2014 MINi Countryman gets a facelift to bring it closer to the new MINI Hatch

The 2014 MINI Countryman (pictured) gets a facelift The MINI that’s far from mini – the MINI Countryman – is getting a bit of a refresh for 2014 with a minor facelift to take it through to an all-new MINi Countryman in 2016. So no, the 2014 Countryman isn’t the big version of the new MINI Hatch, it’s a refreshed version of the current Countryman with some minor tweaks to keep it current. It’s the usual facelift fodder for the Countryman with a new nose incorporating a new grill with big lower scoop, red ‘S’ badges for the quicker models, LED fog lights, new alloys and underbody guards for the All4 4WD versions.

2012 Ford Focus gets force-adjustable airbags

The redesigned 2012 Ford Focus will use front and side airbags designed to tailor the deployment force to the seat occupant. Ford expects that the new airbags will reduce the chances of people being injured by a bag deployment. The 2012 Focus, which goes on sale next spring, will be the first Ford vehicle to use the new airbags.

Volvo plans to polish its image with styling, high-tech engines

Volvo's brand image is stuck somewhere between "premium" and "luxury," but the Swedish automaker aims to move further upscale with a fresh design language and a new generation of vehicles powered by more fuel-efficient engines. New mid-sized and large models will begin arriving in 2014 based on Volvo's lightweight SPA platform. The vehicles will use Volvo's coming generation of smaller four-cylinder engines.