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Ken Ma appointed VP Design at Chang'an

Former Shanghai Automotive Technical Center (SATC) design director Ken Ma joined Changan Automobile Group as vice president of the firm's Engineering Research Center late last year. Ma's new role puts him in charge of the Group's global design department, reporting directly to Changan group chairman LiuPin Xu on all design matters. But the move also effectively places him in the highest design position at any mainstream automotive company in China – a breakthrough for the country's automotive design industry.

Twin-turbo Ferrari 458 Italia takes on the Lamborghini LP-700-4 Aventador: Video

Exotic-car tuner Underground Racing from North Carolina prepared a Ferrari 458 Italia with a “bolt-on” twin-turbo system, boosting engine output to 700 hp. For comparison, the tuner matched the blown Ferrari against a Lamborghini LP-700-4 Aventador and its naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12, rated at 700 hp. “We were interested to see how they stacked up against each other after seeing a twin-turbo Gallardo almost get beat by an Aventador,” Underground Racing president Kevin Howeth said.

Green Light For More Smart Motorway Schemes

THE Government has announced plans to speed up journey times on selected parts of the nation’s motorway network. As a result, work will start to convert the hard shoulder into a running lane on two sections of the M1 and on a stretch of the M3. The M1 work will be between junctions 28 and 31 in Derbyshire and between junctions 32 and 35a in South Yorkshire, with claims that it will boost capacity by up to a third and improve journey times by up to 10%.