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

VW Touareg BlueMotion hits the UK

Volkswagen has announced the VW Touareg BlueMotion for the UK Offering improved economy and lower emissions, the Touareg BlueMotion manages to drop in to a lower Co2 band by emitting 219g/km (a reduction from 244g/km on the V6 TDi) and it delivers 34mpg as opposed to 30.4mpg on the V7 TDi. These improvements have been achieved by the usual ECU tweaking, low rolling resistance tyres, some aerodynamic tweaks and a lower ride height (exactly the same sort of stuff that Ford has done on the EConetic range). And the penalty for the lower emissions and better economy is very slight, with the Touareg BlueMotion still managing the 0-60mph in 8.5 seconds and a top speed of  126mph.

Vehicles recalled amid airbags fear

JAPANESE car giants Honda, Mazda and Nissan are recalling millions of vehicles worldwide amid fears that a defect in airbags manufactured by supplier Takata Corp could cause them to explode. No accidents have been reported. Honda recalled 2.03 million vehicles over the airbag problem, including 1.02 million vehicles in North America and nearly 669,000 in Japan.

Lincoln MKC – it’s an upmarket Ford Kuga: 2013 Detroit Auto Show

Ford has revealed the Lincoln MKC Concept at the Detroit Auto Show, a titivated upmarket offering based on the Ford Kuga. Despite strong sales on the other side of the Pond, Ford is struggling in Europe – just like every other mainstream car brand – and they’re probably ruing the day they decided to unravel their Premier Auto Group, selling off Aston Martin, Volvo and – their biggest mistake – Jaguar Land Rover. Which means that if Ford want to get back in to the – potentially very profitable – realm of premium cars again they’re stuck with doing it with one of their ‘brands’.