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

Nissan and Fiat marketing heads trade insults over 'visual pollution'

A war of words has erupted between Fiat and Nissan's marketing departments over their electric vehicle designs, the Leaf and the 500e. Matt Davis, head of Fiat product marketing, told Bloomberg News before the launch of its all-electric 500e at the Los Angeles show last week that "ugliness is probably one of the worst forms of pollution," seen as an indirect attack on Nissan's electric offering. The then 500e came under attack with Nissan criticizing the fact that it was created only to meet Californian emissions requirements.

Jaguar XJ Diesel – The Swansong plaudit

The Jaguar XJ 2.7 Diesel has won the 'Greenest Luxury Car' Award And although one of the strengths of Jaguar has been its heritage it has, to a degree, also become its Achilles Heel. The first Jaguar XJs were a triumph when they were launched in 1968, and put Jaguar leaps and bounds ahead of the German competition, in the same way Jaguar had taken the world by storm with the E-Type a few years before. But things started to fall apart for Jaguar in the ’70s with the fiasco that was British Leyland, and by trying to emulate Porsche by making each iteration of the XJ an evolution of the original all they managed to do was cement in the public mindset the failings of the XJ.

Audi SQ5 TDI arrives at Le Mans

The Audi SQ5 TDI – a 309bhp diesel Q5 – is revealed at Le Mans as the first Audi S model with a diesel engine. It’s quite appropriate that the first diesel S Model from Audi has arrived at Le Mans in the shape of the Audi SQ5 TDI, where Audi are expected to dominate in diesel-engined cars. It also shows that Audi are aware that powerful diesel compact SUVs are a must have in today’s car market, and they’ve got in first with a proper barn-storming diesel Q5 before a Range Rover Evoque Sport with perhaps the 3.0 litre V6 diesel or a BMW X3 M40d arrives.