How the Nissan Qashqai reinvented the family car

The 2014 Nissan Qashqai (above) arrived in showrooms this week, but will the second-generation model be as groundbreaking as the first? Inevitably, the all-new Qashqai looks very similar to the outgoing model, but why change a winning formula? The original Qashqai was, arguably, the most successful new family car launch since the original Volkswagen Golf from 1974. And it came out of the blue, because Nissan was perhaps the last company anyone would have expected to come up with such a revolutionary design.

Fisker about to be bought by Volvo’s Chinese owner Geely?

It’s reported that China’s Geely – which bought Volvo from Ford – is about to take a majority stake in Fisker Automotive. But Fisker has run in to big problems when its battery supplier - A123 Systems – went bust leading to Fisker production grinding to a halt. That has now been resolved with China’s Wanxiang Group buying up A123 Systems and it looks like Fisker is heading East too with Geely set to grab a majority shareholding.

Mullin Museum 'opens,' still no public date

The Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, Calif., "opened" Thursday night with a gala Art Deco affair that did splendid justice to the beautiful cars, photos and furniture inside. Models dressed in period costume with period 'dos draped themselves over what are arguably the world's most beautiful Bugattis, Delages, Delahayes, Talbot-Lagos, Voisins and Hispano-Suizas. Similarly clad guests strolled about the perfect period decor, perfect right down to the Art Deco pillars holding up the ecologically friendly roof.