15 Hp Johnson Lower Unit Housing on 2040-parts.com

Subaru XV gets a price cut – down by £1300 on 1.6 litre versions

It wasn’t a bad starting point for an able mid-sized crossover – a high-riding Impreza, in all but name –  but it wasn’t the cheapest offering in the class. But now, with the Yen being a bit kinder to Japanese car makers, Subaru has decided to nudge the price a bit lower to start the XV range off below £20k for the first time. The price drop for the XV only applies to the 1.6 litre petrol versions, but you can now get the entry-level XV 1.6i S for a more affordable £19,995 rising to £23,415 for the XV 1.6i SE with the Lineartronic gearbox, reductions across the range of £1300.

Hyundai Veloster Turbo R planned?

The rumours are growing that Hyundai is preparing a Veloster Turbo R with more power than the regular Veloster turbo. We still haven’t seen the Hyundai Veloster Turbo arrive in the UK (although it’s not far off) yet the rumours are already growing that Hyundai are preparing a more powerful Turbo ‘R’ version. Motor Authority have been chatting with Hyundai in the US who seem to be saying there’s room for the Veloster Turbo to get more powerful and more dynamic.

New Ford Kuga production increased to meet strong demand

Ford has revealed that it having to increase production of the new Kuga by 10 per cent at its Valencia Plant to meet strong demand. We reported in February that Ford were chuffed with sales of the new Kuga - especially as almost all buyers were opting for ‘premium’ versions – with orders for almost 2,000 in the UK just weeks after the Kuga went in to production in Spain, and sales across Europe for the Kuga up 27 per cent year on year. So Ford is now doing the only thing they can to deal with the burgeoning sales of the Kuga and are upping production in Valencia by 10 per cent, and now expect to build 100,000 new Kugas this year for Europe alone.