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

BMW to offer four-cylinder diesels in North America to improve fuel efficiency

BMW will offer four-cylinder diesel engines in North America as it seeks to improve fuel efficiency and match the performance of its current six-cylinder gasoline engines. BMW is considering diesels in a range of models, including its 1 series, 3 series and 5 series sedans and possibly the X3 crossover and Z4 roadster, said Tom Baloga, vice president of engineering for BMW of North America. "You're going to see it in the 3 series, and the 5 series is a good possibility," Baloga said.

Audi S3 Cabriolet for 2014 Geneva Motor Show

The Audi S3 Cabriolet will make its public debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show next month. The range-topping version of the new A3 Cabriolet uses the same powertrain as the S3 hatchback, Sportback and saloon variants, with a 300hp turbocharged engine driving all four wheels. Audi quotes a 0-62mph time of just 5.4 seconds for the S3 Cabriolet, which will be available to order from April, with the first UK deliveries expected in July.

Lotus Evora 414E Range Extender EV moves forward

The Lotus Evora 414E – a Lotus Engineering range extender hybrid project – is still moving ahead with dynamic and durability testing now underway. On the surface the Evora 414E looked like every other Evora, but under the skin sat the first version of a Lotus range-extender platform with a pair of electric motors and a small, 3-cylinder range-extender engine promising impressive performance and economy. Despite the reveal of the 414E at Geneva in 2010, there’s not been a huge amount of news on Lotus pushing forward with the project, or at least not until we got the Infiniti Emerg-E Concept at Geneva this year that turned out to be underpinned by the Evora 414E platform.