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

Lexus IS 300h promises unrivalled ownership costs

The new Lexus IS - launched at Detroit in January and costing from £26,495 for the IS 250 in the UK – actually offers ownership costs that eclipse diesel offerings from the likes of Jaguar, BMW, Audi and Mercedes, say Lexus. Despite the logical assumption that the complex hybrid powerplant in the IS 300h would cost more to maintain, Lexus say the opposite is true. Because it has no clutch and the starter motor and alternator are integrated they require no servicing or replacement and Lexus has fitted a timing chain instead of a timing belt, so it won’t need regular replacement either.

Audi A6

Audi today unveiled the new A6, the fourth generation of the its D-segment sedan. Measuring 4920mm long, 1870mm wide, and 1460mm tall, the new A6 is shorter and lower – but wider – than its predecessor, and has a longer, 2910mm wheelbase. The new car also features lighter body panels and improved powertrains.

Renault Twizy Sport F1 concept

The Renault Twizy Sport F1 concept has been unveiled at Renault's plant in Vallalodid, Spain. A collaboration between both Renault Sport F1 and Renault Sport Technologies, the concept sits on the wheels of a single-seater racecar and features a front splitter, side-pods, a rear wing and a diffuser with an F1-style rain light. When looking at the concept, which measures in at 2,600mm long, 1,490mm wide and 1,450mm high, the tires are one of the first things you see, and are the same as those fitted to the Formula Renault 2.0 single-seater.