Rock Products P178 Engine Piston on 2040-parts.com

New car sales soar in 2014

NEW CAR SALES in the UK and most of Europe are up for the first half of 2014 compared to the same period last year. The UK recorded a 10.6% rise in new cars sales against a European average increase of 5.8%. Out of all the countries in the European market, 24 out of 30 showed an upturn in new car sales between January and June 2014.

New Toyota iQ3 launched

Toyota has launched a new version of the iQ - The Toyota iQ3 - with a bigger engine and spec The Toyota iQ3 gets Toyota’s 1.33 litre 98bhp VVT-i engine with Optimal Drive, which Toyota already offer in the Yaris and Auris, and offers 58.9mpg with either the manual ‘box or Toyota’s CVT. But sticking the 1.33 litre engine in to the Toyota iQ3 makes it more than just a city car. With a 0-60mph of 11.8 seconds and a top speed over 100mph, this little Toyota can cope with motorway driving quite well.

Third Tesla Model S catches fire

Update: According to an Automotive News report, "NHTSA said it will contact local authorities about the latest fire 'to determine if there are vehicle safety implications that merit agency action.'" The agency had previously backed away from an investigation after determining that vehicle defects were not to blame for the fire in early October. Just after Tesla Motors reported a $38 million third-quarter loss and within a few weeks of two other car fires, a third Model S sedan reportedly burned on the highway near Smyrna, Tenn. The Tesla Motors Club forum supplied photos of the crash, which occurred around 1:30 Wednesday afternoon, in addition to intense speculation on the cause of the fire.