Bikeman Performance 06-22-202 1141-0335 on 2040-parts.com

2013 Ford Fiesta ST debuts at Geneva

2013 Ford Fiesta ST The 2013 Ford Fiesta ST arrives at Geneva in production guise – after a Fiesta ST Concept last year – and will go on sale early 2013. It looks like Ford has finally managed to fit the new 1.6 litre Ecoboost under the bonnet of the new Fiesta ST (all the cars running around so far have had the lump out of the Zetec S) and has pitched up at Geneva with the production version of the 2013 ST. That 1.6 litre Ecoboost engine is a four-cylinder petrol with 178bhp and 177lb/ft of torque, which gives a sub-7 second 0-62mph and a top speed of 136mph.

Volkswagen creates driving style-linked music app

VOLKSWAGEN has created a new smartphone that improvises its own music based on how the car is being driven. Working with British electronic musicians Underworld, Volkswagen has built the experimental ‘Play the Road’ app to help celebrate the launch of the seventh generation Golf GTI. It works by connecting to the car and using its own in-built accelerometer to analyse speed, engine revs, steering, throttle and braking inputs and the urgency of each to create a unique, ever-changing music that ranges from serene background chillout vibes to fast-paced electronica.

Crunch watch Jan 09: the auto industry in crisis

By Tim Pollard, Ben Pulman and Gareth Evans Motor Industry 30 January 2009 12:39 Friday 30 January 2009• Honda is about to close the Swindon factory for four months when Friday's shifts are finished; the shutdown will affect 2500 of the 3700 staff, who will receive full pay for two months and then 60% pay for the next eight weeks (BBC News)• Porsche has announced a sharp drop in sales and likely profits. It forecasts a 27% drop in 911, Boxster, Cayman and Cayenne sales to around 34,000 units in the six months to the end of January 2009 (Financial Times, subscription required)• Ford wants Washington to do more to stimulate car sales, after posting a record loss of nearly $14.6 billion earlier this week (Detroit News)• Honda's quarterly profit has crashed by 90% – forcing the Japanese car maker to halve its annual profit target (Detroit Free Press)Thursday 29 January 2009• Ford of Europe is a bright spot in the Blue Oval's quarterly results today, making $1.06 billion pre-tax profit in 2008 (up from $997m in 2007). It's the first profit of more than $1bn since 1989 (Automotive News Europe, subscription required)• Volvo suffered a 'disastrous 2008' with a pre-tax loss of $1.46bn.