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Ford warms up new era of car-guy leaders

A minor temblor shook Dearborn, Mich., today with the announcement that Mark Fields, president of the Americas, climbed the golden corporate ladder to grab the chief operating officer ring, setting him up to succeed Alan Mulally in a couple of years. The move did not come as a shock-it only confirmed the whispers of auto industry Royal Watchers. The biggest news for those who care about cars, however, is two-fold: Jim Farley, Ford's global marketing boss, also takes the helm of Lincoln.

All-new Ford F-150 revealed at 2014 Detroit Motor Show

Ford has revealed an all-new version of the States' bestselling vehicle, the F-150 pick-up – and in a world first, the US favourite boasts an all-aluminium body and lightweight, high-strength steel frame. The new Ford F-150 is more than 300kg lighter than the model it replaces and, thanks to four engine choices including an all-new downsized 2.7-litre EcoBoost turbo, is much more fuel efficient too. Given that Ford sold a staggering 763,402 F-150s in 2013 alone, these changes will have a very positive effect in terms of the new model's environmental impact.

Volkswagen Brands – enough for now

VW boss Martin Winterkorn says Volkswagen has enough brands Volkswagen seems to be on a world domination plan. Audi is expanding with every passing day and the VW Group (Auto Union to be) has an unrivalled list of brands under its umbrella, including Audi, SEAT, Skoda, Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti and of course VW itself. It also recently effectively took control of Porsche (after the failed efforts by Porsche to take control of VW) and has just announced a near 20% stake in Suzuki.