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

Could Michelin’s Active Wheel truly transform the car?

Cars today have evolved and been refined to an extraordinary degree, but carmakers – and car designers – are still always looking for ‘the next big thing'. Yet despite a myriad of recent technical innovations, ask the man on the street what is the problem with cars of today, and he'll likely reply along the lines of "they all look the same". Mass production processes, packaging requirements and safety and regulatory constraints are just a few of the reasons why it is hard to make a car that looks truly different.

BMW X4 Leaks

We have the first official photos of the BMW X4 SUV – the ‘Lifestyle’ version of the X3 – which we expect to debut at the Shanghai Motor Show this month. We have the first leaked images of the X4 that show a BMW X3 with the same sort of treatment as the X5 got to turn it in to the X6, and create what BMW like to call an SAC – a Sports Activity Coupe. Apart from the changes to the body – and less room in the back – you can expect the X4 to offer much the same under the skin as the X3 – albeit at a premium price – which will mean – for the UK at least – will mean everything from an X4 xDrive 18d SE through to an X4 xDrive 35d M Sport.

Daimler, Renault-Nissan in talks on fuel cell

German automaker Daimler AG is talking to partners Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co. about working together on fuel cell technology, the German automaker's head of research and development told Reuters in an interview. "Fuel cell technology is also electric so it could make a lot of sense to join forces also in this field," Thomas Weber, board member for r&d at the maker of Mercedes-Benz and Smart cars, said at the Shanghai auto show.