Motorguide Repair Parts Assortment on 2040-parts.com

Future products: Mazda's new direct-injection engine family arrives in 2011

The big news at Mazda is a new family of direct-injection gasoline and diesel engines that will start to arrive in 2011. Mazda will make significant changes to vehicle platforms to accommodate the Sky engines, which will be more powerful and fuel-efficient at lower displacements than the company's current engines. The first Sky gasoline engine is expected to debut in the United States in 2011.

BMW X1 sDrive20d EfficientDynamics Edition revealed

BMW X1 sDrive20d EfficientDynamics - the 'Blue' X1 arrives The BMW X1 is, according to BMW, “…still the only premium vehicle in its segment” and they’re keen to make sure that their baby SUV keeps its nose ahead of the pack. Which explains the plans to launch an X1 badged-up with the EfficientDynamics moniker in the Autumn – the BMW X1 sDrive20d EfficientDynamics Edition. BMW anoraks know that BMW’s EfficientDynamics gubbins – stuff like stop-start and low rolling resistance tyres – have sneaked in across the BMW range over the last few years, improving economy and lowering emissions in the process.

Nissan creates a self-cleaning Note – and this one’s for real. (video)

The Nissan Note that cleans itself The Sunday chore of cleaning the car is beloved (and loathed, in equal measure) by those who’d rather do it themselves than pay a man with a bucket, a sponge and a chamois  to oblige. But regular car washing – for anyone – could be a thing of the past thanks to a new nano-paint technology. The newly developed super-hydrophobic and oleophobic paint manages to repel water and oil, which means stuff like everyday dirt, mud and rain don’t have the chance to cling to the car’s paintwork.