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

Tokyo Auto Salon pits performance autos against hybrids

The world's other big January auto show, the 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon, opened its doors to tuner enthusiasts in mid-month with a record 402 exhibitors. The Auto Salon fuses numerous styles, but the overriding theme this year was hybrid cars, with customized Toyota Priuses and Honda Insights at every turn. Good old-fashioned engine tuning is alive and well in Japan, where even new sports cars are being heavily modified, with cars such as the KRL Mitsubishi Evolution X and the HKS Nissan GT-R both boasting in excess of 600 hp.

Mercedes-Benz hooks up with Europcar for its courtesy cars

Mercedes partner with Europcar for courtesy cars Providing courtesy cars for customers is something of a pain for car makers. Customers expect a courtesy car when they come in for repair or service or after an accident, and that’s not easy to manage. So car makers partner with car hire firms to make the whole thing work and, usually, know they can put a customer in a courtesy car whenever it’s needed.

Jaguar XFR with supercharged V8 at the Detroit auto show

Jaguar is expanding the XF range for the 2010 model year with the addition of the high-performance XFR which has been unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show Lurking under the hood is a supercharged version of Jaguar's new 5.0-liter direct-injection V8. For the XFR, this engine is rated at 510 hp and 461 pounds-feet of torque. That power is routed through a six-speed automatic transmission.