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

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)?

EcoBoost four-cylinder Ford Taurus certified at 32 mpg highway

For the first time since the 1980s, and let's face it, 1991 was the '80s, Ford will stash a four-cylinder engine in the Taurus sedan. With the four pot underhood, the Taurus will get 32 mpg on the highway. Gas mileage has also improved across the rest of the 2013 Taurus line, with the base car and the SHO model certified at 25 mpg or better on the highway.

New Land Rover Discovery Sport final development testing

The new Land Rover Discovery Sport testing ahead of launch With the new Land Rover Discovery Sport expected to debut at the Paris Motor Show in October – and be on sale in early 2015 – Land Rover are busy testing it through its final development stage. That’s meant some pretty rigorous shakedowns going on, with a total of 181 prototype Discovery Sports covering 750,000 miles and completing 11,000 test at locations around the world, from extremes of hot and cold to all points in between. But instead of just giving us the test numbers, some new photos (above) and new video (below) of the new Disco Sport, Land Rover are taking the opportunity to big up their partnership with Virgin Galactic and the similarities in the two company’s aims and objectives with their projects.