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

Manufacturers report 2013 sales boom

CAR MANUFACTURERS are reporting strong surges in sales for 2013, with one mainstream brand up by more than 55%. So far Ford, Vauxhall, Skoda, MG, Lexus, Renault, Audi and Mercedes have all reported excellent sales performance, with Mercedes having passed the 100,000 registrations per year mark for the first time in the UK. Largely thanks to the introduction of the Dacia brand this year, the Renault Group has seen a 55.3% rise in sales, to 63,319 units.

Volkswagen Golf GTE plug-in hybrid revealed ahead of Geneva debut

The VW Golf GTE Plug-in (pictured) debuts at Geneva If you like a quite warm VW Golf with a petrol engine, VW has that covered with the Golf GTI, and if you’d rather burn oil you can do that too with the Golf GTD. But now there’s a third way – the Volkswagen Golf GTE plug-in hybrid. Combining a 1.4 litre TSI turbo petrol with 148bhp and a 101bhp electric motor, the Golf GTE manages a combined output of 201bhp, enough to get to 62mph in 7.6 seconds and return official economy figures of 157mpg and emissions of a paltry 35g/km.

Alfa Romeo teases the 4C. Why?

Alfa Romeo 4C Frankfurt Tease (click for full image) We’ve had good reason to report on the Alfa Romeo 4C since it arrived on the car landscape back at Geneva in March. The 4C is exactly what Alfa should be doing to resurrect interest in the marque. They’ve done lots of good with the cracking little MiTo and the surprisingly good Giulietta.