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

Sky takes Mazda powertrains to the next level

Mazda's next-generation of powertrains, called Sky, will feature a variety of new technologies that company engineers say improve fuel efficiency by 20 percent. The Sky engines--Sky-G for the gasoline version, Sky-D for diesel--coupled with a Sky-Drive automatic transmission or a six-speed manual, were offered for test drives during a technology day in Berlin. The Sky-G engine we drove was a 2.0-liter inline-four that made 160 hp and 155 lb-ft of torque.

Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid gets Polestar upgrade

Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid gets Polestar upgrade The Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid is proving a big sales success for Volvo – and no wonder. The V60 Plug-in Hybrid takes the already very good Volvo V60 and plants a hybrid plug-in under the skin which offers Volvo’s 215bhp 5-cylinder diesel engine – which drives the front wheels – mated to a 70bhp electric motor at the back, making the V60 Plug-in a 4WD Estate with a decent turn of performance, a range of up to 621 miles and a BIK-busting 49g/k emissions. Not only that, but you can now have the V60 Plug-in with Volvo’s R-Design spec offering the usual Volvo ‘go faster’ updates which make the V60 look more purposeful without looking silly.

Honda’s Uni-Cub Beta review from Tokyo

Japan – the land of crazy gadgets, of that there is little doubt. But the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show was surprisingly highly focused on proper, viable products instead of pie-in-the-sky futurism. Which is not to say there weren’t some intriguing exceptions.