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

BMW X1 US launch delayed – because the new X3 is so good

BMW X1 - not in the US until late 2012 It would have been inconceivable just a few years ago that there could ever be a market in the US for a car like the BMW X1. But times have changed and even Americans see the benefits of a (much) smaller SUV, so BMW was originally planning on launching the X1 in the US around now. That X1 launch got put back until later in 2011 because the Leipzig plant – which builds the X1 – was running at capacity to meet the demands from Europe.

VW BlueSport Concept moves nearer to reality

We reported last week on the VW BlueSport Concept, a relatively economical 2 seat roadster, which VW unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show. We said then that if we were VW we’d be pressing the start button as soon as possible, and reports seem to indicate that that is exactly what VW are hoping to do. The secret to the success of the BlueSport will be the ability of the VW Group as a whole to find three platforms within its setup that can produce viable models based on the BlueSport Concept.

Mastretta MXT: Orders UP thanks to Top Gear

Mastretta MXT - orders UP since Top Gear 'Insult' You might reasonably have thougt that Top Gear’s recent Mexican stand-off would have had the butt of its joke – the Mastretta MXT – suffering a severe downturn in sales. After all, according to Mexican Ambassador to London -Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza – the Top Gear insults aimed at his country – and at Mastretta – were ‘Bigoted and Ignorant’. Which, if the comments had been anything other than a feeble attempt at a joke on national stereotypes, may have been an appropriate response.