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

Honda Insight goes for $1,560 less with new base model

Honda slashed $1,560 from the base price of its Insight hybrid for the 2011 model year, creating a new entry-level trim that carries a sticker price of $18,950, including destination charges. The move gives the Insight a pricing edge of about $4,610 over the Toyota Prius. The Insight LX was the base model for the 2010 model year, and its price started at $20,510.

Mini Superleggera Vision Concept – a very different MINi Concept – at Villa D’Este

The Mini Superleggera Vision Concept (pictured) is a Villa D’Este special We’ve had our fill of VW Group concepts for Worthersee – like the Skoda CitiJet, Yeti XTreme and Audi A3 Clubsport - this last week, but now we’ve got a concept from MINI that isn’t just the usual slightly left-field take on a regular MINI, but a real original to grab our interest – the Mini Superleggera Vision Concept – and it’s heading to Villa D’Este. Built in collaboration with Touring Superleggera – which has built stunning concepts like the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante - the new MINI is a retro-looking small roadster with lots of historic design cues but with an EV powertrain under its clothes. There’s a fin on the back that looks like a Jaguar D Type, a pair of swage lines down the side, a long bonnet, a back end that has a hint of Aston Martin and even Union Jacks in the tail lights.

Saab 9-2, just a pipe dream?

The Web is lit up today with stories of an upcoming Saab 9-2 because Spyker CEO and Saab owner Victor Muller evidently has sketched what he sees as a new small Saab. It could be a pipe dream, but Muller insists the Swedish automaker really wants it to happen. Muller has been quoted as calling it "a small car, a quirky car, a Saab in the truest sense of the word." Muller said the car would be a small front-drive hatch, a little bigger than a Mini.