Ford Racing M6253-a50 Roller Cam Conv. Kit on 2040-parts.com

Commute times increasing

COMMUTING times are starting to creep up after falling back during the recession, a new study has shown. Research by the TUC union revealed that men in their early 40s spend longest getting to and from work, at an average of more than 67 minutes a day. Commute times for women peak in their late 20s at 54 minutes and then start to fall as they get older, said the report.

Ford S-MAX Vignale Concept revealed

The Ford S-Max Vignale (pictured) arrives to top the S-Max range The arrival of the Ford Mondeo Vignale Concept last year made it clear Ford were ready to do a 21st century version of the ‘Ghia’ badge engineering to create a range-topping sub-brand with the Vignale badge with all the whistles and bells on it. Today’s arrival of the Ford S-MAX Vignale Concept reinforces that conclusion. Just like the Mondeo Vignale, the S-Max Vignale comes with plenty of upmarket materials and toys, like 21″ alloys, chrome mirror caps, Vignale Grill, embossed leather with quilting, tablet docking and a Milano Grigio paint job.

BMW leads Audi, Mercedes-Benz in June global luxury-sales race

BMW AG's core brand topped rivals Audi and Mercedes-Benz, selling 134,432 cars worldwide in June, a rise of 12.3 percent over 2010 figures, the company said today. Mercedes sold a record 120,510 units in June, a rise of 6.4 percent, topping Audi, which saw June sales grew 19 percent to 117,650 cars last month. BMW brand's global deliveries, boosted by sales of the new 5-series sedan and X3 SUV, rose 17.8 percent to 689,861 units in the first six months of the year, ahead of Audi's 17.7 percent rise to 652,950 cars.