1 New 205 65 15 Nexen Cp641 Tire on 2040-parts.com

Tracker launches ‘My Tracker’ & opens up a whole new market

If you have a car that costs a bit more than average, you’ve probably been told you need to fit a Tracker if you want to get it insured, so the insurance company has a fighting chance of recovering your car in quick sticks if a light-fingered lout makes off with your pride and joy. It’s a clever system that uses hidden sensors to track the car’s movements and helps the police find your car when it’s been stolen. And it’s a good business for Tracker, who have demonstrated the recovery rate of stolen vehicles is far higher when their system is fitted which means a ready market when insurance companies insist it’s fitted to high value cars.

New Range Rover gets Bridge of Weir Leather

The new Range Rover (2013) is getting its sumptuous leather interior courtesy of Bridge of Weir Low Carbon Leathers Land Rover’s supplier of choice for the Range Rover’s leather is Bridge of Weir Leather Company, part of the Scottish Leather Group and a privately owned Scottish Company that just happens to be the UK’s only automotive leather manufacturer (although they may need to rephrase that in a couple of years if Alex Salmond gets his way). The big shout is that Bridge of Weir’s leathers are low carbon, but what’s more interesting than the trendy (and, some would say, pointless) shout out is just how efficient Bridge of Weir are. The Bridge of Weir factory has its own Thermal Energy Plant which provides 70 per cent of its needs (and will provide it all by 2015) and all the waste products are recycled instead of being discarded.

New Ford Mondeo to get new 1.5 litre EcoBoost engine

The new EcoBoost engine will also be turning up in the Ford Fusion for North America, but the UK and Europe are going to have to wait until at least the end of 2014 – when we get the new Mondeo - before the new engine is on offer. The 1.5 litre EcoBoost offers improved economy and emissions compared to the 1.6 litre currently available  - with similar power, performance and torque compared –  but one of the main reasons for offering it is that many countries offer tax breaks for engines under 1.5 litres. The new engine will be built by Ford In Romania initially (although it will get churned out elsewhere too in due course) and offers turbocharging, direct fuel injection and variable valve timing.