Gm 200-4r, Atsg Rebuilding Manual, (54401b) (4/13) on 2040-parts.com

MINI miffed at Spy Photos of 2014 MINI Hatch

MINI has released their own ‘Spy’ shot of the 2014 MINI hatch (pictured above) The rise and rise of the internet in recent years has seen the once niche market for spy photos of unreleased cars go mainstream, and whether car makers like it or not they can be sure the moment they take their new pride and joy on the road it will be papped and online. Most unrevealed cars go out testing covered in swirly camouflage and padded add-ons to disguise shape and form, but this week a 2014 MINI hatch was snapped with no disguise at all, and it didn’t look great. It didn’t look great because the photo was taken from such a distance it distorted perspective and made the new MINI look a very odd shape.

Honda tears up its old product plan

Honda Motor Co. is reviewing its entire lineup with the aim of building less expensive and more fuel-efficient vehicles, Honda CEO Takanobu Ito says. In the case of some next-generation products--including the crucial Civic platform used on a variety of vehicles worldwide--that means making major changes to vehicles already well along in the development process.

First Sight: Volkswagen Iroc concept

The Iroc is a show car preview of a production coupe to be launched next year that will fill a gap in the Volkswagen model line up left by the demise of the Corrado 11 years ago. Volkswagen describe the Iroc as "transferring the globally successful Scirocco idea into the future" - the Scirocco Mk1 by Giugiaro being produced from 1974-1982, the Mk2 from 1982-1992. Like the Scirocco, the Iroc is a front wheel drive coupe with four seats - as opposed to the 2+2 seating arrangement of the only other sports coupe from Volkswagen Group: the Audi TT.