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

Detroit Electric SP:01 (2014) nears production. The next Tesla?

By Tom Gregory Motor Industry 19 June 2014 11:26 New US based electric car maker, Detroit Electric, has been conducting final testing in Europe of its new SP:01 sports car.Described by Detriot Electric as the “world’s fastest production electric vehicle”, the rear-wheel-drive two-seat convertible is now nearing production having initially been unveiled in the USA and China last year. In a word, yes. Much like the equally electric Tesla Roadster, the SP:01 is built on the aluminium chassis of the Lotus Elise and as such, shares more than a passing resemblance with the Norfolk-built sports car.

Japan automakers extend shutdowns as quake impact widens

Japan's seven big automakers are extending nationwide production shutdowns amid growing concern about supply chain interruptions, power shortages and export difficulties following the massive earthquake and tsunami that hammered northern Japan, killing thousands. Toyota Motor Corp., one of the few automakers with a major manufacturing presence in the quake zone, suspended all manufacturing--at both assembly and parts plants--on Monday and extended the shutdown through at least Wednesday as an added precaution. The company will lose output of roughly 40,000 vehicles over the three-day period, spokesman Dion Corbett said.

Renault Clio Expression Eco: A perfect commuter car

Renault Clio Expression Eco - makes any electric car seem profligate We hear so much about how electric cars make the perfect commuter car. They can manage to do a fifty or sixty mile round trip a day, don’t need a tax disc and – for those going in to London every day – there’s no congestion charge to pay. There’s also the negligible cost of electricity to charge the car (for now, at least) and the zero emissions at the point of use.