General Motors is planning to build a new SUV from 2015 at its Rüsselsheim plant in Germany. The new model is likely to be based on the Zafira Tourer MPV. The German plant aready produces the Insignia and the Zafira Tourer.
A third of all Ford engines are built at the company's Dunton Technical Centre, Essex, UK boss Mark Ovenden has revealed. A number of next-gen engines, including a 2.0-litre turbodiesel and the new 1.5-litre EcoBoost, will also be built here. Ford's European arm remains troubled, however, losing £980 million last year.
Volkswagen is working on an all-new, narrow-angle VR6 engine. Senior sources have confirmed development is underway, with the new engine primarily destined for the Volkswagen Tiguan and Crossblue SUV in the US. The fifth-generation of the engine was hinted at in last year’s Design Vision GTI Golf concept, in 500bhp twin-turbo form.
BMW is preparing a four-cylinder 720d version of the all-new 7-series. It’s not known whether this relatively small engine will have electrical assistance via a standard-fit hybrid transmission, or whether it will get twin turbochargers and a nine-speed automatic gearbox, which should allow brisk off-the-line performance. The new 7-series will launch late next year.
The long-lost first-ever Porsche has been rediscovered. The electric Egger-Lohner C2 model, dubbed P1, had 3hp and was built by Ferdinand Porsche in 1898. The model is now on display at Porche's museum in Stuttgart, having been discovered in a warehouse where it has supposedly sat since 1902.
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Good to hear the 6 pot motor
I am sure a 6 pot could manage the EU test OK with the VW cylinder deactivation technology they use on the 1.4, making it do the test as a 3 pot.