2001 Vw Passat Radio Vwz4z7y5195473 on 2040-parts.com

Lincoln gets own design studio

Ford is creating a dedicated design studio for its luxury brand Lincoln in an ongoing bid to rejuvenate the brand and position it further apart from the core Ford offering. The new design studio will be situated in the Product Development Center in Dearborn, Michigan, with Max Wolff – recruited from Cadillac last year – charged with leading the brand in its revival efforts. Ford has also announced that it will be increasing spending on the brand, giving it unique interiors and powertrains.

Air-powered car edges closer to reality

FANCY a car that runs on thin air? We all would, and Peugeot is almost ready to turn it from science-fiction to science-fact. The firm is ready to actually demonstrate its Hybrid Air technology, where a 208 supermini runs partly on petrol and partly on compressed air, resulting in astonishing fuel economy figures topping 140mpg.

Mercedes-Benz to cut production time, halve number of vehicle architectures

Mercedes-Benz is restructuring its global production network to cut the average production time for its models to 30 hours by 2015 from 43 in 2008. "We have increased productivity by 2 percent a year over the last few years. We will be accelerating our productivity efforts," Mercedes production boss Wolfgang Bernhard said during an investor conference that was part of the automaker's plant opening in Kecskemet, Hungary, on Thursday.