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

VW to intro Passat BlueMotion Concept at Detroit auto show

While performance heads are anxiously awaiting the North American debut of the hot-heat Mk VII Golf R at the Detroit auto show, Volkswagen's Passat BlueMotion Concept offers never-before technology in the Yank/Canuck family sedan segment: a four-pot motor with cylinder deactivation. Based on the EA211 1.4L turbo motor we sampled last year in the Euro-market Audi A3 sedan, the Passat BlueMotion Concept's engine is capable of shutting down the middle two cylinders during cruise, and features the Jetta Hybrid's gearbox, a twin-clutch unit capable of decoupling from the engine during off-throttle coasting. In the Passat's application, the 1.4 puts out 150 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque; VW suggests its highway fuel economy will stand at 42 mpg.

2012 Mercedes A-Class undisguised on video

The new A-Class caught on video on Lanzarote The 2012 Mercedes A-Class will launch at Geneva next month, and we have the first undisguised video and photo of the new A-Class. Mercedes-Benz has already confirmed that the new 2012 Mercedes A-Class will make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March, and that it’s the five-door A-Class that will hit the road first. Which means Mercedes are out shooting footage for the launch of the A-Class, and a sharp-eyed cyclist has managed to grab a brief bit of footage of the new A-Class on the road to Playa Blanca on Lanzarote as Mercedes went about their work.

Chevrolet Volt, Sonic Super Bowl ads hit the Web

Chevrolet released its Super Bowl ads featuring the Volt with some intergalactic visitors and the Sonic with insects. In the Volt ad, despite the owner's best efforts to explain the concept of a gas/electric hybrid, the aliens are distracted and take an interest in the owner's wife when she comes out of the house. For the Sonic ad, titled “Joy,” for once bugs on the grille of a car isn't a bad thing.