Genuine Ae86 Levin Trueno Front Window Molding on 2040-parts.com

Dacia won’t build a car smaller than the Sandero

The Dacia Sandero (pictured) will remain Dacia’s smallest model In austere times, budget buys sell. Which is why Dacia is having so much success with its compact Sandero and Duster SUV. With prices on the Sandero starting at just £5,995 and Duster SUV prices as little as £8,995 (although you’ll have to pay £10,995 for a 4WD version), car buyers are buying Dacias as quickly as Renault can build them, with sales in a European market that shrank by 7 per cent last year up by 18 per cent to 90,000 cars for Dacia.

Ford reportedly to shut down Mercury

The Mercury brand, rumored to be on the verge of death several times over the past decade, would be shut down under a plan being prepared for Ford Motor Co.'s board of directors, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. Citing two executives who have knowledge of the plan but asked not to be identified, the news service said the plan would be submitted to Ford's board in July. How quickly Mercury would be shut down depends how quickly the automaker can convince Lincoln Mercury dealers to close or merge with a Ford-brand dealership, the report said.

Porsche 998 (911) caught testing

The current version of the 911 has not long been refreshed, and still has more to deliver. Only the Carrera and Targa have had the facelift so far, and still to come is the Turbo, not to mention the GT3. But Porsche is already a long way down the road with the next generation 911 (998), which is not expected to launch until 2011, as you can see from this spy shot taken in rather chilly Arctic climes.