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

Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid qualifies for £5,000 taxpayer incentive

Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid qualifies for £5,000 taxpayer incentive When Porsche revealed the first facelift for the Panamera back in April, they also revealed the Panamera S E-Hybrid, a plug-in hybrid with the power of a V8 and the fuel consumption of a city car. It’s a brilliant demonstration of how car makers have worked their way round the daft CO2 tax regimes designed to strangle the marketplace for powerful, luxury cars by using technology to attain far lower official emissions figures than ever. In the case of the Panamera S E-Hybrid that means a plug-in hybrid with a 94bhp electric motor to boost the power from the 3.0 litre V6 to 410bhp.

Mercedes introduces illuminated three-pointed star [w/video]

Illuminated badges and emblems on cars aren't a new idea – those old enough to remember will recall the warm glow of the old Wolseley grille emblems – but in recent history they have been the reserve of concept cars and the aftermarket. Mercedes is set to restart the trend however as it begins to offer an LED-illuminated star as a dealer-fit option on the E–, GL–, M– and CLS–Class. We've started to see lighting spill out onto the exterior of concept cars for a while and this move is sure to have other OEMs and aftermarket firms alike following Mercedes' lead.

BMW to make Super Bowl comeback

BMW North America is returning to the Super Bowl after a 10-year hiatus, as the car maker enters one of the busiest periods of new model and product launches in its history. According to the auto manufacturer--which globally operates out of Germany but has U.S. headquarters in Woodcliff Lake, N.J.--between 2010 and 2011, over 60 percent of its total inventory will be new vehicles.