Ford reaches agreement to sell Volvo to Geely for $1.8 billion

Ford has reached an agreement to sell its Swedish brand Volvo to Chinese carmaker Geely for about $1.8 billion in a multinational sale expected to close in the third quarter of this year. The pending agreement was announced onSunday morning, and Ford will continue to supply powertrains, stamping and other parts to Volvo after the sale. If it closes, the landmark deal delivers the premium Volvo brand--long a benchmark for automotive safety--to a Chinese firm that has ambitious plans for growth.

Fiat Qubo gets eco:Drive

the Fiat Qubo is now being fitted with eco:Drive - Fiat's economy driving monitor But as all things ‘Eco’ are the name of the game at the moment (which we’re all in favour of – just don’t use ‘Man-Made Climate Change’ as the reason) Fiat are bolting on their eco:Drive system to the Qubo – but don’t worry it will shove the price up if you’re thinking of getting one – it’s a freebie. The Fiat eco-Drive started out with a launch on the Fiat 500 earlier in the year, and is now available on not just the 500, but the Grand Punto and the Bravo. Basically, it’s a USB stick that you plug in to the car which can then be read by software to tell you how badly you’re driving.

Crash test verdict on Corsa and S-Max

By Phil McNamara Motor Industry 25 August 2006 00:01 The new Vauxhall Corsa – set to be one of Britain's best-selling cars – has scored a maximum five stars for occupant safety, in the Euro NCAP crash tests. Ford's new S-Max also got full marks. But their pedestrian protection scores proved far less impressive, when the results of the latest tests were announced today (Friday 25).