Hot Octavia now with diesel power

By Phil McNamara Motor Industry 18 August 2006 09:01 A grunty, 170bhp diesel engine will join Skoda's high performance vRS range in September. The engine will be available in the Octavia hatch and estate, priced at £18,370 and £19,200 respectively. The 2.0-litre TDI kicks out 258lb ft, more twist action than a BMW 330i.

Manzoni, Ingenlath and Hildebrand to speak at Auto Design Prague

The fourth annual Auto Design Prague conference will take place on 18 September at the National Technical Library in Prague-Dejvice. The event is open to professionals and the wider public, and will include a program of 10 presentations by designers including vice president of Ferrari design, Flavio Manzoni; Volvo design director Thomas Ingenlath; Jaguar's advanced design director, Julian Thompson, and Qoros head of design, Gert Hildebrand. Flavio Manzoni, Ferrari In addition to the talks, visitors will also be able to sample the wares of conference partners that supply a host of design tools and services, including virtual prototyping software, 3D printers, and prototype construction.

Nissan will recall 908,900 vehicles globally for accelerator sensor glitch

Nissan is planning to recall approximately 908,900 cars globally due to a flaw in the accelerator sensor that can cause the engine to stall, Reuters is reporting. The vehicles included in the recall were produced in Japan between 2004 and 2013, and include the Serena, X-Trail, Lafesta, and Fuga models. For the U.S.