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

Hackers compromise Prius, seize control of wheel, brakes and more

As an enthusiast, you're probably already worried about an autonomous car ripping the joy -- and the steering wheel -- from your hands. Now, according to Andy Greenberg at Forbes, you also have to worry about hackers ripping the steering wheel out of your car's hands (boy, do we feel strange writing that). That's because a car's computerized systems are as prone to hacking as your malware-laden desktop.

L’argus Student Competition 2009

French magazine L'argus de l'automobile has announced the winners of its seventh Student Competition Awards, themed ‘Automobile Design for Social Utility'. Open to students studying design within the European Union and Switzerland, the competition culminated at a recent awards ceremony at the Eiffel Tower. The first prize of €3000 and an internship at Renault's Technocentre in Guyancourt (near Paris) went to Damien Grossemy, Thibaut Dereymacker and Maxime Dimarco from the Institut Supérieur de Design in Valenciennes, France.

New Ford Mondeo to get new 1.5 litre EcoBoost engine

The new EcoBoost engine will also be turning up in the Ford Fusion for North America, but the UK and Europe are going to have to wait until at least the end of 2014 – when we get the new Mondeo - before the new engine is on offer. The 1.5 litre EcoBoost offers improved economy and emissions compared to the 1.6 litre currently available  - with similar power, performance and torque compared –  but one of the main reasons for offering it is that many countries offer tax breaks for engines under 1.5 litres. The new engine will be built by Ford In Romania initially (although it will get churned out elsewhere too in due course) and offers turbocharging, direct fuel injection and variable valve timing.