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

GM unveils electric Cadillac Converj concept at the Detroit auto show

General Motors pulled perhaps a surprise at the Detroit Auto Show Sunday morning, unveiling an eye-catching two-door Cadillac concept powered by a "future evolution" of the Chevrolet Volt's electric powertrain. Called the Converj, the Cadillac will have a range of 40 miles on electricity, with a potential total range of 700 miles after a generator kicks in. GM says the powertrain, formerly known as E-Flex, is now called Voltec, and could be used in a variety of applications.

Brazilian students develop soapbox racers for Volkswagen

Brazilian design students have competed for year-long internships at Volkswagen's Brazilian design studio by designing – and racing – soapbox cars. Established 15 years ago by Volkswagen South America design director Luiz Veiga, the Volkswagen Design Talent Contest refreshed its format for 2013 by challenging students to develop a prototype for a gravity-powered soapbox racer instead of asking for sketch and render-based proposals. According to Veiga, Volkswagen was looking for someone "capable of working away from the desk and able to create design solutions, assess and build them".

Nissan-designed Santa’s sleigh

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 17 December 2008 14:30 Canadian designer Martin Uhlarik penned Nissan’s sleigh, which dispenses with reindeer altogether and can be used instead in conjunction with a rather faster steed, a Nissan GT-R. It’s quickly apparent that Nissan’s SC01 sledge will have a much greater load capacity than rival designs – and we’d certainly pull over fast if we saw this in our rear-view mirrors. Uhlarik is project design leader at Nissan’s Paddington design centre in London and was senior exterior designer on the Qashqai+2 and NV200 concept.