Porsche® 924/944 Timing Belt Tensioner Roller, 1983-1987 on 2040-parts.com

MINI Rocketman returns for London 2012

The MINI Rocketman Concept – first seen at Geneva 2012 – has been titivated and rolled out to promote BMW’s London 2012 sponsorship. We all thought, when BMW rolled out the MINI Rocketman Concept at the Geneva Motor Show in 2011, that this was the future for a second, smaller take on the modern MINI. But BMW seemed to go cold on the idea of building a modern MINI with dimensions much closer to the original Issigonis Mini so we thought the plans had gone out of the window.

Jaguar C-X75 supercar program halted

Jaguar has dropped plans to put the C-X75 hybrid-powered supercar into production, according to a report Tuesday by Autocar magazine in the UK. The reason is struggling economies around the world, the magazine said, citing Jaguar brand director Adrian Hallmark. Jaguar planned to launch the C-X75 next year and had partnered with the Williams Formula One team to help develop it.

Vauxhall: Ellesmere Port plant saved – 700 new jobs created

Vauxhall Ellesmere Port - Saved General Motors is to keep Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port open, move to three shift working and create 700 new jobs. The overcapacity of mainstream car manufacture in Europe as the market becomes ever more polarised between premium and budget cars – squeezing the middle – means car maker having to rationalise their output. Many thought that could mean the end of Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port as GM sought to stem its European losses (around £2 billion in the last three years), especially as it is easier to close plants and lay off workers in the UK than in mainland Europe.