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

2014 Volvo XC90 on track as part of £3.5 billion investment in Sweden

Volvo are investing £7 billion in their future – half of that in Sweden – and the first model to benefit will be the long overdue 2014 Volvo XC90. Just like all of Ford’s premium automotive adventures - Land Rover, Jaguar and Aston Martin included – Volvo has suffered from a long period of under investment but now – with China’s Geely in charge – they’re forging ahead with big investment and big plans to try and emulate the turnaround Tata has accomplished at JLR. That means an investment of £7 billion over the next three years – £3.5 billion of that in Sweden – in a new scalable architecture (SPA) platform and new Volvo engine architecture (VEA) to underpin most of Volvo’s future models.

Driving the Chevy Volt isn't special, and that's good

We've had our first taste of the drive system under development for General Motors' pioneering Chevrolet Volt, piloting a test mule based on the Chevrolet Cruze at the company's Warren (Mich.) Technical Center, and it left us hungering for more. Yes, it's an electric car, but mostly, it's a car--one you could imagine driving every day without feeling as if you were engaged in a lab experiment. Frank Weber, vehicle line executive for the Volt, gets his nose out of joint if you call the drive system a hybrid.

Toyota FT-1 Concept revealed – it’s a new Toyota Supra (video)

Toyota FT-1Concept revealed – it’s a new Toyota Supra Toyota teased us with a concept photo back in December that looked like it was previewing a Supra for the 21st century, and it’s been revealed today at the Detroit Auto Show as the Toyota FT-1 Concept. The FT-1 Concept is the result of Toyota’s Calty design studio in California to create the ultimate sports car and, say Toyota, is a strikingly modern design that makes reference to past Toyotas like the  2000GT from the 1960s. Toyota aren’t making any claims for the FT-1′s powertrain yet (FT stands for ‘Future Toyota’ and the ’1′ the ultimate) and comes with a front engine/ rear wheel drive configuration, with a cockpit set back within the wheelbase and wraparound screen.