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

2014 Volkswagen Scirocco & Scirocco R facelift tweaks the old Scirocco

The 2014 Volkswagen Scirocco (pictured) gets a facelift Before you get too excited, the 2014 Volkswan Scirocco isn’t a nice new version of the Scirocco based on the new Golf Mark 7, but a minor titivate designed to make the ageing Scirocco look a little fresher. Volkswagen has employed the usual facelift tweaks to make the 2014 Scirocco look subtly different to the current model with new bumpers, modified grill, new bi-xenons, new LED tail lights and black diffuser at the back. There’s also a new range of colours on offer and, although the standard Scirocco gets 17″ alloys, you can option 18 and 19″ too.

CES: Cranking up Harman's QuantumLogic 3D surround-sound system

Yesterday we reported how Audi was readying a lavish 3D sound experience with 23 speakers and 1,400 watts of goosebump-inducing audio power. Not to be outdone, Harman had been quietly developing a system of its own: Quantum Logic 3D brings together 25 speakers and more than 2,000 watts of Tubthumping power to a new car near you, like driving inside Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. Sitting inside the demonstration BMW 7-Series that Harman painstakingly lifted into the Studio at the Palms, Global Audio Engineering vice president Phil Muzio explained, "great music is delivered in stereo, yet our consumer research indicates that people enjoy surround sound." QuantumLogic 3D's surround sound expands beyond the boundaries of the vehicle's cabin, providing "a sense of detail and spatial placement that you don't get in stereo." Five height component speakers mounted in the corners of the headliner, and above the rearview mirror, elevates audio beyond the confines of the roof, "almost like you're in a convertible," said Muzio.

Robert Kidder, former Duracell chief, to head new Chrysler as chairman

Business consultant Robert Kidder is set to become the new chairman of Chrysler Group when it emerges from bankruptcy. Kidder, 64, will replace Bob Nardelli, who was hired in 2007 after Daimler sold Chrysler to private equity group Cerberus. A new board of directors, to be formed after bankruptcy, will hire a new CEO for Chrysler.