Vintage Berkeley Jet Drive Bm-6171-9 H2317 on 2040-parts.com

Dacia Duster (w/ Video)

Renault's Romanian subsidiary has unveiled the production Duster, a small all-terrain vehicle that the brand plans to launch in the European, Turkish and Maghreb markets. First seen in concept form at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, the Dacia Duster is a response to the unmet need for an economical and affordable off-roader, a category of vehicle the company developed for emerging markets. The Duster is claimed to exude a sense of ruggedness through its high ground clearance, wide wheelarches, imposing grille and body protection.

Concept Car of the Week: Fiat Ecobasic

This week we're celebrating if not the most glamorous then certainly one of the most relevant concept of the last decade, the Fiat Ecobasic. The car was first shown at the 2004 Geneva motor show as Fiat investigated how to replace Giugiaro's ancient but brilliantly utilitarian Panda. The brief was: cheap to produce, cheap to own and friendly to the environment.

MINI Countryman to be built in India

MINI sells worldwide – even in the US – and, despite claims it was a step too far for the brand, the MINI Countryman has been a big hit for MINI, offering as it does most of MINI’s charm but in a bigger, more family friendly package and with the option of All4 4WD for a degree of off-road ability (well, certainly the ability to treat boot sale car parks with disdain). Now, for the first time, BMW is to build the MINI outside Europe with a new MINi assembly facility coming on stream in Chennai, India, where BMW already makes 3 and 5 Series models as well as the X1 and X3. The plan is part of BMW’s plan of ‘Production follows the market’ where BMW aim to make their cars where they’re sold, so with the MINI brand showing strong growth in India since its launch it makes sense to build them there.