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U.S. issues new tariff threat, this time against British-built cars

WASHINGTON — Britain is the United States' closest ally but their long friendship may be sorely tested as the two countries try to forge a new trade agreement after Britain's exit from the European Union. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Saturday in London that he was optimistic that a bilateral deal with Britain could be reached as soon as this year. But Mnuchin gave up no ground after a second meeting with his UK counterpart, Sajid Javid. Javid has insisted that Britain will proceed with a unilateral digital services tax, despite a U.S. threat to levy retaliatory tariffs on British-made autos. Mnuchin told reporters after Saturday's meeting that such taxes would discriminate against big U.S. tech companies like Alphabet Inc's Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon. The UK Treasury declined to comment on the private meeting. The divide highlights the challenges ahead as the Trump administration seeks a new bilateral agreement with Britain, part of a broader push to rebalance relations with nearly all its major trading partners. The stakes are high — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pegged the trade deal with United States as a way to ease the pain of breaking with Europe, Britain's largest trade partner. U.S. President Donald Trump, has promised a "massive" trade deal to support Brexit, the product of a populist movement similar to his "America First" agenda. The goodwill and special relationship the two countries have enjoyed for decades may not count for much, experts say. "Trump is not going to be doing Johnson any favors," said Amanda Sloat, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution in Washington. "He's not going to give him a trade deal without major concessions." Even before the digital tax issue arose, the Trump administration threatened to tax foreign car imports, which could hit British-made Jaguar, Land Rover, Mini, and Honda Civic hatchback cars. Stiff U.S. trade demands include increased access for U.S. farm goods, concessions that will be difficult for Britain's entrenched natural food culture to swallow. The United States also wants Britain to change the way its National Health Service prices drugs and allow in more U.S. pharmaceuticals, which could prove politically unpopular for Johnson's government. Washington's demand that London block Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co Ltd for national security reasons could also cloud talks.

Latest Forza Horizon 3 car pack features a Skyline and a fast Swedish wagon

The steady stream of Forza Horizon 3 car packs shows no signs of slowing down, and the latest Rockstar Energy Drink pack includes enthusiast favorites such as the R31 Skyline and the Volvo V60 Polestar. The car pack also features a couple of sporty two-doors and some off-road oriented machines. Luxury-minded players will be pleased to see both the Bentley Bentayga and BMW i8 make an appearance. People more concerned with ultimate performance will have a different pair to consider. Players will want to check out the Ford trophy truck for busting dunes, and the Radical RXC Turbo for race-car levels of pavement performance. Finally, yet another classic Aussie muscle car appears in the pack: the 1972 Ford Falcon XA GT-HO. For those interested in the new rides, this car pack is included in the Forza Horizon 3 Car Pass, or can be purchased on its own. If only one or two vehicles are must-haves, it's also possible to purchase the cars individually. Related Video: Related Gallery Forza Horizon 3 Rockstar Energy Car Pack Image Credit: Turn10 Studios / Playground Games Toys/Games Bentley BMW Ford Volvo Videos bentley bentayga nissan skyline volvo v60 polestar forza horizon 3

Bentley installing 10,000 solar panels in HQ parking lot

Bentley has started construction on what it says will be the U.K.'s largest solar-powered car port at its factory headquarters in Crewe, England. When completed, the array will have a capacity of 2.7 megawatts, enough to cover 24 percent of the company's energy requirements on the site. Crews will install 10,000 solar panels in the employee car port in a project that's expected to take six months. They'll add to the 20,815-panel, 5mW rooftop solar power system that Bentley finished installing at the factory in 2013. The combined output will be enough to power the equivalent of 1,750 homes. The car port will cover 1,378 parking spaces and be installed and operated by British firm FlexiSolar, which is also designing and manufacturing the system. The new green energy system adds to plaudits in recent years for reducing its water usage at the Crewe HQ. Bentley has also been awarded the Carbon Trust Standards for carbon, water and waste. While Bentleys aren't exactly known for their fuel efficiency — the Mulsanne sedan gets a woeful 11 mpg in the city and 18 mpg on the highway — its vehicles no longer appear on the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy's "meanest" list of gas-guzzlers, as they once did. It also just showed its forthcoming and long-promised Bentayga plug-in hybrid in Geneva, promising 31 miles of all-electric range and a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 paired with an electric motor. The brand is also promising a full-electric model in the near future. "We continue to focus on new initiatives that reinforce our commitment to the environment, whether this is introducing alternative powertrain technologies in future models, or our award-winning work to reduce the environmental impact of our factory," Peter Bosch, Bentley's member of the Board for Manufacturing, said in a statement. Related Video: