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

Bentley sales returned to pre-recession levels in 2011

The new Continental GTC helped Bentley sales hit highs in 2011 Bentley has seen sales in 2011 return to the levels of 2007, with sales up by 37 percent over 2010. China is now Bentley’s second biggest market. It doesn’t seem five minutes since Bentley were getting their highly skilled workforce to make furniture to keep them busy, so slow were sales as the recession started to bite.

Bentley gets efficient: 2014 Hybrid Concept to cut CO2 emissions by 70%

It seems even the manufacturers of super luxury cars are now cottoning on to the fact that big multi-cylinder, gas-guzzling engines are set to be a thing of the past. Bentley, no less, has announced that it will be going hybrid in the future, marking the occasion with the reveal of its Hybrid Concept at the upcoming Beijing Motor Show 2014. Quite incredibly, the technology looks set to slash the firm’s CO2 output from limousine levels to rates we’re more accustomed to seeing from a small supermini.

Who's Where: Bryan Nesbitt becomes General Manager of Cadillac

Bryan Nesbitt, who until last week was General Motors' North American Vice President of Design, started his new role as general manager of the Cadillac brand on Monday, July 27. His appointment, which surprised many, is part of an effort to integrate design, marketing and advertising, which have always been intrinsically linked. While this move marks a significant step change in the positioning of the new General Motors, which, under the direction of product czar Bob Lutz, has seen fit to promote a young designer into such a high level managerial position, it is a triumph not only for Nesbitt, 40, but for all designers: it is the first time that a designer has been promoted to one of the top executive roles at an automotive company.