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

The Future Role of the Vehicle Designer

The vehicle design department at the Royal College of Art hosted the second in a series of five lectures looking at the future of the profession last week. Moving on from the previous week's topic of sustainability, this debate explored the future roles and responsibilities of the vehicle designer. Head of department Dale Harrow began by posing the question "Is it time to rethink – do we still need the car?" Although still relevant, Harrow's ultimate answer to this was that the profession was about to see marked change, with the end to an era where "designers are locked behind closed doors in studios".

Honda Civic Type-R (2006): first official pictures

By Dimitri Pesin First Official Pictures 14 September 2006 07:12 The lowdown Honda's ultimate Civic – the Type-R – is unveiled today (Thursday 14). Set to go on UK sale in March 2007 for around £18,000, this Type-R attempts to mate the outgoing hot hatch's high-revving, wild child drivetrain with a more mellow driving experience – when the mood takes you. Indeed, Honda is billing the new car as a 'refined superhatch', a concept Ford and VW have nailed successfully with the Focus ST and Golf GTi.

Qoros: A new Chinese car brand to hit Europe in 2013

Qoros – a joint venture between Chery and Israel Corporation – will launch an offensive on the European car market at Geneva 2013. The Chinese car market is huge, but most Chinese car makers are all but unknown outside China. But that could change with the launch of a range of Qoros cars in Europe, with the first reveal scheduled for the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.