Suzuki 1k 07/08 Starter on 2040-parts.com

2013 Honda CR-Z Facelift: Price from £20,550

The price for the facelifted 2013 Honda CR-Z has been announced. The CR-Z Sport will start from £20,550 and the CR-Z GT will cost £23,050. So Honda revealed back in September that they’re giving the CR-Z a bit of a facelift for 2013, the main focus is on the running gear where Honda has upped the output of the 1.5 litre i-VTEC engine and attached electric motor to deliver 135bhp and changed the battery pack to a Lithium Ion one instead of the old  Nickel-metal hybrid.

Show Preview: Frankfurt motor show 2011

The biannual Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung, or the Frankfurt motor show, is again due to take place this September, swapping places with its sister show in Paris. One of the world's largest motor shows – certainly physically – the IAA is held at Frankfurt's Messe complex, and in recent years has been themed, with the last event in 2009 carrying the theme of ‘electrification', with virtually every manufacturer revealing a vehicle using the latest battery technology. Fittingly, the most notable unveil at that show was the BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics Concept, which was easily the most innovative and original car of 2009.

Toyota tests chips that improve hybrid efficiency by 10 percent

Toyota announced on Tuesday that it has developed a new semiconductor, claiming it can boost fuel efficiency in hybrid cars by an impressive 10 percent. The semiconductors manage the flow of electricity through the power-control unit that connects the battery to an electric or hybrid car's motor and generator. The newly developed semiconductors are said to consume only a tenth of the energy of today's chips, while allowing the power-control unit to be 80 percent smaller.