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

Crunch watch July 09: the auto industry in crisis

By Tim Pollard, Ben Pulman, Ben Whitworth and Alex Michaelides Motor Industry 31 July 2009 11:23 Welcome to CAR's news aggregator as we round up the seismic change in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hour  Friday 31 July 2009• Lamborghini today posted pre-tax profits of €5.4 million – despite a sales drop of 37% in the first six months of 2009. Sant'Agata said turnover hit €156.9m in the first half (down 43%) as it sold 825 cars globally (Lamborghini)• British motorists could have to pay £250 in tax to park at work from 2012.

Porsche 998 (911) caught testing

The current version of the 911 has not long been refreshed, and still has more to deliver. Only the Carrera and Targa have had the facelift so far, and still to come is the Turbo, not to mention the GT3. But Porsche is already a long way down the road with the next generation 911 (998), which is not expected to launch until 2011, as you can see from this spy shot taken in rather chilly Arctic climes.

Volvo S60 R-Design won on Facebook by ‘The Lake District’

Volvo Greatest Drive Winner – The Lake District You may remember we reported in June that Volvo had gone slightly bonkers and decided to give away a brand spanking new S60 to whoever submitted the ‘Greatest Drive’ on Facebook; the route that offered not just great scenery but a great driving experience too. And Volvo didn’t skimp on the competition, with not just an astonishingly good prize but also the services of Robert Llewellyn to drive an S60 round the three routes initially voted the best (curious, that – we didn’t know Bobby could drive a car without an electric motor), with videos posted so Volvo’s Facebook fans could make a proper decision on what really was the ‘Greatest Drive’. And the winner was ‘The Lake District’.