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

Jaguar F-Type: Does F-Type pricing mean the next XK heading in to Aston Martin territory?

Jaguar has priced the new F-Type at a higher level than we expected. Does that mean the next Jaguar XK is heading upmarket? The entry-level F-Type – with the V6 supercharged engine delivering 340PS – is going to cost £58.5k, and that’s before you stick on £10k of extras to get the bits you really want.

Better Place Electric Car visitor centre opens

Better Place have opened a visitor centre in Israel to demonstrate their battery swap technology for electric cars Last October we wrote about a start-up company in Israel – Better Place – that had a new way forward for electric cars by taking the purchase of battery packs out of the equation, and was developing a system for ‘Battery Swap’ stations where electric car owners could drive in and swap their battery pack for a fully-charged one in a few minutes. That story first brought to our attention our favourite quote of last year – by Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn – who said “A hybrid is like a mermaid: if you want a fish, you get a woman; if you want a woman, you get a fish.” Which probably explained why Nissan – and its partner Renault – got involved with Better Place. Better Place aims to address the main concerns of electric car drivers by making the battery packs in electric cars ‘swappable’.

Future products: Suzuki Swift on hold as VW reviews plans

American Suzuki's product plans are murky--partly as a result of Volkswagen's acquisition of 20 percent of Suzuki Motor Corp. this year and partly because of the growing strength of the yen against the dollar. The Swift, a small car popular in Europe and Japan, was scheduled to go on sale in the United States this year.