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Adaptive steering for big Fords arrives on new Edge

By Tim Pollard Motoring Issues 30 May 2014 17:43 Ford today announced all its future large cars will have adaptive steering as standard - letting reps flick their wrists on the way in to the Welcome Break on the M4, yet tip their fingers when changing lanes on the London orbital. It's a further sign that what was once the high-tech preserve of the German brands is now firmly in the mainstream. BMW was one of the brands which pioneered variable-ratio power steering; in essence, it changes the ratio between the driver's inputs at the wheel and the rate at which turns are made at the rack.

Kia recalls 7,000 cars

KIA IS recalling more than 7,000 of its UK models due to a possible seatbelt problem. The recall affects 5,787 Sportage models and 1,432 Soul vehicles and concerns a possible fault with the vehicle's seatbelt pre-tensioner. Kia said that although it was not aware of any injuries resulting from this possible fault, discovered as a result of monitoring of customer vehicles, it was concerned that some pre-tensioners might not work properly due to a faulty piston within the mechanism.

Are GM planning to shut Vauxhall for good?

Could General Motors (GM) be planning to close Vauxhall down for good as they seek an answer to huge losses in Europe. General Motors has had its share of problems in the last few years, not least the bailout needed to save it from bankruptcy in the US. That US bailout has seen GM return to profit in the US, but GM Europe continues to be a big hole in its accounts as the European car market continues to struggle with over capacity and a lack of buyers for traditional mainstream cars.