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

Electric cars must get noisier, ICE cars must get quieter

Electric cars will have to make a noise to protect pedestrians It’s four years since the Lotus solution for making electric cars noisy raised its head, since when the US has had a go at the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act in 2010 to do the same thing, the Japanese are playing too, and Toyota revealed the Prius Vehicle Notification System, and now the EU has decided its time to act to make EVs emit ‘noise’. Despite the most appealing part of an EV being that it makes our cities quieter, legislators worry about the blind, partially sighted and distracted pedestrian (think earphones and a Smartphone) being mowed down by a stalking electric car and feel the need to act. So the European Parliament has decided that by 2019 new models of electric vehicle will have to make a noise in cities, and that by 2021 all new hybrids and electrics must be noisy too.

Ford names China's Geely as preferred bidder for Volvo

Chinese automaker Geely Group Holding Co. is Ford Motor Co.'s preferred bidder to purchase Volvo Car Corp. Ford said Wednesday that it will start more detailed negotiations with Geely, adding that no final decisions have been made.

New third-generation MINI at 2013 Los Angeles Motor Show

Headlineauto It's been a busy week for BMW's posh tot brand MINI. The third-generation of the modern MINI was unveiled in London and Oxford on Monday and within hours received simulatneous debuts in Tokyo and Los Angeles, too. MSN Cars was at the event in LA and crowds gathered to hear the design team explain the changes on the new MINI hatchback.