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Ford to make three-cylinder EcoBoost engine, eight-speed transmission

UPDATED: Ford is taking a look at the powertrain of its future, and in a nutshell, it's going to be small--at least under the hood. That's because the Blue Oval is preparing a 1.0-liter, three-cylinder EcoBoost engine, claimed to be the smallest engine the company has ever built. Ford says this baby EcoBoost will offer output comparable to a normally aspirated 1.6-liter, four-cylinder powerplant.

Jaguar XE full price & specs revealed – costs from £26,995 to £44,870

Jaguar XE full price & specs revealed – costs from £26,995 to £44,870 The new Jaguar XE had a glitzy London launch last month, but all we really got was the XE S; the lesser models were kept under wraps until the Paris Motor Show debut. But now that’s upon us we get full UK specs and prices for a car that will be the make or break of Jaguar, certainly in terms of becoming a real challenger to the German triumvirate and moving from niche maker to proper global player in the Premium market. And Jaguar are obviously feeling pretty bullish about the XE, because instead of offering it at a discount to their main challenger – the BMW 3-Series – they’ve actually come in at a bit of a premium.

Volkswagen plans 4 million cars from one platform

Volkswagen is pushing the global-platform concept to a level unprecedented in the auto industry, introducing a modular platform this summer that eventually will be the basis of microcars, sedans, crossovers and SUVs for its four largest brands. While automakers now share platforms across brands and sometimes even segments, the VW initiative that starts this summer is far more ambitious than anything seen so far. By 2017, some analysts estimate, the MQB platform that debuts with the Audi A3 eventually will be used in 4 million units a year--close to half of VW's annual production.