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

Tesla ‘drops’ entry-level Model S. But was it ever going to be available?

The 40kWh version of the Tesla Model S is being dropped by Tesla in the US, but we do wonder if Tesla ever had any intention of delivering it in the first place. Tesla’s big claim ahead of the arrival of the, very impressive, Model S – and a seemingly vital part of the US taxpayer funding Tesla to develop the Model S – was that they would deliver a car that cost under $50k, something the car industry thought impossible. But when the Model S was launched, Tesla did indeed have an entry-level model available with a 4okWh battery that was listed at $58,750 (taking it almost down to the $50k mark after the US taxpayer chipped in the EV bribe) so Elon Musk could, quite reasonably, claim Tesla had delivered.

Nissan Juke: New Photos

New photo gallery of the Nissan Juke below The push to get Nissan’s compact crossover – the Nissan Juke – in to car buyers’ sights will be ramping up over the coming months as Nissan tries to make the Juke as big a surprise success as its big brother – the Nissan Qashqai. The Qashqai almost single handed created a new niche, and the Nissan Juke looks to us as if it has every chance of doing the same. To our surprise – when we published the UK prices for the Nissan Juke this week – we discovered that the starting price was coming in at less than £13k, pitching the Juke against cars like the Ford Fiesta and VW Polo.

Alan Mulally spells out the future

Ford CEO Alan Mulally is famously on-message, handing out business-card-size versions of his business plan to all and sundry, including his “One Ford” mantra. “One Ford” covers a lot of ground, but it's shorthand for Ford becoming a single entity where the right hand knows what the left hand is doing. It's close kin to the concept of building global product platforms that spread costs for product development and parts over the greatest possible volume.