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

Porsche Battery – a mere £1200

The rather expensive Porsche Lithium Ion Battery Car batteries have been roughly the same shape and size – and utilised basically the same lead-acid technology – for years. They’ve got better, as you no longer need to top them up with distilled water at regular intervals (I’m showing my age now), and they are less prone to going flat. But that probably has more to do with alternators replacing dynamos than the batteries themselves.

Jaguar C-X17 concept (2013) full details on new aluminium chassis

Jaguar’s C-X17 crossover concept might have show-stopping looks, but it’s what will lie beneath the production crossover – thought to be called QX – that’s just as intriguing: an all-new aluminium platform, dubbed ‘iQ Al’. It’s a clean-sheet design, with double-wishbone suspension up front, and a multi-link axle at the rear. For more unseen location photos and an in-depth feature, pick up the October issue of CAR magazine, out Wednesday 18 September   Jaguar C-X17 crossover concept: the lowdown on the ‘iQ Al’ aluminium platform ‘It had to be a clean-sheet design to reach our goals,’ says Jaguar vehicle line director Kevin Stride.

Toyota and Mercedes-Benz are top global car brands

Toyota & Mercedes-Benz are the Top Global Automotive Brands 2011 Interbrand, a branding consultancy, delivers a report on the world’s brands every year, and in 2011, despite recall woes and the devastation of the Japanese Tsunami, Toyota leads the automotive brands, with luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz just behind. Interbrand uses three measures to gauge how effective a brand is – performance of branded product, the brands ability to secure earnings and the role of the brand in purchasing decisions – to come up with a chart of the top 100 world brands. At the top of the tree are companies like Coca Cola, IBM, Microsoft and Google, but car brands do well with Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Honda, VW, and Ford all making it in to the top 50.