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

Lorenzo Ramaciotti to head Chrysler and Lancia design

Lorenzo Ramaciotti, current head of design at Fiat Group, has been tasked with leading the design of future Chrysler and Lancia products in a bid to more than double the sales figures of the newly collaborated brands. The 63-year-old former Pininfarina designer – credited to some of the most beautiful Italian machinery of the modern era – has been asked by Sergio Marchionne, chief executive of Fiat and Chrysler Group LLC, to create a common styling language for the two brands that wouldn't look out of place in Detroit or Milan. Ramaciotti has made it clear that badge-engineering isn't going to be the future for the two brands and is hoping to inject a unique, but global flavor, into the two brands.

Skoda Superb at Geneva

By Mark Walton Motor Shows 07 March 2008 17:26 What’s new on Skoda’s Geneva Motor Show stand?Skoda launched its second-generation Superb, aimed at the mid-sized, middle class Mondeo market. It’s a handsome car, with more than a little 1990s BMW 5-Series in it – from the way the bonnet meets the headlight glass, to the famous ‘Hofmeister Kink’ in the C pillar. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Nissan Titan still has a future

Even without a deal to team up with Chrysler Group on a new pickup, Nissan Motor Co. plans to keep the Titan truck in its lineup and develop a new range of models on its own. "We will do the next-generation Titan in-house," Larry Dominique, Nissan North America Inc.'s vice president for product planning, told Automotive News last week at the Detroit auto show.