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

VW & Audi sell 100,000 diesel cars in the USA for the first time

VW & Audi sell 100,000 diesel cars in the USA for the first time Until very recently, a diesel engined car in the USA was as rare as hen’s teeth; Americans felt much the same as we used to about diesel-engined cars – fit only for commercial vehicles. But from a slow start, VW Group of America is gradually changing the mindset of American car buyers and now, 36 years after the first VW diesel was sold in the US, the VW Group have sold more than 100,000 diesel-engined cars in the USA in a year for the first time. With 12 Audi and VW diesel models on offer in the States – including new arrivals Audi arrivals like the Audi Q5 TDI, A6 TDI, A7 TDI and A8 TDI models – its seems the USA may now be heading down the route the UK went a few years ago, where a majority of car buyers in the UK feel the default buy is a diesel.

2013 Aston Martin Vanquish in the wild on video

The new 2013 Aston Martin Vanquish – Project Am 310 from Villa D’Este – has been caught on video in Italy in production guise. The story of the replacement for the Aston Martin DBS – which we now know is to be the new Aston Martin Vanquish – has been playing out over the last month or so. We reported at the start of May that the DBS name would be dropped and then exclusively revealed that it would debut at Villa D’Este as the Project Am 310 to try and mop up the honours in the Concept Category (it actually lost out to the Alfa 4C).

Chevrolet Sonic

The Sonic is Chevrolet's latest attempt to induce a small car in the American market and take on the Ford Fiesta in one fell swoop. Replacing the generally unaccepted Aveo, the Sonic draws from a youthful and aggressive design in a bid to appeal to the younger market. Available as a four-door sedan (seen here) as well as a five-door hatchback, the Sonic displays a 'progressive exterior design', according to the American brand's press materials.