2011 Ford Mondeo coming with 2.0L Ecoboost

The Ford Mondeo is due for a mid-cycle refresh for the 2011 model year and all signs point to a debut at the Paris Motor Show this September. But ahead of its big reveal, spy photographers have caught the new Mondeo out in the open, and while the basic shape hasn't changed, there's something far more interesting under the hood.

The major stylistic upgrades are up front, where the Mondeo's fascia picks up a few cues from the Fiesta and the 2012 Focus, including a larger lower grille and slimmer upper section. The front foglamps have been re-shaped and a strip of LED running lamps tie the design into Ford's B-segment hatch.

At the back, the tailgate gets a subtle re-shaping above the license plate pocket and it appears the lights have been modified under the camo tape. The most important changes will be in the engine compartment, where the Mondeo will get the new 2.0-liter Ecoboost inline-four and the Powershift dual-clutch transmission. Expect all the details to be revealed shortly ahead of the Paris show this fall.



[Source: Secret New Cars]

2010 Daihatsu Mira Coco wallpaper

2010 Daihatsu Mira Cocoa

2010 Daihatsu Mira Cocoa rear view

2010 Daihatsu Mira Cocoa Interior

PORSCHE 911 PICTURE

PORSCHE 911 WALLPAPER
PORSCHE 911 IMAGE
PORSCHE 911 PICTURE

Mitsubishi UK Releases Prices for ASX Small Crossover

Mitsubishi's UK arm has announced pricing and specification of its all-new urban crossover vehicle, the ASX. Set to go on sale on July 1, the Japanese automaker's Nissan Qashqai rival will be offered with a choice of two engines, a 115HP 1.6-liter petrol matted to a 5-speed manual, and a 147HP 1.8-liter turbo diesel linked to a 6-speed manual transmission.
The petrol model is available exclusively with front-wheel drive while the diesel can also be specified with an AWC electronically controlled 4x4 system. Pricing ranges from £14,999 to £22,049 (see list for details).
Standard equipment on all variants includes alloy wheels, air conditioning, Automatic Stop & Go, Active Stability Control and Traction Control, aux-in jack, keyless entry, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, dual stage front side and curtain airbags, driver's knee airbag, tilt and telescopic steering column.
"We're targeting customers who would traditionally buy a C-segment car, such as the VW Golf and Ford Focus, but also people looking to down-size from their SUV or family estate car," said Mitsubishi's Managing Director, Lance Bradley. "With the ASX you really do get the best of every world."

Toyota Set to Pay $16.4 Million Fine "To Avoid Litigation" on Sticky-Pedals

Today Toyota agreed to pay it's relatively meaninglessly 16.4 million dollar fine regarding its sticky-pedal recall.
Meaningless not only because that the capped fine is less than a drop in the bucket to Toyota (Automotive News reports it will be below 2% of net income for the financial year ending March 31), but also because they're side-stepping all real penalties in relation to the safety debacle they caused.
Without a cap, fines could have been up to $6,000 per vehicle, or $13.8 Billion total.
According to Toyota, "We agreed to this settlement in order to avoid a protracted dispute and possible litigation, as well as to allow us to move forward fully-focused on the steps to strengthen our quality assurance operations. This will allow us to focus on delivering safe, reliable, high quality vehicles for our customers and responding to consumer feedback with honesty and integrity."
Toyota goes on to say they regret the NHTSA's decision to seek the civil penalty, they in no way violated the Safety Act, and that they did not hide any safety defects.
Furthermore, new steps have been taken to make their improve quality assurance operations, including strengthening "information-gathering capabilities to respond more quickly to customer concerns and investigate potential quality issues more aggressively" (no word on how they did that) and appointing a Chief Quality Officer for North America.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood disagrees with Toyota a bit, saying, ""I am pleased that Toyota has accepted responsibility for violating its legal obligations to report any defects promptly...By failing to report known safety problems as it is required to do under the law, Toyota put consumers at risk."
Toyota has 30 days to pay the fine, which is expected to be in the form of an electronic transfer.
After that little drop is paid off, Toyota has a couple more problems on its hands: 1) there may have been multiple defects, leading to more than just the one $16.4 million fine, and 2) the 180 lawsuits seeking class-action status and 57 individual suits "claiming injury or deaths" related to the recalls.

By Phil Alex