Engine of the Year Winners: Ford 1.0 litre EcoBoost is top dog

Ford’s 1.0 Litre EcoBoost wins Engine of the Year 2013 If anything is going to overturn the received wisdom that all small cars should come with a diesel engine, it’s Ford’s 1.0 litre EcoBoost engine. Torquey, lively and frugal, the 1.0 litre EcoBoost engine is a little marvel, a fact recognised for the second year running by the judging panel for the Engine of the Year Awards,  which has given the 1.0 litre EcoBoost the highest ever marks in the award’s fifteen year history. A total of 87 car journalists from 35 countries were hugely impressed with the power, torque and small size of the Ford engine, with one journalist, Peter Lyon, commenting: “Who’d have believed it?

Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer costs from £25,349

The Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer (pictured) costs from £25,349 If you’ve been having sleepless nights since July wondering how much does the Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer cost, fret no more. It starts from £25,349 in the UK. Which is not too terrible at all.

Karmann-Ghia Coupé redesigned by Brazilian students

The winners of the Karmann-Ghia Brazilian student competition to design a modern interpretation of its classic Volkswagen Karmann-Ghia Coupé have been revealed. Over almost 60 years the German-Italian company has become an important supplier of car bodies and tooling in Brazil, but the market has lacked a model carrying the Karmann-Ghia badge since the '70s. The original coupé, which inspired the contest, was launched in Brazil in 1962 and remained in the market for 10 years before it was replaced by the Volkswagen SP – considered the first car completely developed in the country.