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

Alfa Romeo to launch 8 new cars in next 4 years – Alfa MiTo to be dropped

The Alfa Romeo Gloria (pictured) could point to a new Giulia Alfa Romeo has been stuck in the doldrums for quite a while, and is now in the sorry state of having just two cars on sale – the Alfa MiTo and Alfa Giulietta – both compact cars and both with front wheel drive. Not really Alfas, although they’re better than you might expect. But in a brave plan to turn Alfa Romeo in to a proper force again – a plan we reported was on the cards a year ago – Sergio Marchionne has revealed that Alfa is planning to launch eight new cars in the next four years and concentrate on proper RWD cars with proper driver appeal.

BMW to develop small hybrid with Peugeot Citroen

BMW are developing a small hybrid with Hybrids may be just a passing fad, but that’s not stopping car makers piling in to them in droves to battle CO2 and emissions targets. For BMW, their hybrid foray has so far been limited to the top end of their range, but that is set to change. We already know that BMW are developing a small, front wheel drive range which will sit underneath the current 1-Series, and it’s for these cars – and possibly for MINI too – that BMW has embarked on a partnership agreement with PSA (Peugeot Citroen) to jointly develop a small hybrid.

Ford warms up new era of car-guy leaders

A minor temblor shook Dearborn, Mich., today with the announcement that Mark Fields, president of the Americas, climbed the golden corporate ladder to grab the chief operating officer ring, setting him up to succeed Alan Mulally in a couple of years. The move did not come as a shock-it only confirmed the whispers of auto industry Royal Watchers. The biggest news for those who care about cars, however, is two-fold: Jim Farley, Ford's global marketing boss, also takes the helm of Lincoln.