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

New Opel Monza Concept at Frankfurt 2013 signals a new big coupe from Vauxhall

The Opel Monza (1980s Monza pictured) will make a return at Frankfurt There was a time, for those not old enough to remember, when mainstream car makers produced big saloons and coupes. But no more. With very few (low-selling) exceptions, car makers like Vauxhall and Ford have given up their full-sized saloons and downsized, with SUVs of varying sizes now seen as the real future.

Vauxhall – Ellesmere Port jobs safe

Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port Plant will have no job losses It looks like the bulk of the savings that GM need to make in Vauxhall/Opel are going to fall outside the UK, with the news that there will be no job cuts at the Astra-making Ellesmere Port plant and around 340 job losses at Luton. Which is about as good as the news was ever likely to be for Vauxhall workers in the UK. Whatever the outcome of the GM/Magna deal it always seemed likely that Ellesmere Port would be relatively unscathed.

Infiniti Etherea: Infiniti’s compact concept revealed in Geneva

Infiniti Etherea Concept Despite our gripes that Infiniti seem half-hearted about their entry in to Europe – certainly in terms of their reluctance to get the product under people’s noses –  we can’t argue they’re not developing their range to suit the European market. Good case in point is the introduction of diesel lumps across the range, although we find the new Infiniti M35h Hybrid potentially more appealing than the M30d (we’ve surprised ourselves there). And now we get a proper European-sized concept revealed in Geneva – the Infiniti Etherea Concept – which is a compact, pillarless, suicide door endowed 3-Series competitor with a 2.5 litre S/C lump connected to an electric motor and driven through a CVT ‘box.