Mercedes Benz 1994-1995 W124 E-class Euro Headlight Lamps on 2040-parts.com

Nissan to offer zero-emissions e-NV200 commercial van in 2014

We all know that if there's one thing that delivery trucks like to do (UPS trucks excepted), it's to idle loudly in front of your home or office while filling the air with exhaust fumes as their drivers fill out paperwork on one of those metal pads. Scientific opinion around the world is split as to why delivery truck drivers do this, but one generally accepted explanation put forth by a group of Swiss scientists is that delivery truck drivers don't pay for their own fuel, and need to keep the radio on to listen to sports while filling out invoices. Well, Nissan is about to change all that, at least when it comes to eliminating the exhaust fumes generated by light commercial vehicles, with the introduction of the Nissan e-NV200 Zero Emission Van in the near future.

This day in Autoweek history: Driving across France in a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth

Today we relive a drive across France in the Ford Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth with Cynthia Claes. This potent four-door sedan offered rear-wheel drive, a Borg-Warner five-speed manual transmission and a claimed top speed of 150 mph from its turbocharged 2.0-liter, twin-cam four-cylinder engine. Introduced in 1986, the original Sierra saw 5,542 units constructed; 5,000 were needed for homologation in Class A rally competition, its original purpose.

Ferrari ramps up engine-making -- for Maserati

Ferrari is adding 250 workers and expanding its engine-building capacity, even as it says it will cut car production this year at its landmark factory in Maranello, Italy. Why the cause for growth? Ferrari is ramping up its in-house engine operation and will produce more V6 engines, which sister company Maserati will use in the redesigned Quattroporte sedan and the smaller E-segment entry, the Ghibli.