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

Five least-green vehicles

We are a generation seemingly obsessed with the environment, eager to cover our carbon footprints in any way possible--or at least give off a green vibe visible to our neighbors). And though many car buyers are jumping on the hybrid and electric bandwagons, the majority of us still crave brute-power cars and trucks. While being environmentally friendly is nice, there comes a time when you just have to be mean -- eco-mean, in this case.

Start up mobility van maker VPG shuts down

Van maker Vehicle Production Group -- recipient of a $50 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy -- has suspended operations and is in the process of being sold, its former CEO said Wednesday. The Allen Park, Mich., company, which made MV-1 vans for the disabled, terminated about 100 workers and closed its offices in February.

Jaguar XJ Review (2013 MY): 3.0 litre Diesel Portfolio

We’ve got the 2013 MY Jaguar XJ in Portfolio trim with the 3.0 litre diesel engine and the new eight-speed gearbox and stop-start in for review and road test. But even though it’s changed little in the three years since it debuted, the XJ has changed minds about what a big Jaguar saloon should be; no longer the staid old man’s carriage of choice with a pipe holder in the centre console, but instead a stand-out car in its sector with better dynamics than anything else. The looks have grown on a sceptical public too, and the XJ is now viewed as a real Jaguar; it doesn’t garner crowds as it did in the early days, but it’s still a car that passing strangers feel warrants comment, comments which have always been complimentary when the big Jag has been with us.