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

Merc to revive straight six, plus 4cyl and smaller V8s

Mercedes has just signed off a new engine family which will see most full-sized Mercs in future run four-cylinders, downsized V8s and… straight sixes. A friendly Mercedes engineer recently met CAR to disclose the engine plans for future models, including the surprise disclosure that Merc plans to switch to straight sixes, like its rivals over in Munich.  It's fair to say I almost choked on my breakfast croissant when I found out the details of the next MB engine generation which has just been signed off for release in 2015. Mercedes' future four-cylinder engines Again, there will be a family of new low-cost fours, and the big-bore V8s will be replaced by a series of downsized turbocharged 4.0-litre units.

Jaguar Land Rover sales up 10% in October

Jaguar Land Rover has revealed another rise in sales for October 2012, selling 10 per cent more cars than a year ago. Jaguar Land Rover has reported sales of 25,176 cars in October 2012, an increase of 10 per cent on last year, and sales for 2012 up by an impressive 35 per cent compared to the same period in 2011. But those sales are really a game of two halves – Jaguar and Land Rover.

‘Crash avoidance’ systems rated for safety

The European car safety body Euro NCAP has confirmed it is currently testing a number of cars fitted with crash avoidance technology in an effort to judge the systems’ effectiveness. This news coincides with an announcement from the American Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which has published the first results of its own version of the scheme. Euro NCAP and IIHS are cooperating to establish a standardised test formula.