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

Mercedes S Class production cut as sales fall

Mercedes is cutting production of the range topping S Class to a one shift operation as sales fall ahead of the new 2013 S Class. But there are now plenty of signs that even premium car makers are not immune from the economic climate – particularly in Europe – as sales start to slide. We recently commented that Jaguar sales are not as strong as they were and now it seems Mercedes is starting to feel the punch as sales of the range-topping S Class falter.

Next Mazda MX-5/Alfa Romeo roadster engines?

The last manual-transmission diesel convertible we drove was the Volkswagen Beetle. It was a fine little cruiser -- “joyful” is a word we bandied about a lot. But a diesel Miata?

2013 Ford Kuga goes in to production

The new (2013) Ford Kuga crossover – which debuted at Geneva in the Spring – has now gone in to production in Spain ahead of first customer car deliveries. Ford has announced it’s finally started to churn out the new Kuga at its plant in Valencia, and that the Kuga will be heading to Ford’s UK showrooms to get customer cars out in the new year. Despite starting production of the new Kuga, Ford still hasn’t come up with prices for its compact crossover, but says they will be available before the end of the year. On offer in the new Kuga is a range of new technology including the kick-to-open tailgate, Active Park Assist, Blind Spot Monitoring Torque Vectoring Control, SYNC and the first use of Ford’s EcoBoost engines in the Kuga (although no sign yet that the 1.0 litre EcoBoost will be added to the Kuga).