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

Future products: The new Ford has learned to think small

Ford Motor Co., long known for pickups and SUVs, will emphasize cars, crossovers and fuel-efficient engines in the next few years. The company wants to be the fuel economy leader, and federal mpg standards are rising. Ford launched the Fiesta subcompact this summer and will introduce a redesigned Focus compact early next year.

Honda S660 Concept revealed – the Honda Beat returns

The Honda S660 Concept (pictured) will debut at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show It looks like Honda is making a return to the Kei car with the arrival of the Honda S660 Concept ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show next month. The Kei class of car in Japan is small (less than 3.4 metres long) and comes with a raft of tax breaks for buyers, but despite it being designed just for Japan it’s gained a cult following round the world, and now the Honda Beat for the 21st century has arrived in the form of the S660 concept. The S660 Concept – it gets the required maximum 660cc Kei engine limit – is a mid-engined open top roadster that manages to deliver 64bhp from its 3-cylinder engine which, with a weight under 900kg, should be reasonably lively.

Volkswagen creates R division for sporty cars

Volkswagen is officially creating a company to develop sporty cars; it will be called Volkswagen R GmbH. This may sound familiar--VW already calls some of its specialty cars Rs--and now it's bundling sales and development all into one unit. VW has the Scirocco R and the Golf R for cars, as well as the dynamic R Line of design trims.