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

New MINI 5-door Hatch starts rolling off the production line in Oxford

New MINI 5-door Hatch starts rolling off the production line in Oxford MINi are wasting no time in getting the new 5-door MINI Hatch in to production following its reveal at the start of June, with the firs 5-door MINIs already rolling off the production line at MINI’s Oxford Plant. The five-door MINI is the second MINI model to be built off BMW’s new UKL 1 platform – the new MIN I being the first – with the platform stretched to give the five-door an extra 72mm in it wheelbase, 15mm extra headroom and enough length to add a pair of (small) back doors). And unlike the three-door Hatch, the new five-door Hatch will be available with a full suite of models from the off, with the SD Cooper included in the range from launch as well as the  Cooper, Cooper D and Cooper S.

GM envisions future city car with EN-V concepts

The city car of the future will seat two people, run on electric power and communicate with other vehicles to reach a destination faster while automatically avoiding traffic tie-ups and crashes. General Motors, working with electric-scooter maker Segway, has developed three concepts tailored toward that vision of future transportation. The Electric Networked Vehicle, or EN-V, concepts go on display May 1 at the World Expo in Shanghai.

Four in 10 'can't read maps'

ALMOST four in 10 drivers don't know how to read a traditional map, according to new research by sat-nav manufacturer Garmin. A study of 2,000 Brits revealed that 39% admit to not knowing what they're doing with old-fashioned navigation, but the true figure could well be higher than that when taking into account those who believe they can read a map but have either never tried or never proved it. A worrying 16% say that they are 'heavily reliant' on sat-nav in their cars in order to get anywhere – even to places they regularly visit.