on 2040-parts.com

Ford Fiesta eWheelDrive gets wheel hub electric motors

The Ford Fiesta eWheelDrive – a driveable research vehicle built by Ford and German specialists Schaeffler – may be a regular supermini in size, but it points towards a potential future EV which is much more compact and very manoeuvrable. Ford has taken a regular Fiesta and dumped its powertrain, replacing it with a battery bank where the engine would be and fitted a pair of in-hub electric motors on the rear wheels. But the plan is to build new cars with the batteries under the floor which frees up the space under the bonnet which can then be all but removed to create a very compact urban car that still has space for four.

Penske said to be considering bid for GM's Saturn

Roger Penske is considering a bid for General Motors' Saturn brand, a source familiar with the auto entrepreneur's plans said today. Penske is studying the issue but has made no proposals, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Penske, whose Penske Automotive Group dealership chain distributes Daimler AG's Smart microcars in the United States, is the second entity known to have an interest in Saturn.

Nissan GT-R SpecV – UK and Europe launch

The £124,900 Nissan GT-R SpecV for the UK It’s almost a year since Nissan announced the GT-R SpecV for the Japanese market – and ten months since it went on sale – but they’ve just announced a limited run of Nissan GT-R SpecV for the UK and European markets. Just 40 will be produced at a slightly pricey £124,900 – more than twice the price of the Standard Nissan GT-R. If you use anything else as a benchmark for value for performance the GT-R SpecV stacks up.