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Chrysler marks 25 years of minivans with special edition

Over at Chrysler, we suppose any good news is worth celebrating, and the production of more than 12 million minivans during the past 25 years is certainly noteworthy. To mark the occasion, Chrysler is introducing the 25th Anniversary Editions of the Chrysler Town & Country and the Dodge Grand Caravan. Both models will feature new interior color combinations, trims, Stow 'n Go seating, UConnect stereo interface and second- and third-row heated seats.

Call for reform over road repair funding

FUNDING patterns mean most road maintenance is being carried out in "less-efficient, cold and wet" times, a report from a Government spending watchdog has said. The current pattern of funding, combined with the need to spend money within the financial year, means that most maintenance work goes on between September and March, said the report from the National Audit Office (NAO). It went on: "Although this is less disruptive for road users, it is less efficient than carrying out the work at other times of year because materials can be more difficult to handle in cold and wet conditions, and daylight hours are shorter." The report went on: "As a result of the additional funding for emergency repairs, which is made available at the end of the financial year, almost all highways authorities need extra capacity from the market at the same time, which makes it less likely that they will get value for money." The NAO report said there was a "lack of predictability" over road spending adding that historically, local highway authorities spent more revenue on maintenance, but were now carrying out fewer routine activities such as clearing gullies which are essential to preventing water seeping into roads' sub-structure.

Nissan to slash jobs, production after forecasting $2.9 billion loss

Reversing his profit forecast to a loss, Nissan Motor Co. CEO Carlos Ghosn entered crisis mode on Monday. Ghosn announced plans to slash 20,000 jobs, cut production by 20 percent, scale back model launches and delay new factories.