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

Car sales plunge, Bank of England cuts rates

New car sales plunge in October: Renault sales were down by more than half By Nigel Wonnacott Motor Industry 06 November 2008 12:30 Following the sixth monthly decline in new car sales this year (down 23% this month), economists have revised market forecasts downwards, while the Bank of England has cut interest rates by 1.5%. October’s 23% drop was the worst so far and trade body SMMT now fears sales could end the year at just 2.15 million cars. That’s 8% lower than the 2.34 million predicted to leave showrooms back in January and would be the worst market performance in more than a decade.

Lexus debuts dedicated HS 250h hybrid at the Detroit auto show

Lexus is no stranger to hybrids, with green offshoots of the GS and LS sedans and RX SUV currently in showrooms. However, joining them this summer is Lexus's first dedicated hybrid, the HS 250h, which made its debut at the Detroit Auto Show. The new entry-luxury sedan slots between the IS and ES in the Lexus range.

2014 Kia Sportage gets a mild facelift

2014 Kia Sportage (pictured) gets a mild facelift The Kia Sportage is Kia’s best-selling model in the UK, and Kia are keen to keep things that way so they’ve given the Sportage a bit of a tweak for 2014. The changes are quite modest – just enough to mark this Sportage as a 2014 model – with a new version of the ‘Tiger Nose’ grill with added chrome and restyled mesh, better back lights, new 16-18″ alloys and LED tail lights on the top-end models. The interior has been given a bit of a lift too with new soft touch trim on the doors, nano paint finish on the dashboard and centre console, heated steering wheel and electric driver’s seat on top-end models and repositioned audio tweeters for better sound.