Dacco B25-3406 Torque Converter on 2040-parts.com

No sign of global auto meltdown at Tokyo Auto Salon

With more than 600 cars on display and a record number of exhibitors, nothing at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Salon tuner show hinted at the global economic downturn. As always, there was a great mix of styles, from hard-core, 1,000-hp, supertuned machinery to weird customized scooter tricycles. Auto manufacturers tried hard to capture the minds--if not the wallets--of the younger-than-30 crowd with customized versions of production cars, while tuners were busy persuading power junkies to choose them for their next engine modification.

New car sales accelerate again

NEW CAR SALES could be back to pre-recession levels by the end of this year after a good start to 2014. Latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show there were 176,820 new vehicles registered in April - an 8.2% rise on the same month last year. Last month's figure took the total for the year so far to 864,942 - a 12.5% increase on the first four months of 2013.

Ford Fiesta Zetec S Red and Black Editions (2014) unveiled

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 18 June 2014 10:07 Ford has a bold claim for its newly invigorated Fiesta Zetec S Red and Black Editions: they have a greater specific power output than a Bugatti Veyron! The downsizing trend continues apace and the new warm-hatch Fiestas are first to get a higher-output version of the 1.0-litre three-cylinder Ecoboost engine, tweaked to 138bhp thanks to variable cam timing, higher turbo boost and direct injection. Ford claims the new Fiesta specials are the most powerful 1.0-litre cars in the world.