Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

Shake-up at Tesla; a dozen UK orders

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 16 October 2008 11:22 Electric car start-up Tesla is restructuring its US operation and laying off around 100 staff, as the credit crunch continues to make life difficult for car companies big and small. It’s now on its fourth CEO in 12 months, as founder Elon Musk takes over from Ze’ev Drori. In an announcement on the chief exec’s blog, Tesla Motors said it would be ‘cash-flow positive’ within six to nine months – but only by increasing production and cutting operating costs.

Top Gear: The worst car…in the world (+video)

With Top Gear on its holidays until 2013 because the schedules are full, and Hammond playing Bond, May & Clarkson do the worst cars…in the world. It’s a strange Autumn on BBC2 when we don’t have a Top Gear series at 8pm on a Sunday evening. But that’s because the schedules are full with everything from Strictly to X Factor via Celebs in the Jungle.

GM closes UK Advanced Design Studio

CDN has learnt that General Motors is closing its UK Advanced Design Studio as part of its ongoing restructuring program. Clay Dean, GM's executive director of advanced global design and Cadillac's brand director, arrived at the studio on 4 August to announce the closure to staff. The UK studio, which opened in 1999, was predominantly involved in the creation of Cadillac concept cars and was originally planned to be a short-term confidential operation as the smallest of GM's design studios.