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

GM to double size of battery lab

General Motors says it will spend $8 million to double the size of its Global Battery Systems Lab, which the company claims is the largest and most technologically advanced automotive battery lab in the United States. GM says the expansion will speed up the development of hybrid and electric vehicles, such as the upcoming Chevrolet Volt, by improving on-site testing of battery cells and systems. When finished, the lab will be 30,000 square feet bigger than it is now, for a 63,000-square-foot total.

BMW M3 coupe stripped down to go club racing

BMW's M division is back in the business of building specialty street-legal race cars with a new lightweight version of the M3 called the GTS. The lightweight coupe, set to go on sale in early 2010 at a yet-undisclosed price, was conceived as a limited-edition model primarily for club-based racing in much the same way that Porsche builds the 911 GT3 Clubsport. But in a clear effort to link its track-based activities with the production-car side of its business, BMW's M division is offering the new car with a homologation package that will allow customers to register the M3 GTS for street use.

Jaguar Supermini is Ian Callum’s hobby-horse

Ian Callum wants Jaguar to build a Supermini Jaguar’s Design boss, Ian Callum, has a passion for Jaguar to build a Supermini – although it could be a way off. Ian Callum’s designs have moved Jaguar from a design pastiche of the past to an individual and contemporary design language that acknowledges the past but cleverly heralds the future. From the XJ to the new F-Type by way of the XF (now even better now it’s closer to Callum’s original C-XF Concept) and even the XK, Callum’s foresight is a big part of Jaguar’s resurgence.