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

Vauxhall Ampera Hybrid – No range anxiety

The Vauxhall Ampera goes on a 350 mile run We’ve been moaning quite a bit about the claims being made by car makers for their electric cars. We understand that a big drawback for buyers is ‘Range Anxiety’, a completely understandable concern when you can’t exactly pull over and top up your electric. So we asked Secretary of State Philip Hammond to look at legislation on range claims by electric car makers so buyers can make a judgement on the facts, not the fiction.

GM product chief Bob Lutz to retire

GM boss Bob Lutz Retires By Ben Whitworth Motor Industry 09 February 2009 17:41 GM boss Bob Lutz will retire at the end of the year. The vice chairman of global product development – who has been at the centre of the automotive industry for the last 46 years – will be replaced by Tom Stephens, GM’s current veepee for global powertrain and global quality. Lutz, 76, will continue to report to GM boss Rick Wagoner throughout 2009 in his new role as GM vice chairman and senior advisor, before bowing out at the end of December.

EyesOn Design Awards Winners announced

On the second day of the Detroit auto show, the traditional EyesOn Design awards took place in the newly-opened Atrium Stage of the Cobo Hall. For the first time in its eight-year history, the judges of the competition (who include present and retired design directors from almost every major automotive OEM) awarded the 'Best Concept Vehicle' award to two designs – the Ford Atlas and Nissan Resonance, beating the Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis and Lincoln MKC concepts to the award. In the production car category, the Cadillac ELR was a somewhat surprise winner, beating internal GM rival, the new Corvette Stingray to the award.