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

Fisker battles problems as the Karma finally lurches toward launch

All Henrik Fisker wants is to build his plug-in hybrid cars and deliver them to customers--some of whom have been waiting three years since plunking down $5,000 deposits. Instead, he has been fending off criticisms aimed at his green-car company as shipments of his $103,000 Karma plug-in hybrid sedan have been delayed by cash flow troubles, regulatory snarls and a recall. But when a startup such as Fisker Automotive accepts a Department of Energy loan in a down economy, having the company tossed around like a political football comes with the territory.

Local Motors 'Design Our Car' competition opens

Local Motors has opened its first-ever ‘Design Our Car' competition, which encourages collaboration within the manufacturing community. The open-source automaker is providing two of its Rally Fighter cars, one of which will be built at the company's micro-factory in Arizona while the other will be built live in the Emerging Technology Center at September's International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago. Ideas from the design and engineering community are being sought to help design and select a skin for the Rally Fighter that will be built by the Local Motors team this spring.

Audi R18 TDI (2011): first pictures of the new Le Mans racer

This is the new Audi R18, Ingolstadt’s latest LMP1 endurance racer which will compete in the 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours. Compared to its R15 predecessor, the new Audi R18 has gained a roof and the mandatory-for-2011 ‘shark fin’ engine cover, but it’s lost four cylinders – the R18 is powered by a turbocharged V6. It is – like the R10 and R15, the R18 is an oil-burner.