Kia goes (dark) green

By Jesse Crosse Motor Industry 23 September 2008 11:00 Kia has unveiled a portfolio of new environmental technologies, including a 1.4-litre Ceed with stop-start (due in the UK in 2009), a Ceed hybrid and the latest version of its fuel cell-powered Sportage. The Korean manufacturer is investing heavily in research and development and will increase its spend on R&D from £2.2 billion this year to £2.6 billion by 2010, combined with a 40 percent increase in manpower at its research centres around the globe. The money is being spent on developing downsized, turbocharged engines, efficiency improvements to conventional engines such as friction reduction and the separation of accessories like water pumps from the engine.

Nissan recalls Rogue for power-steering problem

Nissan is recalling 7,365 copies of the 2011 Rogue to fix a problem with the power steering. The affected vehicles were built between Aug. 17 and Oct.

Audi S3 (2012) first official pictures

Audi has revealed official pictures of the new S3 ahead of its debut at the 2012 Paris motor show. Audi should know what matters when it comes to hot-hatches, with two generations of S3s occupying a 13-year stretch of Audi history. On first impressions, the new model’s restrained styling fits well with the S3’s history of subtle sporting luxury rather than out-and-out hot hatch thuggery.