1990-1993 Toyota Celica Leather (front) Seats Cover on 2040-parts.com

Transport recovering after storm

ROAD NETWORKS are slowly getting back to normal after a day of commuter chaos caused by the hurricane-force winds that whipped across the country. All forms of transport were hit by the storm, with the disruption causing morning rush-hour misery to millions. Many roads were impassable due to fallen trees and high winds, with major routes beset by long delays.

Video: GM's Clay Dean on the future of urban mobility

Clay Dean is the star of a new Faces of GM video, Anticipating the Driving Experience of the Future. The global design director for GM's Advanced Design Group, whose job also entails exploring future transportation design solutions, talks about the need to avoid short-term thinking on urban mobility, as by 2030 60 percent of the world's population will live in cities. As new challenges start to emerge, such as increasing congestion, Dean believes it is time to start thinking about transportation in a completely different way.

Mazda confirms new SkyActiv-D 1.5 litre diesel engine for next Mazda2

The next Mazda2, previewed by the Hazumi Concept (pictured) gets a new SKYACTIV 1.5 diesel The Geneva Motor Show this year saw the arrival of the Mazda Hazumi Concept which was the first view of the next generation Mazda2, due to arrive in early 2015. What the Geneva Show also revealed from Mazda was the new SkyActiv-D 1.5 litre diesel engine which is heading for deployment in Mazda’s cars, and now Mazda has confirmed the next Mazda2 will be offered with the new clean and fugal diesel. Similar to the 2.2 litre diesel already available in the Mazda 6 and Mazda 3, the new 1.5 litre offers 103bhp and 185lb/ft of torque and features a bigger homogenous lean burn range, less mechanical resistance and new insulation to improve cooling and efficiency.