Acdelco 17d1361c Front Ceramic Pads on 2040-parts.com

AUTO SALES: GM, Ford, Honda, Toyota drag industry to 36% decline

General Motors, Ford Motor Co., American Honda and Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. all reported sales declines of more than 31 percent in December as the U.S. auto industry capped its worst year since 1992.

Peugeot 2008 Crossover: UK price from £12,995

That meant the Urban Crossover Concept from Geneva in 2012 turning in to the new Peugeot 2008 at the start of 2013 – before heading to Geneva 2013 for its public debut – and with that other French car maker, Renault, going a similar route with the Clio-based Captur, it’s clear the French see the future of compact cars moving away from hatchbacks to something more rugged. But unlike the Captur – which was a bit of a disappointing looking Clio on stilts – the Peugeot 2008 does look a more convincing offering, even if it’s a more generic-looking compact SUV than the Nissan Juke and would, for our money, be the pick over the Captur. Peugeot are targeting 8,000 sales a year in the UK for the 2008, and with prices starting at £12,995 and heading up to around £19,000 it seems, if anything, a quite modest target, especially as Peugeot reckons 65 per cent of 2008 customers will be new to the brand.

Ford trucks pulling it to the next level

With the heavy-duty truck segment heating up, Ford is breaking out some tough new vehicles and an upgraded 6.7-liter diesel engine. The second-generation 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 turbo diesel packs a manufacturer estimated 440 hp with 860 lb-ft of torque. This is a gain of 40 hp and 60 lb-ft over the first-gen 6.7 oil burner.