New 2015 Skoda Fabia PROPERLY revealed – debuts at 2014 Paris Motor Show

The new Skoda Fabia (pictured) has been revealed The new Skoda Fabia tease started in July and now, ahead of a reveal at the Paris Motor Show in October, Skoda has taken the wraps off the new Fabia. The new Fabia is based on the new VW Polo and grows by a substantial 90mm in width – with all the additional interior elbow room that offers – and drops by 30mm in height, both of which conspire to make the new Fabia look wider, lower and more purposeful. With influences from the Vision C Concept, the new Fabia gets a contoured bonnet and a grill edged in chrome, wide-set fogs, a heightened waistline for added length and a set of angular headlights.

Ford reportedly to shut down Mercury

The Mercury brand, rumored to be on the verge of death several times over the past decade, would be shut down under a plan being prepared for Ford Motor Co.'s board of directors, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. Citing two executives who have knowledge of the plan but asked not to be identified, the news service said the plan would be submitted to Ford's board in July. How quickly Mercury would be shut down depends how quickly the automaker can convince Lincoln Mercury dealers to close or merge with a Ford-brand dealership, the report said.

Volvo, Geely working on shared architecture

Geely and its Volvo ward are working at developing a new compact car architecture that will be shared by both companies. For Volvo, this means a smaller luxury car, possibly a few. The platform will be modular, as is practically required in this day and age, ready to underpin different body styles or—if need be—an entirely new lineup.