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

Men 'twice as likely to fall asleep while driving'

MEN ARE more than twice as likely to fall asleep at wheel while driving and almost half (45%) admit to having experienced 'warning nods' while driving. One in 14 drivers surveyed by safety charity Brake said they had actually fallen asleep when driving, while 45% of men said they had continued to drive despite their head nodding through tiredness. For women, the proportion that admitted driving while sleepy was 22%.

Daimler, Renault are set to share vehicle platforms and engines

Following a year of intensive high-level talks and secretive, behind the scenes strategy meetings, Daimler AG and Renault SA have agreed on plans that will see their car-making divisions--Mercedes-Benz, Smart, Renault and Nissan--share resources on a wide range of products. The move signals more consolidation within the European automotive industry. Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche and Renault president Carlos Ghosn have set out three primary areas of cooperation that will see the carmakers share small-car and light-commercial-vehicle platforms, small gasoline and diesel engines, and electric drive systems.

Infiniti Etherea: Infiniti’s compact concept revealed in Geneva

Infiniti Etherea Concept Despite our gripes that Infiniti seem half-hearted about their entry in to Europe – certainly in terms of their reluctance to get the product under people’s noses –  we can’t argue they’re not developing their range to suit the European market. Good case in point is the introduction of diesel lumps across the range, although we find the new Infiniti M35h Hybrid potentially more appealing than the M30d (we’ve surprised ourselves there). And now we get a proper European-sized concept revealed in Geneva – the Infiniti Etherea Concept – which is a compact, pillarless, suicide door endowed 3-Series competitor with a 2.5 litre S/C lump connected to an electric motor and driven through a CVT ‘box.