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

BMW: Carbon fiber goes high volume in 2013

BMW AG plans to begin high-volume production of carbon fiber parts in two years, making it a strong contender to be the first automaker to move beyond limited-edition use of the exotic material. But Daimler AG, which has taken steps aimed at making carbon fiber parts in 2012, is among the automakers racing toward the same goal. In 2013, BMW will start building the i3 electric car, a vehicle that features a passenger cell--the protective shell around the passenger compartment that ensures the integrity of the vehicle in a crash--made of plastic reinforced with carbon fiber.

GM plants solar field at Chevrolet Volt factory

Looking to put a charge in its eco-friendly image, General Motors is installing a 264,000-square-foot solar field at the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant that builds the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid sedan. The solar field, being built in cooperation with utility DTE Energy, will generate 516 kilowatts. GM says that’s enough power to charge up 150 Volts every day for a year.

Caterham Supersport R extends Caterham 7 range

Caterham has added the Supersport R to its range of ’7′ models with a 2.0 litre Duratec Ford engine delivering 180bhp. In the meantime, Caterham’s core road car business is the old Lotus 7 range of Caterhams, so it makes sense to keep that more appealing and relevant until new cars start to arrive, so we get the Caterham Supersport R as an addition to the range to slot in between the Supersport and the Superlight models. The Supersport R gets a Ford Duratec 2.0 litre engine which produces 180bhp, which doesn’t sound a huge amount, but when you consider the Supersport R weighs in at just 535kg it starts to look plenty.