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

Vauxhall: Ellesmere Port plant saved – 700 new jobs created

Vauxhall Ellesmere Port - Saved General Motors is to keep Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port open, move to three shift working and create 700 new jobs. The overcapacity of mainstream car manufacture in Europe as the market becomes ever more polarised between premium and budget cars – squeezing the middle – means car maker having to rationalise their output. Many thought that could mean the end of Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port as GM sought to stem its European losses (around £2 billion in the last three years), especially as it is easier to close plants and lay off workers in the UK than in mainland Europe.

BMW i3 gets four-star Euro NCAP safety rating

BMW’s i3 electric city car has scored a four-star Euro NCAP safety rating in the latest round of crash testing by the European car safety body. Although the i3 recorded strong results in the adult and child occupant protection categories, it missed out on a maximum five-star score due to weaker showings in the pedestrian protection and safety assist classes. On Bing: see pictures of the BMW i3Find out how much a used BMW costs on Auto Trader This is somewhat surprising as the BMW i3 features cutting edge technology in the city car sector, including a strong but lightweight carbonfibre body shell.

New Volvo V40: Strong residual values predicted

New Volvo V40 – Strong residuals Volvo has had good news from the fleet industry with strong residuals forecast for the new 2012 Volvo V40 ahead of first customer cars. We’ve been very impressed with what we’ve seen of the new Volvo V40; it’s a car that is right on the money in its style, its pricing and its range (although we’d like to see something more exciting at the top end). And now, with production of the V40 under way and the first customer cars expected to arrive in the UK in September, Volvo has had very good news from the fleet industry and the people who set residual values for car finance.