Ford to triple production of EcoBoost engines by 2015

Ford EcoBoost Engine production to increase In another clear sign of engine downsizing by car makers Ford has announced it will triple production of its EcoBoost engines in Europe by 2015. The petrol engine is fighting back against hybrids and diesels with downsizing and forced induction creating petrol engines that work more pleasingly than  diesels – and with lower particulate emissions – whilst delivering proper performance and levels of economy that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. Ford is in the vanguard of this mainstream push to make petrol engines relevant even in a car world dictated by government CO2 targets (which aren’t really CO2 targets , they’re official economy targets) and they’re planning to triple production of their very good range of EcoBoost engines in Europe over the next three years.

Next generation MINI Countryman to arrive in 2016

The next generation MINI Countryman to arrive in 2016 (current model pictured) We’ve recently had the arrival of the all new MINI, and the next year or so will see the roll-out of a succession of takes on the new MINI. But that process of building a MINI for every possible niche won’t complete until the MINI Countryman (and its coupe sibling, the MINI Paceman) are replaced. That now looks likely to happen in 2016 as, according to Automotive News, BMW is to end production of the MINI Countryman and Paceman at Magna Steyr in Austria in 2016 and move production of the Countryman and Paceman to Oxford and the new MINI Plant in the Netherlands.

Tesla Model S starts at $57,400, tops out at $92,400 when sales start in 2012

Tesla Motors Inc., the U.S. electric-car maker that plans to build a rechargeable sedan in California, said a top-of-the-line version of the Model S will cost as much as $92,400 when it goes on sale in 2012. Tesla released detailed prices, features and options for the Model S sedan Dec.