Ricardo boosts emphasis on Silicon Valley

Ricardo plc has made Paul Rivera executive vice president for Ricardo Inc., with direct responsibility for leading the company’s Santa Clara Technical Centre in California’s Silicon Valley.

Ford rolls out V6 Lincoln Concept

Lincoln introduces the Continental Concept at the New York International Auto Show on Wednesday, signalling a further application of the latest Lima-built Ford V6 EcoBoost gasoline engine.

Robson to head up Torotrak

Torotrak has announced that Adam Robson is the company’s new chief executive officer. Robson succeeds Jeremy Deering who announced in November his intention to step down as chief executive.

Mercedes-Benz to enter pick-up war

Having seen the success of Ford’s F-Series pick-up trucks, especially the F-150 with its ground-breaking 2.7-litre EcoBoost gasoline engine, Mercedes-Benz has been unable to resist the challenge in aiming to make a ‘better  - but more expensive - mousetrap’.

Rogers heads up JLR’s global engineering

Nick Rogers takes over as engineering director at JaguarLandRover (JLR) from 1 April.

Perkins Engines in £25m green diesel scheme

Perkins Engines of Peterborough is one of a number of companies sharing £80 million of new investments through the Advanced Propulsion Centre.

JLR confirms its commitment to the UK

JaguarLandRover has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to the UK’s West Midlands, with confirmation of a £600 million investment in the region to support product creation and advanced vehicle manufacturing.

Geely behind £250 million UK ‘black cab’ plant

A new facility is to be built in Coventry at a cost of £250 million to manufacture London ‘black cab’ taxis and create up to 1,000 jobs.

JLR stays faithful to Ford V6 diesel

Ford’s 3-litre V6 twin-turbo diesel remains at the heart of the new Jaguar XF, alongside Ingenium powertrains and the 3-litre V6 gasoline engine.

. . . And boosts the power of Whitley

JaguarLandRover(JLR) is to expand its advanced engineering and design centre at Whitley, Coventry, doubling its footprint at the location. 

Nifco buys dyno to test plastic parts

Nifco UK, in Eaglescliffe, near Stockton, has installed a £750,000 dynamometer to allow it to conduct detailed tests on its plastic components.

Peugeot kicks off 2008 in Brazil

Peugeot has begun production of the 2008 in Brazil where output could reach 20,000 a year.

For Vito read Metris in North America

Mercedes-Benz has responded to offerings by Fiat and Ford in the US van market with the launch of its Metris, the US-version of the Vito.

Foundation unveiled for JLR’s advanced R&D hub

The foundation stone for the new National Automotive Innovation Centre (NAIC) at the University of Warwick was laid today by four men, very well known to one another, but also closely involved with the project.

Volvo to launch three-cylinder in 2017

 Volvo is set to launch a 1.5-litre three-cylinder gasoline engine in 2017 using components from its 2-litre four-cylinder unit.

BMW launches first production PHEV

Fifteen years after the X5 was launched at the company’s Spartanburg facility in South Carolina, BMW has used the product to introduce its first plug-in hybrid production car.

Renault probes two-cylinder two-stroke diesel

Some thermodynamic cycles attract powertrain engineers as habitually, they revisit the past in a bid to create the future.

BMW worldwide sales grow 8 per cent

BMW Group’s relentless growth seems unstoppable as it achieved its fifth record year in succession in 2014, underlining its position as the world's leading premium car company.

British cars contain more UK parts

British cars now contain more British-sourced components, according to new research reveals today.

VW to build Tiguan SUV in Mexico

Volkswagen of Mexico is to invest US$1 billion to prepare its plant in Puebla, Mexico, to assemble a new three-row Tiguan sport utility vehicle (SUV).

Cummins seeks UK engine plant manager

Cummins Engine is seeking a new plant manager for its Darlington, UK operations.

Looking for ways to cut gasoline PMs

Present-day gasoline direct-injection (GDI) engines in passenger cars can emit more hazardous fine particulate matter (PM) than a port fuel-injected engine (PFI), or even the latest heavy-duty diesels equipped with a particulate filter.

Ricardo pushes to open US defence doors

Ricardo plc in the UK is exploring every possible avenue that has the potential to bring in both revenue and profits.

Secret entrant joins CGI CV diesel stakes

Secrecy surrounds the identity of a cast iron foundry in Japan, specialising in the production of engine components for commercial vehicle and industrial vehicle applications, that has signed up to the development of compacted graphite iron (CGI) engine components.

Aston Martin ‘unveils’ Li-S concept DBX

Aston Martin claims it has “challenged the nature” of luxury GT travel in the 21^st Century with the debut of the “innovative DBX Concept”.

Hydrogen: an automotive fuel for the future?

Honda’s FCV Concept, which has made its European debut at the Geneva Motor Show (but was unveiled first in Tokyo late last year), is said to pave the way for an “all-new fuel cell” road car,

The car is scheduled to go on sale in Japan in the first half of 2016, then in the US and

VW embarks on “future tracks” R&D programme

Volkswagen invested €11.5 billion in research and development last year, more than ever before and more than any other company worldwide.

Doosan opts for CGI in new off-highway engine

Doosan Infracore, Korea’s largest manufacturer of construction equipment and diesel engines, looks set to embark on equipping some of its diesel engines with compacted graphite iron (CGI) cylinder blocks.

New outlets for Ford’s 6.7-litre engine

Ford is dropping Cummins 6.7-litre ISB I6 engines from its F650/F750 Work Truck models in favour of its in-house 6.7-litre V8 diesel.

Nifco wins biggest job from Ford for EcoBoost

Nifco UK Ltd, of Eaglescliffe, Stockton-on-Tees in the north-east of England, has won a 10-year contract from Ford Motor Company that could be worth as much as £50 million.