Escort Zr4 Display on 2040-parts.com

Nissan opens new design studio in Beijing

Delayed by the deadly earthquake that hit Japan earlier this year, Nissan Motor Co.'s new design center in Beijing finally received a proper opening this week, when global design chief Shiro Nakamura showed off the studio as a new source of ideas for Nissan and Infiniti. Nissan Design China, as the Beijing-based center is known, "is not a studio to just generate ideas for China," Nakamura said in an interview with Car Design News. It's equipped to handle designs of show cars and production cars for both Nissan and Infiniti brands, aimed at customers in China, as well as around the world.

Ford Fiesta earns top ranking from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

The 2011 Ford Fiesta earned a Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). It is the first minicar to earn the pick since the introduction of a new roof strength test. The award applies to vehicles built after July 2010.

Top Gear Tonight: Ferrari F12, BAC Mono, Ron Howard & the world’s best taxi

Jeremy drives the BAC Mono (pictured) in tonight’s Top Gear Tonight’s second episode of series 20 of Top Gear gets back to the usual format. The new reasonably priced car is in action for the first time as film director Ron Howard – who’s just done Rush, which chronicles the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauder during the 1976 F1 season – gets behind the wheel of the Vauxhall Astra to set a lap, talk about cars and his new film. Jeremy Clarkson gets to play with the stunning Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, which with 731bhp, 0-62mph of just 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 211mph should induce more than a grin or two from Jezza as he takes to the roads of Scotland.