2013 Car Clock In/out Thermomete​r Voltage Monitor Blue/orange Backllt Digital on 2040-parts.com

GM bets on new four-cylinder family in Europe; U.S. plans unclear

General Motors' European subsidiary, Opel, has revealed a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder direct-injection gasoline engine that will be offered from early 2013 across its lineup, starting with the soon-to-be-revealed Astra-based Cascada convertible. The aluminum block unit, the first in a new range of so-called SIDI (spark ignition direct injection) ECOTEC engines, forms the centerpiece of the company's downsizing strategy for displacement. The engine is claimed to have improved torque characteristics and a significant reduction in consumption compared with its predecessor.

One Lap of the Web: Green machines, light-up stars and an upside down Porsche

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. To participate in the 24 Hours of LeMons you not only need a sub-$500 car, but you also have to find a gimmick.

Volkswagen Golf GTE plug-in hybrid revealed ahead of Geneva debut

The VW Golf GTE Plug-in (pictured) debuts at Geneva If you like a quite warm VW Golf with a petrol engine, VW has that covered with the Golf GTI, and if you’d rather burn oil you can do that too with the Golf GTD. But now there’s a third way – the Volkswagen Golf GTE plug-in hybrid. Combining a 1.4 litre TSI turbo petrol with 148bhp and a 101bhp electric motor, the Golf GTE manages a combined output of 201bhp, enough to get to 62mph in 7.6 seconds and return official economy figures of 157mpg and emissions of a paltry 35g/km.