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

Toyota Yaris Trend & Yaris Edition launched

Toyota has launched a pair of special editions for summer – the Yaris Trend and Yaris Edition – with cosmetic tweaks. Not content with flogging 100 units of the Toyota Yaris Hybrid to Europcar, Toyota are intent on mopping up more sales with the launch of a couple of special editions – the Toyota Yaris Edition and Toyota Yaris Trend. Both special editions get a blacked-out C-Pillar and privacy glass to give the illusion of a floating roof, a choice of Tyrol Silver or Cirrus White paint and a three or five-door body.

2014 Chevrolet Spark EV rated at 119 mpg

General Motors says its Chevrolet Spark EV will get the equivalent of 119 mpg in combined city and highway driving, the best efficiency of any U.S. car sold to retail buyers. The 2014 Spark EV, which will be launched this summer in California and Oregon, will have an EPA-rated range of 82 miles when fully charged, GM said in a statement.

MIT develops self-transforming materials that behave 'like robots without robots'

A cross-disciplinary research lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed a suite of programmable materials, including carbon fiber, printed wood grain, textile composites, rubbers and plastics, that self-transform when exposed to an external stimulus. Director of the Self-Assembly Lab, Skylar Tibbits, presented a TED talk on 4D printing in 2013, where he demonstrated how a flat sheet of material could effectively build itself when exposed to water, like a robot without a robot. Following positive feedback from industries including aviation, automotive and manufacturing, his lab has been working on developing materials that change according to different activation sources, including heat, light, and air pressure, in addition to water – all of which have automotive relevance.