Mtu/detroit Diesel Mercedes-benz Cylinder Head - R15 R 15 Core B on 2040-parts.com

Future products: Kia seeks lively, upscale look

Kia's redesigned Optima sedan and the Cadenza replacement for the Amanti, both due next year, reflect an emphasis on creating a livelier and more upscale look for the once-bland brand. Indeed, styling has been a crucial element of Kia's new-product push in the past 18 months. The team at Kia Design Center America near Los Angeles--part of the automaker's global design network led by onetime Audi design chief Peter Schreyer--has helped set the new styling direction.

McLaren MP4-12 650S hits the Web ahead of official Geneva reveal

Images of the new McLaren MP4-12 650S have leaked to the Internet ahead of a planned unveiling for the British supercar at the Geneva Motor Show in early March. Created in response to customer demand for an edgier version of the McLaren MP4-12C offering greater levels of driver engagement, the 650S runs a more heavily tuned version of McLaren's twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8 direct-injection engine producing a claimed 25 hp more than the variant used by standard sibling for a total of 641 hp (as its name suggests 650 ps -- metric hp). Further details remain scarce ahead of the MP4-12C 650S's official public unveiling in Switzerland two weeks from now, although information passed on to prospective customers at a private presentation of the new two-seater held last week suggest it is also in line to receive a series of modifications to its seven-speed dual clutch gearbox, suspension, steering, brakes and aerodynamics -- all aimed at providing it with a more aggressive nature and added racetrack ability.

New Ford Mustang: First right-hand-drive Mustang built

New Ford Mustang: First right-hand-drive Mustang built The new Ford Mustang, unlike Mustangs in the past, will be sold in the UK in right-hand-drive (and in other RHD markets too), and that has now got closer with the reveal of the first RHD Mustang (above) to roll out of a Ford production plant. Ford has already taken orders for the first 130 UK spec RHD Mustangs during the UEFA Champions League final back in May, when 500 new Mustangs were offered as a high-profile way to kick off sales of the new Mustang in Europe. The Mustang is available for the UK in RHD as either a Fastback or Convertible and a choice of either a 420bhp V8 or 2.3 litre EcoBoost with 324bhp, with a standard spec that includes Ford’s SYNC 2, Park Assist, Leather and 19″ alloys.