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56% of drivers 'underestimated car expense'

MORE THAN half of people who have bought a second-hand car in the last two years have found it more expensive to run than they expected, according to a Government-backed body. Some 56% of motorists said that total cost, including maintenance, repairs, insurance and fuel had turned out to be higher than anticipated and one in five drivers (20%) have resorted to going into debt just to keep their vehicle on the road, the Money Advice Service (MAS) found. One in four (26%) of the 3,000 people surveyed who have bought a second-hand car since 2012 now has regrets about their purchase, with many of them saying they had not worked out whether it was really affordable or that the purchase price was too much in the first place.

Who's Where: Amko Leenarts appointed Ford's Director of Global Interiors Design Strategy

Amko Leenarts has been appointed Director of Global Interiors Design Strategy at Ford Motor Company, effective from 1 June 2012. Leenarts will be tasked with developing the future interior design strategy for both the Ford and Lincoln brands worldwide, working alongside the company's global leadership team and reporting directly to J Mays, Group Vice President of Global Design and Chief Creative Officer at Ford Motor Company. He will be based in the company's Merkenich studio in Germany.

Toyota says quake-hit plants escape major structural damage

Toyota Motor Corp. has released the first damage report for its northern Japanese factories in the region hammered by Friday's massive earthquake, saying some equipment and fixtures will need repairs but that the plants sustained no major structural harm. For days after the quake, Toyota had trouble contacting it plants in the northern Japan quake zone, making it difficult to assess their status.