2in Dominator Adapter on 2040-parts.com

New Nissan X-Trail starts at £22,995. But it’s FWD

The new Nissan X-Trail (pictured) falls in price The styling of the new Nissan X-Trail, which arrived last year at Frankfurt, has eschewed a lot of the boxiness of the old X-Trail and taken on many of the styling cues from the new Nissan Qashqai. And in the process it’s perhaps become ‘softer’. The old X-Trail was more rugged than most modern compact SUVs, but the new X-Trail has arrived with a choice of Front Wheel Drive versions – no doubt aimed at keeping the price down – as well as cuddlier looks.

Ford 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is 2014 International Engine of the Year – again

The new Fiesta Red & Black get the 140 PS Ecoboost Engine of the Year It’s hard to believe that the little 999cc Ford EcoBoost Engine has been around for a few years now, but that hasn’t diminished the edge it has over engines from other car makers as it takes the gong for best international engine for the third year in a row. Remarkably, the 1.0 litre EcoBoost is now offering sterling service across the most unlikely vehicles, with applications in Ford’s range including the Fiesta, Focus, B-MAX, EcoSport, C-MAX and Grand C-MAX, Tourneo Connect, Grand Tourneo Connect, Transit Connect and Transit Courier. And it’ll be turning up in the new Mondeo when that arrives in a few months too.

Ford's automotive assembly line celebrates 100th anniversary

A mere century ago, on Oct. 7, 1913, Henry Ford rigged up a rope tow to get Model T chassis across the floor of his Highland Park assembly plant -- essentially winching cars across the factory floor and adding a set schedule of parts at certain intervals. The implementation may have been a bit primitive, but Ford was on the cusp something big: applying the concepts of the moving assembly line to the complicated, costly process of automobile production.