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

Volvo discontinues S40 and V50 for 2012

Volvo will discontinue the S40 sedan and the V50 wagon for the 2012 model year in the United States. The second-generation S40 came out in 2004, and the V50 debuted in 2005. According to Volvo spokesman Dan Johnston, S40 sales were down 29 percent by the end of last year and V50 sales were down more than 50 percent.

Video: Lexus LF-CC concept explained by its designers

We're big fans of the Lexus LF-CC concept after seeing it in Paris. It's not what you would call traditionally beautiful but it's incredibly complex, engagingly off-beat and, most importantly, shows – along with the LF-LC concept – that Lexus may finally have a recipe for distinctive and consistent design. Here Lexus Design's General Manager Yo Hiruta discusses the continuing evolution of the brand in an interview with the Lexus Blog.

College Exhibition: Creapole MA Degree Show 2011

Creapole Design School – 'Ecole de Creation Management' as it refers to itself – has just held its annual Masters Week exhibition at its central Parisian premises. The focus of this year's show is 'intelligent technology', proposing alternative propulsion systems for the transport of tomorrow, from the urban to the aquatic, from the functional to the fictional. The challenge for these young designers is to take these new technologies and apply them in an attractive, meaningful and human way.