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

Webinars: Using an ecological microfiber material for automotive interiors

CDN's third webinar 'Driving the Green Way: the First Ecological Microfiber for Automotive Interiors' was presented by Miko on 31 March, 2010. View the recorded webinar in our archive by clicking the above link. You can also find out more about the Italian company and its ecological production and manufacturing processes, plus the application of its Dinamica microfiber material on seating areas, door panels and roof lining – as well as on steering wheels, gear shifts and parking brakes – in the following article.

Mini Vision concept: what does it say about the brand's future?

The sight of Mini design head Anders Warming presenting a holographic, 3D projection of the Mini Vision concept as if appearing in his own cartoon was certainly a new one on us, but it captured the quirky, slightly left-field image the subsidiary of BMW Group has cultivated since its relaunch 13 years ago. As the 'Vision' tag suggests, this is billed as a marker of intent for the brand's future design direction rather than a pre-production teaser of the new Mini hatchback (Cooper in most markets) we'll see later this year. However if the third-generation 'new' Mini doesn't look remarkably similar we'd be amazed, such is the level of productionized detailing on this purely digital model.

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.