Marine Engine Dyno on 2040-parts.com

Mini reveals tech details for new 2013 Mini Cooper

By Ollie Kew Motor Industry 29 September 2013 23:01 Mini has announced that the imminent replacement for the current model will sport an all-new range of three- and four-cylinder engines, adaptive suspension, and marry chuckable handling with better comfort and refinement. The Mini Vision concept (pictured) shows what the new car will look like when it arrives in November 2013. There are some big promises here, but can the Mini maintain its runaway popularity a more than decade after BMW revived the brand and created a whole new class of posh, premium-priced city cars? Read on for more details. What’s been said about the new Mini Cooper’s engines?

Volkswagen Passat TDI covers 1,626 miles on a single tank of fuel

John and Helen Taylor recently drove a 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI carefully enough to return an unbelievable 84.1 mpg on trip from Houston, Texas, to Sterling, Va. That's 1,626.1 miles on one tank of low-sulfur diesel. That's almost 100 miles better than the old world record.

Ford invents agile, low-cost solution for prototyping, customization and limited production [w/video]

A new metal forming technique pioneered by Ford that drastically reduces the time and cost of producing low-volume and one-off body parts may lead to cost-effective customization, redesigns, one-offs and limited production runs. Ford Freeform Fabrication Technology (F3T) forms sheets of metal by two stylus-like tools, one on each side of the surface. Using CAD data they form the part to the exacting strength and finish tolerances usually associated with stamping dies.