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

Aston Martin Lagonda SUV still moving forward

New reports suggest Aston Martin is still pushing forward with the Lagonda SUV, with underpinnings from the Mercedes GL. Last year we reported the Lagonda SUV was back on (although we’re not sure when it was actually off – just MIA) and that it was Aston Martin’s hope they could raid Mercedes parts bin for the underpinnings of the SUV, and take on the building of a new Maybach for Mercedes in the process. But as we now know, Mercedes has decided a Pullman S Class has more cachet (and less build cost) than  the glitter ball Maybach, so Aston Martin’s hopes of a nice profitable design and build deal evaporated with the last roll of the dice for the Maybach brand.

Honda shift cut threat to 340 jobs

JAPANESE car giant Honda is to cut production at its UK factory from three shifts to two, threatening 340 jobs. Most cars built at the plant in Swindon, Wiltshire, are exported and sales in other countries have not been as strong as in the UK. "Over the last 12 months, we haven't seen the growth we'd anticipated.

Rumormill: Aston Martin Cygnet could get V12

A few years ago, if you would have asked us about 500-hp city cars, we would have said, “Awesome, but never going to happen.” We were proven wrong with last year's Nissan Juke-R and we may be proven wrong again with a V12-powered Aston Martin Cygnet. That's right, Autocar reports that Aston is studying the feasibility of taking the Toyota iQ-based Cygnet and shoehorning the V12 from its Vantage and DB9 models. Aston says it could fit the V12 in the tiny car's engine bay without major modifications.