Ford Mondeo facelift (2011): first news and photos

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 25 June 2010 12:40 Ford has just issued these first pictures of the new, facelifted for 2011 Ford Mondeo. The revised Mondeo will be shown at the 2010 Moscow motor show in late August and will arrive in UK showrooms in October 2010.What's new on the 2011 Ford Mondeo?This is the first time we've seen the full-fat 237bhp 2.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine in the Mondeo; a 200bhp version of the same turbo four will also be offered; and a new 198bhp 2.2-litre Duratorq TDCI engine also joins the ranks.The range-topping 237bhp EcoBoost engine has a CO2 rating 179g/km of CO2 and comes with only one transmission option – Ford's twin-clutch Powershift 'box. Finally, Ford is catching up with the rampant roll-out of DSG gearboxes at rival mass-market specialists Volkswagen.Mondeo styling is fettled all round, too, with a more modern iteration of Ford's kinetic design borrowing cues from the S-Max et al for a crisper look.

Design Contest: AutoStyle 2011

The newly renovated Polirone Abbey in San Benedetto Po, Italy, will again play host to the Autostyle design competition on October 6th and 7th. Now in its eighth edition, the event is more than just a design contest; it is also a workshop on the state of the auto industry. Devised by Roberto Artioli, managing director of Berman SpA, an OEM parts and genuine accessories designer and supplier, and Fulvio Cinti, Director of Auto & Design magazine, the event will honor the winners of this year's competition and present a total of five awards to 12 finalists, which have been selected out of 80 applicants from different design schools.

Volkswagen Passat TDI covers 1,626 miles on a single tank of fuel

John and Helen Taylor recently drove a 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI carefully enough to return an unbelievable 84.1 mpg on trip from Houston, Texas, to Sterling, Va. That's 1,626.1 miles on one tank of low-sulfur diesel. That's almost 100 miles better than the old world record.