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British Honda engineers get green light from Japan

Honda UK’s small UK vehicle engineering centre is all set to grow in size and importance following approval from Japanese bosses. The British car development base supports Honda’s main European development centre in Frankfurt but has been taking on increasing responsibility in recent years. Honda Civic Tourer prototype review (2013 onwards) Honda Civic review (2012 onwards) Success here, said a Honda spokesman, has meant Japanese management feels it can hand over more responsibility to the small Swindon centre.

Volkswagen Brands – enough for now

VW boss Martin Winterkorn says Volkswagen has enough brands Volkswagen seems to be on a world domination plan. Audi is expanding with every passing day and the VW Group (Auto Union to be) has an unrivalled list of brands under its umbrella, including Audi, SEAT, Skoda, Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti and of course VW itself. It also recently effectively took control of Porsche (after the failed efforts by Porsche to take control of VW) and has just announced a near 20% stake in Suzuki.

Ford shifts redesigned Escape to all four-cylinder-engine lineup

Serious changes are in store for the Ford Escape SUV when the redesigned model rolls out at the Los Angeles auto show in November. To start, the boxy look is gone. Ford previewed the 2013 Escape's new look earlier this year with the Vertrek concept at the Detroit auto show.