupant fire safety, we will immediately apply that change to new cars and offer it as a free retrofit to all existing cars. Given that the incidence of fires in the Model S is far lower than combustion cars and that there have been no resulting injuries, this did not at first seem like a good use of NHTSA's time compared to the hundreds of gasoline fire deaths per year that warrant their attention." Tesla has also released a software update to the cars which will maintain their standard ride height at highway speeds, preventing the air suspension from lowering the car an extra inch at highway speeds for greater aerodynamic efficiency.

New Lexus IS to debut at 2013 Detroit Auto Show

The new Lexus IS - previewed at this year’s Paris Motor Show by the Lexus LF-CC Concept – will debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2013. Lexus effectively previewed the new IS with the Lexus LF-CC Concept (above) at the Paris Motor show in September (although that really previews a new Lexus IS Coupe to follow) so we know the new IS is going to follow the current Lexus path of producing good looking cars (like the latest Lexus GS). This time round it looks like Lexus are going to offer a hybrid IS 3000 as the route to the heart of fleet buyers in Europe with a 2.5 litre petrol four-cylinder mated to the usual box of batteries and motor, all running through a CVT ‘box (sadly).

Jaguar XF Estate on the way

Jaguar XF Estate - Expected to show as a Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September Jaguar doesn’t have the best history on estate cars (the X-Type Estate, although a reasonable car – and 4WD – was just a Mondeo with smart clothes) but the Jaguar XF is such a triumph for Jaguar that I’m sure we’ll see the XF Estate taking the fight to the Germans in a big way. It’s reasonable to expect the standard engines and trim versions to carry over to the Estate, but apparently so will the mighty XFR trim. Which means we will see a Jaguar Estate car which will be able to take on the likes of the M5 Estate, the E63 AMG Estate and the RS6 Estate.