3020907 Oil Filler Cap Pratt Whitney on 2040-parts.com

BMW makes 1,000 workers permanent

AROUND 1,000 agency workers at car giant BMW are to be made permanent employees, guaranteeing job security for years. The change, being made in two phases, was warmly welcomed by the Unite union, describing it as a great Christmas present. The announcement covers workers across a number of BMW sites including the Mini plant in Oxford, pressings plant in Swindon and Hams Hall engine site near Birmingham.

Aston Martin make Nissan’s Andy Palmer their new CEO

Andy Palmer (pictured) is taking the reins at Aston Martin Lagonda Aston Martin has effectively been without a boss since Ulrich Bez stepped down from the role last year, but that changes with the announcement that Andrew Palmer – until now, Chief Planning Officer of Nissan – is to step in to the role. There’s no specific start date for Andy Palmer at Aston, but Nissan has announced that Philippe Klein will take up Palmer’s role at Nissan on 15 September, so it shouldn’t be long before Palmer holds the reins at Aston Martin. But what exactly has persuaded Andy Palmer to jump from a big corporate behemoth like Nissan to a struggling luxury car maker with owners who either want to tug the operating strings (the Kuwaitis) or are looking for a quick return (Investindustrial)?

Mazda brings diesel back to Indy with 6 Skyactiv-D

Diesel has enjoyed great success lately as a racing fuel, but there's one place it hasn't appeared for more than six decades: Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mazda's breaking that dry spell this weekend, when its Mazda 6 Skyactiv-D race car will head to Indy for the Grand-Am race. We like the 6 in both road trim and racing livery, but that previous diesel-powered racer -- the Cummins Diesel Special -- is pretty neat too.