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

Get Your Cash Ready For Nissan’s New Qashqai

FOLLOWING on from its recent glitzy London unveiling, Nissan has now released pricing and specification details for its hotly anticipated latest generation Qashqai. When the mid-size SUV goes on sale in January prices will start from £17,595 and rise to £27,845, and buyers will have a choice of four trim levels. Nissan’s engineers have also done much to improve the car’s green credentials, with the result being an engine line-up spanning the 99g/km to 132g/km CO2 range.

Aston Martin Rapide S arrives with 550 horses

Aston Martin is replacing the four-door Rapide with the Rapide S, which gets minor styling tweaks and extra power. Just as they did with the new DB9, Aston Martin has made the new Rapide S a more aggressive car, with small styling tweaks like a new grill and a small spoiler at the back, some minor trim tweaks with the addition of Piano Black trim and a new duotone black and red leather trim, and an optional carbon fibre pack for exterior highlights. Under the skin, the Rapide S is still based on Aston’s VH platform, but it does get the latest Gen 4 tweaks including new adaptive dampers with Normal, Sport and Track modes, tweaked dynamic stability control (DSC) and the latest AM11 engine dropped by 19mm for a lower centre of gravity.

Center stack is new high-stakes battleground; showdown with safety regulators looms

For auto suppliers and gadget companies eager to get a piece of the auto industry, the hottest chunk of vehicle real estate now is the center stack. That corridor of interior space, running from the driver's right hip up through the center of the cockpit to the bottom of the windshield, has become a California gold rush of opportunity. But it is less so for traditional suppliers of molded plastics, cables, levers, buttons and radios.