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

New BMW X4 price and specs for the UK – costs from £36,590

The new BMW X4 is now on sale in the UK The new BMW X4 – BMW’s baby X6 and a ‘coupe’ version of the very able X3 – arrived at the Geneva Motor SHow in March, and it’s now on sale in the UK priced from £36,590 for the BMW X4 xDrive20d SE, a chunky £3.5k more than the equivalent X3. But what you’re buying in the new X4 is a lifestyle statement rather than a family SAV like the X3, so the premium is so others know you’re prepared to pay more for a less practical urban SUV. Still, a similar scenario with the X5 and X6 hasn’t stopped buyers opting for the X6 instead and it seems likely the X4 will take an even bigger split of the X3/X4 sales than the X6 does from the X5.

McLaren reportedly at work on its next big thing

While we're getting ready for the soon-to-be-released McLaren MP4-12C, the British sports-car maker is at work on its next project. McLaren is aiming for a 2014 launch for a sports car that is larger than the MP4-12C, according to the Web site of the U.K.'s Autocar magazine. The magazine says McLaren is working with engineering firm Ricardo to develop a 5.0-liter engine that cranks out nearly 800 hp.

Who's Where: Satoshi Wada to open independent design studio

Satoshi Wada, former Senior Designer at Audi AG and Nissan Design Japan, is set to open his own design studio. Called SWdesign TOKYO, his ambitious plan follows on from a growing line of design managers who have left successful OEMs to establish their own design practices. Wada, who resigned from Audi AG in Ingolstadt earlier this month, told CDN he is aiming "to create a new vision with my own independent design studio in Tokyo".