Saab 9-2 to use MINI platform – if Saab survives

The original Saab 9-2. The new Saab 9-2 will use the current MINI platform Things are still torrid for Saab, with big lumps of downtime at Trollhattan as they struggle to get suppliers to deliver parts when those same suppliers are already owed big chunks of money. The trouble is, not producing cars for much longer is going to leave Saab in between the same rock and a hard place as when GM were procrastinating about who to offload Saab to.

More tech details of Rolls-Royce RR4’s V12

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 23 March 2009 16:23 Rolls-Royce today confirmed a handful of new details for the ‘baby’ Rolls, codenamed RR4 and previewed in the 200EX concept car at the 2009 Geneva motor show. The RR4 will be powered by a unique Rolls 6.6-litre turbocharged V12, producing ‘upwards of 500bhp’, the company disclosed. Drive is sent through an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox.

Michelin Recognizes CCS Student Talent

Five senior students from the Transportation Design Department of the College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit have won prestigious design awards at the 21st Annual Michelin-CCS Design Competition. The creative brief for the competition theme "Electrifying - Beautiful, Innovative and Radiant" required the students to submit electric vehicle design solutions they could realistically envision driving in the year 2020, as well as designs which addressed a specific transportation problem or opportunity. Each student also submitted a separate tire/wheel assembly based on Michelin's Active Wheel technology.