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

Vauxhall Adam: Prices & on sale at Paris 2012

The new Vauxhall Adam (and its European sibling, the Opel Adam) have their debut at the Paris Motor Show when the order book opens. We’re still not entirely convinced that the Vauxhall Adam has enough individuality to be a star in the marketplace, but it looks a decent offering nonetheless. Its styling is distinctly generic – it looks like a mish-mash of ideas from successful competitors – but Vauxhall is promising much for the Adam with extreme levels of customisation and lots of high-end toys, even if many will be cost options.

Lexus Hybrid sales top half a million

Lexus has revealed that they’ve sold more than 500,000 hybrid cars, with the Rx 450h the top seller and the CT 200h catching fast. Unsurprisingly, as it was the first Lexus hybrid to be introduced in 2005, the biggest seller - accounting for half of all Lexus hybrid sales to date (259,000) – has been the RX 400h / RX 450h, but the CT 200h, which was only introduced in 2011, is catching up fast with sales to date of 122,000 to date. During the last seven years Lexus hybrid sales have risen from 26,000 to 113,000 a year and 25 per cent of those Lexus hybrid sales now happen in Europe, even though we don’t get cars like the HS 250h (56,000 sales) and the ES 300h (8,000 sales).

Brabus tunes the M-class

German go-fast tuner Brabus has revealed an updated Mercedes-Benz M-class tuning kit, including a wide body, custom wheels and suspension and engine modifications across the line. The Widestar kit for the ML includes new fender flares and rocker panels, giving it a low, menacing stance. The rear bumper integrates the exhaust tips, and a new front spoiler adds four auxiliary daytime running lights.