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Production output decline slowing

By Alex Michaelides Motor Industry 24 July 2009 12:09 It appears there may be some light at the end of the tunnel for ailing car manufacturers as the most recent vehicle production figures are released. The data, presented by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), show that, while production levels are still on the decline, the pace at which they are declining is slowing. Car production figures for June 2009 are still down by 30.2% compared with this time last year, however this is an improvement on the 50.2% by which production is down so far this year.

Who's Where: Ken Ma joins Geely Automobile as Design Director

Ken Ma (Ma Zheng Kun) has joined Geely Automobile as Design Director. His role will be to assist the work of Geely Group Senior Vice Design President, Peter Horbury, in enhancing the Geely brand's design capacity. Ma was formerly Vice President of Design for Changan, a position he held for a year before resigning.

2012 Ford Explorer gets 28 mpg with EcoBoost power

The 2012 Ford Explorer--the first vehicle in North America to get the company's four-cylinder EcoBoost engine--is rated at 20 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway, it was announced on Thursday morning. The 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost Explorer engine pushes out 240 hp at 5,500 rpm and 270 lb-ft at 3,000 rpm. The four-cylinder is a significant part of the Explorer's dramatic makeover, which has seen the family-hauler transition from a body-on-frame SUV to unibody underpinnings.