Confederate Motors B120 Wraith Sales Brochure. on 2040-parts.com

Mitsubishi revamps U.S. strategy

Mitsubishi plans a different U.S. model lineup and a new production strategy for its assembly plant in Normal, Ill., as it shifts emphasis away from regionally focused vehicles to global small cars, hybrids and electrics. Shinichi Kurihara, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors North America, says the company will launch four new models in the United States within three years, as four slow-selling U.S.-built vehicles are phased out of production by 2014.

Ford Fiesta eWheelDrive gets wheel hub electric motors

The Ford Fiesta eWheelDrive – a driveable research vehicle built by Ford and German specialists Schaeffler – may be a regular supermini in size, but it points towards a potential future EV which is much more compact and very manoeuvrable. Ford has taken a regular Fiesta and dumped its powertrain, replacing it with a battery bank where the engine would be and fitted a pair of in-hub electric motors on the rear wheels. But the plan is to build new cars with the batteries under the floor which frees up the space under the bonnet which can then be all but removed to create a very compact urban car that still has space for four.

Call for Entries: Nissan Design Europe 'East meets West' exhibition

Nissan Design Europe has announced that it will be participating to the 2009 London Design Festival, but the Japanese automaker will not be showing a new vehicle. From September 23rd to the 25th, Nissan Design Europe will open its doors and become a creative hub hosting arts and design displays and seminars as well as leading a series of tours of the facility. Under the theme of 'East meets West: the cultural crossroads of creativity', the exhibition aims to celebrate the cross-pollination of creative industries in London, and the Japanese automaker will open some areas of its Paddington-based design studio for installations from other artists and designers.