Raybestos 680280 Front Disc Brake Rotor on 2040-parts.com

Kia goes (dark) green

By Jesse Crosse Motor Industry 23 September 2008 11:00 Kia has unveiled a portfolio of new environmental technologies, including a 1.4-litre Ceed with stop-start (due in the UK in 2009), a Ceed hybrid and the latest version of its fuel cell-powered Sportage. The Korean manufacturer is investing heavily in research and development and will increase its spend on R&D from £2.2 billion this year to £2.6 billion by 2010, combined with a 40 percent increase in manpower at its research centres around the globe. The money is being spent on developing downsized, turbocharged engines, efficiency improvements to conventional engines such as friction reduction and the separation of accessories like water pumps from the engine.

rusEFI: Open-source homebuilt fuel-injection set to rival Megasquirt

Electronic fuel-delivery and ignition controls have given us a new golden age of engine efficiency and performance. Most of us would never go back to the dark ages—say, before 1990—when you could still buy new vehicles with carburetors and clunky distributors. From the point of view of those of us who like to modify our cars, however, the black-box nature of engine-control computers limits our options for making changes to how our fuel-delivery and ignition systems function.

Opel Mokka

Opel/Vauxhall has announced a new compact SUV, the Mokka, which sits between the Nissans Juke and Qashqai in terms of size, measuring 4280mm in length. The Mokka's exterior design continues the form language of the current GM Europe range with its drawn-back lamps, tapered DLO and sculptural rocker surfacing. Unpainted lower body protection, metallic-look guards, roof bars and a high ride height iincrease its 'rugged' image.