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

Skoda Ocatvia vRS gets a new face

Skoda Octavia vRS gets a facelift and a titivate to bring it in line with the rest of the range In keeping with the changes made to the rest of the Octavia range late last year, Skoda has now rolled out the new look for the vRS (and the Scout) to bring the family looks to the whole range. Up-front you get a redesigned grill with a vRS logo and the option of xenons with adaptive lighting. You also get a set of front fog lamps with optional cornering, and some daylight running LEDs.

BMW debuts social-media campaign for concepts

BMW launched its next marketing campaign for the BMW i3 and i8, aimed at the tech consumer. The campaign runs on location-service Foursquare, social-news round-up site Mashable and iAd, Apple's mobile-advertising network. The iAd campaign will run in Europe on iPhones, iPods and iPads.

Jaguar hybrid cars due in 2013-14

Jaguar will launch its own hybrid vehicles soon after Land Rover, CAR can confirm. Parent company Jaguar Land Rover is developing battery-assisted hybrid versions for both brands but its strategy puts part-electric Land Rovers first on the launchpad in 2013.Hybrid Jaguars – set to include the XJ and XF, but eventually every model – are therefore likely to be on the market by 2013-2014, using a similar eight-speed ZF hybrid transmission to petrol-electric BMWs.The staggered roll-out of battery Jags and Land Rovers makes sense: heavy 4x4s have come in the firing line from green protestors who label them Chelsea Tractors. Hybrid Land Rovers will trim emissions and – in plug-in hybrid mode – enable even big bulky Range Rovers to drive in zero-emissions mode into central urban areas emitting nothing more unsaintly than an electric whir.So which Jaguars will go hybrid first?It's likely that the largest models such as the XJ will receive the hybrid power packs first; large cars reap the greater benefit and can more easily swallow the additional cost, put at around £10,000 in today's money.JLR's Midlands engineering bases in Whitley and Gaydon now employ 100 engineers in the expanding hybrid powertrain business unit launched 18 months ago.