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

Next-gen Passat to offer hybrid and twin-turbo power

VOLKSWAGEN is going even more upmarket with the all-new version of the Passat, which is due to hit showrooms later this year. Soon buyers will be able to include a plug-in hybrid and an all-new 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel among their forecourt options, as VW goes chasing after its sister company Audi. Weight-saving measures have chopped up to 85kg from the new kid on a like-for-like basis, which helps achieve VW's stated efficiency boosts of 20% versus equivalent outgoing Passats.

One Lap of the Web: Porsche at Le Mans, F-150 reclaims the flag and Foose talks classic rods

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- We covered the 24 Hours of Le Mans top to bottom including every make and class, but if your preferred marque is Porsche you might enjoy the Porsche Purist's look at how cars from Stuttgart fared during the endurance classic, complete with photos, stats and results.

Tesla to work with others, Roadster priced at £92k

By Ben Oliver Motor Industry 19 August 2008 09:21 Tesla has confirmed that it is working with several major car makers to develop affordable, fully-electric city cars, with the first going on sale as early as 2010. The established car makers will use the experience Tesla has gained developing the high-performance, £92,000 Roadster as a short cut to  getting their own electric cars on sale. 'Smaller Teslas in the pipeline' Tesla plans to have its Model S five-seat electric hatchback on sale by 2010 in both the United States and Europe.