Mercury Propeller 48-32746-21 on 2040-parts.com

Carlos Ghosn's automaker mantra: Go big or you'll go away

Size matters in auto company survival, Renault and Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn told an audience in Detroit on Tuesday. To cope with the escalating costs and scope of a global industry, successful automakers must complete a trifecta--be able to compete in every technology, every market and every segment, Ghosn said during a luncheon speech at the Detroit Economic Club “No 3 million-unit carmaker can make it,” Ghosn said, explaining why his Renault-Nissan alliance forged an alliance with Germany's Daimler AG. Competency in one or two of the three skills is not enough, and only very large companies can afford all three, he said.

Ford F-150 SVT Raptor gets turned into 'The Beast'

Looks like we've got ourselves a good ol' fashioned truck horsepower war brewing. Hot on the heels of the debut of the Chevrolet Silverado-based Reaper by Lingelfelter and the Callaway-tuned Chevrolet Silverado, German tuner Geiger has brought out their version of the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor dubbed "The Beast." Apparently, the company felt that the standard Raptor just didn't produce enough power, but their take on the already mental truck is slightly different from Hennessey's approach. Geiger has added a 2.9-liter supercharger to the 6.2-liter V8, bringing the horsepower output up from 411-hp to 572-hp.

Peugeot 308 Wagon Announced

FRENCH car maker Peugeot has released the first details of the latest addition to its recently launched 308 range. Following on from the five-door hatchback, the firm is to launch an estate variant called the SW in the spring. Peugeot claims class leading load space plus a flat floor and the ability to fold the seats with a single action from inside the boot.