2014 Ford Fiesta gets three-cylinder EcoBoost power

Ford confirmed Monday its three-cylinder 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine will arrive next year in the 2014 Ford Fiesta. The unit is expected to achieve an output of about 123 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque. The Blue Oval says the engine has a higher specific output than any engine in its stable.

Ram introduces CNG-powered pickup

Aside from the Honda Civic Natural Gas, compressed-natural-gas-powered vehicles have usually been converted after the fact, generally for fleet use. Chrysler is hoping to carve out a niche in the corporate-pickup segment by selling a factory-built CNG Ram 2500 that can seamlessly switch over to gasoline operation when the natural-gas tanks run dry. The twin 4.6-cubic-foot CNG tanks (which store the equivalent of 18.2 gallons of gas) take up a section of the bed, while an eight-gallon gasoline tank provides fuel during start-up and then reserve capacity when the compressed tanks are tapped out, allowing the bruiser a measure of operational flexibility.

MINI Paceman arrives

The MINI Paceman Concept - a MINI Countryman Coupe   It’s been at least a week since MINI announced a new model or limited edition. And there’s still a pair of MINIs waiting in the wings to be launched – the MINI Roadster and MINI Coupe. But that hasn’t stopped MINI coming up with yet another MINI – the MINI Paceman – which will debut at the Detroit Motor Show.