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

Redesigned Ford Focus expected to get 40 mpg highway

The redesigned 2012 Ford Focus will get an estimated 40 mpg in highway driving with an all-aluminum 2.0-liter engine mated to a six-speed, dual dry-clutch automatic transmission. The normally aspirated engine combines variable camshaft timing and high-pressure direct fuel injection to crank out 160 hp and 146 lb-ft of torque. That compares with 140 hp and 136 lb-ft from the aluminum 2.0-liter engine used in the current-generation Focus.

Jaguar/Land Rover Virtual Reality Center

Jaguar Land Rover has opened a new 'Virtual Reality Center' at the Design and Engineering Center in Gaydon, UK. The 'state-of-the-art' design facility draws on advanced audio visual technologies with the projection power of the world's highest resolution projectors to significantly speed up product development cycles following an investment of £2 million. The new Virtual Reality Center allows engineers and designers to see and interact with life-size, three-dimensional models of vehicles and components, reducing the need for physical prototypes.

Maserati’s 50,000 sales target starting to look possible

22,500 sales so far in 2013 from Maserati, thanks to cars like the Ghibli (pictured) When Sergio Marchionne revealed in 2011 that he wanted Maserati sales to hit 50,000 a year by 2015, we were all very sceptical. After all, Maserati were only managing fewer than 6,000 sales a year at that time, so a target of 50,000 a year seemed mad. But it’s starting to look a distinct possibility.