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

Future products: From electrics to sedans, Audi prepares to enter new niches

Audi is planning to jump into several new segments. Next year it will add the coupe-styled A7 sedan to compete with the Mercedes-Benz CLS and Porsche Panamera sedans. The all-new Q3 small crossover goes into production next year in Europe but won't get to the United States until 2013.

Lexus IS Coupe arriving in 2014 & IS F V8 on the way

Now it looks like Lexus is going to bring the LF-CC to production life in 2014 as the Lexus IS Coupe (although there are rumours it could be the RC, but that may be for a production version of the even more appealing LF-LC as a range-topping Lexus Coupe) and equip it with the same petrol engine and hybrid options as the IS saloon. What is also in prospect is a return of the IS F – complete with sizeable V8 power – which, if it does arrive, will see the IS Coupe coming with the F engine option and making a very promising foray in to the powerful V8 Coupe market. What doesn’t seem likely is that Lexus are going to bother with a diesel option for the IS or Coupe, despite conventional wisdom saying they need a diesel option to compete in Europe because - as they’ve already demonstrated with the IS 300h – they can deliver an appealing and competitive hybrid with decent performance and price, and bring it in with under 100g/km emissions – perfect for the business market.

Contest: Volkswagen Slipstream wins 2007 LA Design Challenge

Volkswagen's Slipstream concept has won the fourth annual Design Challenge competition, part of the Design Los Angeles automobile designer's conference. The award was presented during the second press day of the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show.  The theme of this year's competition, RoboCar of 2057, asked eight automotive design studios in California to form their vision of the future by depicting a vehicle that incorporates artificial intelligence engineered to make life easier and more attractive to consumers 50 years from now. Designers entered two-dimensional renderings and concept descriptions predicting how the rapidly advancing field of artificial intelligence will integrate into the automobile to make life safer, more practical and attractive, and the entries were judged by multi-discipline design professionals who selected the winner based on its originality of creative concept, integration of robotics and level of adaptation to a variety of environmental conditions and consumer needs.