Warn Warn 61149 Super Duty Bracket Kit on 2040-parts.com

Aston Martin make Nissan’s Andy Palmer their new CEO

Andy Palmer (pictured) is taking the reins at Aston Martin Lagonda Aston Martin has effectively been without a boss since Ulrich Bez stepped down from the role last year, but that changes with the announcement that Andrew Palmer – until now, Chief Planning Officer of Nissan – is to step in to the role. There’s no specific start date for Andy Palmer at Aston, but Nissan has announced that Philippe Klein will take up Palmer’s role at Nissan on 15 September, so it shouldn’t be long before Palmer holds the reins at Aston Martin. But what exactly has persuaded Andy Palmer to jump from a big corporate behemoth like Nissan to a struggling luxury car maker with owners who either want to tug the operating strings (the Kuwaitis) or are looking for a quick return (Investindustrial)?

Hyundai i10 i-Blue for 2010

The Hyundai i10 i-Blue is based on the Hyundai i10 Blue CNG concept (above) So where are Hyundai off to now with their ‘best budget buy’ cars? They’re off down the 3-pot road, with the introduction in the New Year of the Hyundai i10 i-Blue - an 800cc three-pot engined car that should give crackingly good economy and emissions. Based on the 2008 Hyundai i10 Blue CNG Concept that was shown at the Geneva Motor Show in 2008, its 800cc, turbo-charged three-cylinder engine should be good for 90bhp and slip in to the free VED bracket, with less than 100g/km CO2 emissions.

The Britalian Job: MINI remakes the Italian Job for London 2012

MINI has done a remake of the Italian Job – dubbed the ‘Britalian Job – to celebrate the London 2012 Olympics. MINI always turns up interesting promo videos (not always good, but always interesting) so with BMW sponsoring the London 2012 Olympics it’s no surprise they’ve had their camcorders out. The result is something MINI are calling the ‘Britalian Job’, an homage to the classic 1960s Italian Job with the original Mini and starring Michael Caine and Noel Coward (and Benny Hill), although in truth it’s more like an homage to the later version with Charlize Theron.