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Nissan’s new lightweight philosophy revealed

The leaked official drawings of the new Nissan Micra might have revealed the conventional styling of the company’s new supermini, but they gave little clue to the dramatically lightweight new platform that underpins it. The new Micra will be significantly lighter and more fuel efficient than the outgoing car due to a ruthless pursuit of weight reduction on the new V-platform (V = versatile), which on average has slashed 50kg from the new car's weight, and up to 70kg on some models. Project leader Noritaka Tsuru described the new package as a 'breakthrough car' that required a complete 'change in mentality' in how Nissan makes cars.

Last 2013 MINI leaves the production line to make way for the new 2014 MINI

The last 2013 MINI rolls off MINI’s production line It’s only ten days since the all new 2014 MINI was revealed, but already production of the current MINI – launched in 2006 – has ended at MINI’s production plant in Oxford. It’s hard to believe, but the current generation of the MIN I has sold over 1 million around the globe in the seven years since it launched, and the BMW MINI – since its re-birth in 2001 – has shifted a grand total of 1,863,289 MINI hatches and 2.4 million MINIs have been built in Oxford since 2001. When the current, 2nd generation BMW MINI, was launched in 2006, it brought with it new turbocharged engines and suspension tweaks to make sure the then ‘new’ MINI continued to offer all the things that make MINI special, but in a more grow-up way.

Jaguar F-Type: 2013 World Car Design of the Year

The new Jaguar F-Type has been declared 2013 World Car Design of the Year at the New York Auto Show this week. We have to confess we moaned about a few details on  the F-Type when it arrived, and about the price. But we soon realised that, rather than being a pricey alternative to a Porsche Boxster, the new Jaguar F-Type was actually a real alternative to the Aston Martin Vantage – turning it in to something of a bargain offering.