Direct injection. Just about every car has it now, and those that don’t probably will in the next few years. It can add power, reduce emissions, and is a big part of why just about everybody is ...

The other day I dropped my car off at a European specialist shop, and while I was there, a technician was working in the engine bay of a Mk7 Golf R, cleaning out carbon deposits off the intake valves.

While significant sooty black deposits—and even, occasionally, visible puffs coming from the tailpipe—used to be a sign your gasoline car needed a tune-up, they’re a normal fact of life with many ...

It's an amazing time when there's new technology in the industry as it forces a new rivalry in speed parts, and direct-injection is firmly in the high-performance arena whether anyone likes it or not.

However, not all innovations are equal, and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early ...