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

News watch March 2010: today's auto industry news

Tuesday 30 March 2010• Mercedes has dismissed claims that its Maybach brand is for sale, after reports in the Chinese media claimed Chinese car company BYD was considering a bid for the upmarket offshoot. BYD has also denied the claims (Reuters)• Toyota president Akio Toyoda has promised his company will listen more carefully to customers and react faster in a bid to regain credibility after the Japanese car manufacturer was forced to recall millions of vehilces over safety fears (BBC)• The Obama administration is expected to unveil its finalised fuel economy and tailpipe emissions through to 2016 this week, to coincide with the opening of the 2010 New York auto show (Detroit News)  Monday 29 March 2010• Toyota has agreed to licence the hybrid technology in the Prius to Mazda, which will combine the electric system with its next-gen Sky engines. It’s part of Mazda’s plans to increase the average fuel economy of its vehicles by 30% by 2015 (compared to 2008 levels) and it hopes to have its first hybrid vehicle on sale in Japan by 2013 (Mazda)• Ford and Chinese car company Geely have signed a stock purchase agreement that will allow the latter to acquire 100% of Volvo (along with related assets including intellectual property rights).

BAC Mono: Fancy a Drive?

RS Academy grabs the first two BAC Monos Last month we reported on a new single-seat road car that offers more thrills than a garage full of hypercars for less than the cost of an M5 – the BAC Mono. The brothers Briggs - Briggs Automotive Company – have created the beautifully built, finished and specified Mono as the world’s only single-seat production car (well, the only one that’s actually made it in to production, anyway). Weighing no more than Kylie after a heavy diet, the Mono can scoot to 60mph in just 2.8 seconds before running out of steam somewhere around 170mph.

Toyota RAV4 EV (2012) - a Toyota/Tesla electric SUV

The Toyota RAV4 has been turned into the only all-electric SUV on the market after a heart transplant from Tesla Motors.  The RAV4 EV has been given batteries and drivetrain bits from the Silicon Valley start-up to turn Toyota's most popular SUV into an electric-only vehicle with a 100-mile range. Toyota RAV4 EV: how it works A massive 422kg of batteries provide the power for the RAV4 EV, mounted low down in the centre of the vehicle to improve weight distribution. Toyota says that despite the new powertrain, no compromises have been made on passenger space.  Two driving modes offer a choice of speed or economy, Normal and Sport. Normal will send the RAV4 from 0-60mph in 8.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 85mph; Sport mode will take you there in 7.0sec and up to 100mph.