Quiet Baffle Shortshots/side on 2040-parts.com

Aston Martin and Mercedes 'to strike €300m deal'

By Georg Kacher Motor Industry 22 October 2008 21:25 CAR Online today lifts the lid on the secret deal – codenamed Romeo and Juliet – being hammered out between Aston Martin and Mercedes-Benz. We have sensational details of the alliance, including a plan for hybrid Aston Martins, the full range of proposed Lagonda models and even a possible DB10 and 4x4 from the Aston Martin Lagonda stable. Back in August 2008, we revealed how the British sports car maker was in talks with the German giant over future cooperation (read our original Aston-Merc scoop here).

Fiat Panda

Fiat is poised to reveal an all-new Panda, the third generation of the successful city car that has been a mainstay in the company's lineup or the last 31 years. The new Panda is an evolutionary design that Fiat claims has ‘reached full maturity'. By drawing inspiration from the most up-to-date trends, the design team has softened the overall look of the car, which measures in a 3650mm in length, 1640mm wide and 1550mm high.

Ford Escape/Kuga

When we spoke with J Mays about the Vertrek concept car at the 2011 NAIAS in Detroit, he told us "this is about 85 per-cent as the production car will look". On viewing these pictures of the new generation Ford Kuga/Escape, it's clear Ford's chief designer was true to his word. It's significant for being the first true product of the company's ‘One Ford' strategy, which harmonizes the American, European and Asian operations, developing singular products for the global market.