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

Kia scoops three design awards

Kia has won three design awards in this year's Automotive Brand Contest, continuing its strong showing in last year's competition. The second-generation cee'd, launched in June, topped the exterior category table as well as receiving an honorary special mention for exceptional innovation in the interior category. The car's exterior features a chrome-framed glasshouse and muscular lines on the bonnet, while inside an ergonomic, driver-oriented control panel impressed the judges enough to receive the special mention.

Audi A3 Sportback e-tron price and specs – costs £34,950

Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (pictured) costs £34,950 If governments are going to base car taxation on Co2 emissions, then car makers are going to build cars that ‘game’ the official tests. A perfect example of which is the new Audi A3 Sportback e-tron plug-in hybrid. It’s expensive at £34,950 (although the government bribe for plug-ins does drop the price you pay to £29,950), but thanks to its ‘up to 31 miles’ range on battery power only it comes complete with official economy of 176.6 mpg and emissions of 37g/km.

2015 Honda CR-V Facelift Paris 2014 debut

The 2015 Honda CR-V Facelift gets a Paris 2014 debut It’s two years since the latest Honda CR-V arrived in the UK (and a chunk longer since it arrived in the US and Japan), so it’s a time for a refresh, with the facelifted Honda CR-V for 2015 revealed ahead of a debut at the 2014 Paris Motor Show later this week. Under the skin, the four-wheel-drive versions of the new CR-V get a more powerful 1.6 litre i-DTEC diesel engine from Honda’s Earth Dreams series, which replaces the current model’s 2.2 litre diesel. The new 1.6 litre comes armed with 158bhp and 258lb/ft of torque and emissions of 130g/km (with the six-speed manual) or 135g/km when mated to the new 9-speed auto ‘box – savings of 11 and 20 cent over the old engine/gearbox combinations.