Denso 234-4256 Oxygen Sensor-oe Style Oxygen Sensor on 2040-parts.com

Demise of kei cars on the horizon?

The kei car has long been a staple of the Japanese automobile industry and its car culture. Too diminutive for Western markets, the tiny cars and trucks are a strong influencer of design in Japan. Now, as The New York Times reports, the Japanese government has hit kei cars with increases in sales tax, gasoline prices and has reduced the kei car tax break introduced to make the cars popular in the first place by 50 percent.

Audi A3 E-tron concept (2011) first official pictures

This is the Audi A3 E-tron concept, just unveiled alongside the new Q3 SUV at the 2011 Shanghai motor show. It’s Audi’s second A3 concept car in the space of two months – the first was a 402bhp super saloon, but this is a little more eco-conscious, with a plug-in hybrid powertrain – but both preview how the next A3 will look. Does this new Audi A3 E-tron concept still use the first concept's turbocharged 2.5-litre five-pot engine?

Geneva auto show: Mazdaspeed 3 set for debut

Hot on the heels of the recently introduced 2010 Mazda 3, the guys from Hiroshima are planning to show the performance-focused Mazdaspeed 2 version at the Geneva motor show in March. Details remain scarce, but the company has announced that the 2.3-liter direct-injection turbocharged four-cylinder will continue to power the range-topping model. No performance numbers were released.