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

Frank Stephenson on the importance of color in design

During the announcement of the McLaren Automotive's partnership with paints and coatings company, AkzoNobel, Car Design News took the opportunity to discuss the importance of color in design with design director Frank Stephenson. According to Stephenson color's ability to invoke emotions and communicate with viewers, he described just how big a part it has to play in the design process and how it inspires designers when developing products. "The first thing color does is influence the brand – it gives the customer an identifiable element to what we're talking about.

Vauxhall Mokka, Astra VXR, Insignia BiTurbo & RAD-e concept at Geneva 2012

Vauxhall's line-up for the 2012 Geneva Motor Show Vauxhall will be debuting the new Vauxhall Mokka compact MPV, the Astra GTC-based Astra VXR, Rad-e concept and Insignia BiTurbo at Geneva 2012. It’s interesting to get the heads-up on new models ahead of their actual public debut, but that can take away the impact for new cars. Which is just what Vauxhall’s stand at Geneva will suffer.

Toyota GT 86 (2012) first official pictures

Toyota has a long history of long gestations for its sports cars (remember the Lexus LFA's birth?). But today we can finally bring you the first pictures of the new Toyota GT 86 sports car, ne FT-86 concept car from back in 2009. We'll see the GT 86 at the Tokyo auto show in the next week, with UK sales due in spring 2012.