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

New Mercedes A Class: Production increased to meet demand

With over 70,000 orders already in the pipeline for the new Mercedes A Class, Mercedes are increasing production to meet demand. The increase in production at Mercedes plant in Rastatt, Germany, means adding a third shift to effectively increase production by almost 50 per cent and make a dent in the 70k plus orders Mercedes already has for the new A Class. That’s in stark contrast to the recent news that Mercedes is having to slash production of the S Class as sales falter, partly due to a new S Class in the pipeline for 2013 but also because buyers are falling in love with more compact offerings.

Nissan X-Trail

By Gavin Green Motor Shows 08 March 2007 11:39 So, a brand new Nissan X-Trail. Or is it? It doesn’t look any different… Yes, it’s new – new body, new platform and some new engines.

MIT develops self-transforming materials that behave 'like robots without robots'

A cross-disciplinary research lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed a suite of programmable materials, including carbon fiber, printed wood grain, textile composites, rubbers and plastics, that self-transform when exposed to an external stimulus. Director of the Self-Assembly Lab, Skylar Tibbits, presented a TED talk on 4D printing in 2013, where he demonstrated how a flat sheet of material could effectively build itself when exposed to water, like a robot without a robot. Following positive feedback from industries including aviation, automotive and manufacturing, his lab has been working on developing materials that change according to different activation sources, including heat, light, and air pressure, in addition to water – all of which have automotive relevance.