1957 Johnson 35 Sea Horse Prop on 2040-parts.com

Marchionne, Fiat execs tighten grip on Chrysler under unified management team

Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat S.p.A. and Chrysler Group LLC, will retain oversight of the two automakers in North America under a single management team dominated by Fiat-bred executives. Four regional chiefs will be in charge of Fiat and Chrysler operations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia effective Sept.

Volvo makes breakthrough in battery tech

Volvo has developed a new way of ‘storing’ energy for its future electric vehicles. The Swedish firm is exploring the concept of lightweight structural energy storage components made from carbonfibre, containing “nano structured batteries and super capacitors.” This technology is said to offer a lighter, more compact solution to the problem of energy storage, potentially removing the need for the heavy, bulky batteries used in current electric vehicles. On Bing: see pictures of the Volvo S80 Find out how much a used Volvo S80 costs on Auto Trader The investigation into the new technology is part of an EU-funded research project, undertaken by Volvo – the only major car manufacturer involved – and nine other organisations.

Who's Where: BMW announces personnel changes in top design positions

BMW's latest internal reshuffle has seen Domagoj Dukec appointed as head of exterior design, Martina Starke as head of color and material design and Oliver Heilmer as head of interior design. Dukec, a Pforzheim graduate, has previously worked for Volkswagen and Citroën where he played a key role in developing a new Citroën aesthetic with the C4 coupé, C5 Airscape, C5 (Mark II), Hypnos and GQ Concept. Since moving to BMW's exterior design team in 2010 he has been credited with the design of the Concept Active Tourer.