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

Toyota’s Take On Personal Transport Hits The Streets

JAPANESE car maker Toyota has launched the first public trials of its ultra-compact i-Road electric three-wheeled ‘personal mobility vehicle’ to find out how it shapes up in the cut-and-thrust of real-world urban driving. Consumer testing in Tokyo is set to run through to early June, with 10 of the single-seater vehicles taking to the city streets. The 20 people involved in the programme range from industry experts through to members of the general public, so that Toyota can gain a wide range of feedback on what the i-Road is like to drive, how easy it is to use around town, how it affects people’s decisions about what journeys to make.

BMW Concept Coupe

BMW unveiled their latest concept in the run up to the contemporary Mille Miglia, a road race for cars that competed during the original event held between 1933 and 1957. The BMW 328 that set the fastest time in 1940, averaging over 100mph, has also provided inspiration for the Coupe Concept, which mixes the older car's silhouette with surfaces closer to the Z4 on which it is based. Powered by BMW's seminal 343PS engine, the car is wrapped with carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP), whose form is defined by designers using plaster rather than clay "for a closer emotional experience".

Is Mercedes preparing to buy Ducati?

Remember the AMG-Ducati deal made at the 2010 Los Angeles auto show last month? A partnership of like-minded brands, albeit on two wheels and four. Daimler marketing types reckon that buyers of its AMG go-faster cars could in many instances be equally interested in go-faster motorbikes of the sort Ducati specialise in, and vice versa.