West Marine Crew Fan on 2040-parts.com

Redesigned Ford Focus expected to get 40 mpg on the highway

The redesigned 2012 Ford Focus will get an estimated 40 mpg in highway driving with an all-aluminum 2.0-liter engine mated to a six-speed, dual-dry-clutch automatic transmission. The normally aspirated engine combines variable camshaft timing and high-pressure direct fuel injection to crank out 160 hp and 146 lb-ft of torque. That compares with 140 hp and 136 lb-ft from the aluminum 2.0-liter engine used in the current-generation Focus.

Mini is 50: a Mini celebration by CAR writers and readers

By Tim Pollard Motoring Issues 13 October 2009 12:45 Mini is 50 this year and we've published a 33-page Mini special in the new November issue of CAR Magazine – packed with memories, drives and analysis of and with the cars and people that made Mini great.  Here we've asked some of CAR's top writers to remember their personal highlights from the past five decades. Gavin Green explains why he recently drove across Australia in a modern Mini, while Anthony ffrench-Constant recalls why crashing a classic Mini caused him to start a lifelong nicotine habit. Click on the links below for our new Mini stories – and don't forget we want YOUR Mini memories too.

Frankfurt auto show: Mercedes-Benz previews the electric B-class

Mercedes-Benz revealed an electric-powered B-class with range-extending capabilities at the Frankfurt motor show. This rounds out the company's line of standard gasoline- and diesel-engine versions in the second generation of the multipurpose fiver-seater. Set to go on sale in selected markets in 2013, the B-class E-cell Plus is propelled by a 136-hp electric motor that draws electricity from a lithium-ion battery mounted low within the car's MFA platform structure.