1951 Ford Courtesy Interior Light Switch Nice Used Condition Dome on 2040-parts.com

CAR tech: Britain's £1bn auto-industry revolution

By Damion Smy Motor Industry 21 October 2013 09:30 BMW, Jaguar-Land Rover and Nissan are just a handul of the car companies to have seen the potential in British design and engineering. Read on to find out just how they're actually helping Britian fight Germany as the car world's most pivotal auto-industry R&D hub. More than £1billion will be invested in the UK over the next decade to build a hub of design, engineering and manufacturing nous in the automotive equivalent of California’s Silicon Valley.

Ford at CES 2011

Ford has been the automotive darling of the Consumer Electronics Show for several years now. On Friday morning, Ford CEO Alan Mulally made a historic third keynote speech, during which he introduced the new Focus Electric and a host of new supporting technologies, which appear to keep Ford near the top of the technological pack. Two aspects of Ford's approach are interesting.

Kia Niro concept

Kia's Niro concept, which debuts at the upcoming Frankfurt motor show, will hint at a possible B-segment model. Designed at Kia's Frankfurt design studio under the direction of chief designer Europe Gregory Guillaume, Kia says the Niro will feature "intriguing elements not always associated with smaller cars" as well as a mix of contrasting materials. Although full details haven't been released, the pictures show the Niro features triangular headlamps along with Kia's signature ‘tiger nose' grill design and muscular wheelarches.