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

Demise of kei cars on the horizon?

The kei car has long been a staple of the Japanese automobile industry and its car culture. Too diminutive for Western markets, the tiny cars and trucks are a strong influencer of design in Japan. Now, as The New York Times reports, the Japanese government has hit kei cars with increases in sales tax, gasoline prices and has reduced the kei car tax break introduced to make the cars popular in the first place by 50 percent.

2014 Mercedes S Class: First interior photos

We have the first interior photos of the 2014 Mercedes S Class ahead of its debut in May 2013, showing a much more modern interior. But now, with a reveal of the new S Class just a couple of months off, we have the first photos of the interior of the new S Class showing a  car that keeps much of the layout of the current S Class but adds in more curves, more technology, a more modern look and a more upmarket feel than ever before. The cabin flows from the screen in to the doors in the same sort of seamless way it does an the Jaguar XJ – where it makes the cabin feel more spacious – the instrument panel is a huge digital display, the seats are differently contoured and trimmed, there seems to be more room, better lighting and an altogether more upmarket feel for Mercedes range topper.

Ford is developing a virtual child to improve safety research

Researchers at Ford have started constructing a "virtual" six-year-old child that will help them research future safety devices. It will take years to build the complex, multilayer digital dummy, Ford said on Thursday. And the finished computer model won't be used for vehicle validation or crash testing.