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

Lincoln opens first dedicated design studio for 40 years

Ford has opened the first dedicated Lincoln design center for 40 years in Dearborn, Michigan, as part of its ongoing brand reinvention. Last August Ford announced it would be creating the studio for its luxury brand as well as increasing spending, giving it unique interiors and powertrains in an effort to differentiate it from the core Ford offerings. The Lincoln Design Studio has been built on the campus of Ford's Product Development center and houses designers, sculptors, modelers and engineers who make up part of a larger Lincoln Product Development team that will create four new Lincoln vehicles by 2015.

All used up: Pre-owned sales rise as consumers seek new-car alternatives

Used-car sales took a leap upward in April, and the trend is expected to continue at least until midyear as pent-up demand for affordable pre-owned vehicles jacks up at least one segment of the car marketplace. Sales of new cars continued an unabated slide toward what analysts say is a 30-year low in the United States, but used-car sales showed strength as buyers unable to finance new cars shifted their sights to less expensive used models. As a result, retailers such as the large Penske Automotive Group reported that despite an overall decline in sales in the first three months of 2009, improving used-car sales kept them in the black.

Chevrolet Sonic turbo gets six-speed automatic

Chevrolet Sonic fans who want the turbocharged 1.4-liter engine but don't want a manual transmission are in luck. Chevrolet is now shipping the Sonic with a six-speed automatic mated to the turbo engine. Fuel economy for the turbo Sonic, despite the automatic, is 27 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway, with a 0-to-60-mph time of about eight seconds, Chevy says.