Europe
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The landscape of the automotive industry is changing, and before things are done, the changes may be massive. Already Fiat and Chrysler are forging an alliance, and Fiat is also going after part of Opel. Now a source says General Motors wants a piece of any merged Fiat-Opel operation that might result. That would tie Chrysler and GM together through the intermediaries of Fiat and Opel. But so far Fiat (and soon Chrysler) CEO Sergio Marchionne is only open to a 10% stake in the merged Opel-Fiat company, according to Reuters. GM, on the other hand, wants at least 30%. As a way of bridging that...
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A-Class Special Edition promises sport, style, sensibility
Due for a complete reworking in just a year or two - possibly to be replaced by a whole new family of compact cars - Mercedes-Benz is refreshing the A-Class with a 5,500 unit special edition to help keep sales spooled up through the end of its production run. Playing up the A-Class's sensible...
Alex Kaufmann -
Changan Auto seeking American, European empires
While the Detroit 3 and the rest of the established automotive industry reel from the blows dealt by the poor world credit market and nosediving economy, smaller, newer companies like Chongqing Changan Auto Company (Changan Auto) are ramping up their plans for world conquest. Taking advantage of...
Ralph Hanson -
Opel's next-gen Zafira previewed in new sketch
Future may be the F-word at General Motors' Opel, Vauxhall and Saturn brands, but that's not stopping development work from continuing on core vehicles like the Zafira seven-seater. Prepping for release in 2011 or 2012, the new car wears a brand identity that was first previewed with the Flextreme...
Kenneth Hall -
Honda struggling to meet demand for Insight, U.S. production still a long way off
Honda’s new Insight hybrid vehicle has been on sale in the U.S. for just over a week but demand for the car is already pushing production at the company’s Suzuka plant in Japan to the limits. Sales of the Insight in Japan are already triple what Honda had hoped for and with predictions...
Kenneth Hall -
Cadillac to pull out of half of European markets, cancels diesel
Say what you will about General Motors' past decade or two of planning, their products have come a long, long way in the past several years. That makes the events of the past several months all the more unfortunate - just when things looked ready to turn around, the market collapses. Now the...
Nelson Ireson -
Chrysler might seem like the ugly girl at the dance right now, but Fiat wants to partner up for the long haul, and it thinks it has made a strong case to be allowed to do it. While the company leaves the decision up to President Obama's Task Force on the Auto Industry, Marchionne has turned his attention back to the market where he thinks the worst is over, and a recovery is already underway. The cheerful outlook on the European market seems to be grounded in the same realism that couches approval of the Chrysler merger in fatalistic terms, but it's not a popular viewpoint - yet. “The...
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AMG Driving Academy: become a hot shoe in every condition
Driving academies from high-performance carmakers are nothing new: AMG's has been around for years. Nissan offers one for GT-R owners, Lamborghini for their owners, Corvette for ZR-1 owners, and Bugatti runs one for Veyron owners. Even Hummer will teach you how to drive offroad. But the AMG Driving...
Alex Kaufmann -
Renault Sport Experience: touring Europe with hot hatches
The best way to make a small fortune in motorsports? Start with a large one. Yes, the old adage is true as ever, but it need not always be, at least in a few cases. The Renault Sport Experience is one way to get some track time on the cheap, and it's getting ready to hit some of the most famous...
Kenneth Hall -
Merkel reluctant to help Opel, but dealers rallying to buy stake
General Motors, like a lot of other carmakers, is having a tough time lately - some might say tougher than most. Opel, GM's German subsidiary, and Vauxhall, Opel's UK-based doppelganger, are taking it on the chin as well. Today German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the government would be...
Alex Kaufmann -
Nissan announces new EV program in Tucson, Arizona
ECOtality has partnered with Nissan and the Pima Association of Governments to bring a new zero-emissions initiative to the Tucson, Arizona region. By pairing prototype EVs and a new charging network, Nissan hopes to further expand its development of practical research into widespread use of...
Ralph Hanson -
Germany's interior minister suggests insolvency may be best bet for Opel
Saturn is expected to go its own way, Pontiac is being pared down, Hummer is up for sale and Saab has already announced it will be seeking independence. General Motors' brand hemorrhage continued last week with the announcement that Opel will be spun off from the brand as well, with a potential...
Ralph Hanson -
Many doubted Tata Motors' ability to turn out a 1-lakh, or roughly $2,500 car, but they have proved the skeptics wrong and now a special edition of the car will soon be headed for sale in Europe. The Nano Europa, as the model will be called, promises to meet all safety and crash standards, thanks in part to ABS, ESP and airbags as standard equipment. No rating for the car has yet been obtained or released, however. Plans to sell the Nano in Europe have been brewing for almost as long as the car has been in development. "The Nano has also generated wide interest in developed countries, since...
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Audi: we will beat Mercedes and BMW in Europe by 2010
The bosses at Audi are gunning for their German rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz, announcing this weekend a goal to sell more cars than either in Europe by 2010. Audi's continental domination will be followed soon after by the Volkswagen Group's rise to the number one spot in the world, if the company...
Nelson Ireson -
Toyota renting ships to store unsold cars
Strange times are on the car industry, perhaps none stranger than what's facing Toyota right now with its European inventory backlog. Short of storage space for cars that are unsold in the EU, Toyota has taken to floating the cars just off the shore of Sweden in a rented container ship. The...
Alex Kaufmann -
Honda's new Insight doubles first-month sales targets in Japan
Making plans for the future is tough when the market is as shaky as it is now, but Honda is trying to find a way to get its Insight hybrid to market in the U.S. for less than $20,000. To do so, it may have to build the car in the U.S., but it won't be able to justify that step unless it can sell...
Nelson Ireson -
European trademark filing reveals Nissan 370Z Roadster sketches
Europe's Office for Harmonization of the Internal Market (OHIM) maintains a trademark database that helps to ensure a minimum of conflict and easy filing for claims. That same database also lets slip basic sketches of car designs before their official unveiling on a regular basis, and this time the...
Nelson Ireson -
BYD confirms 2011 U.S. launch for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles
Chinese manufacturer BYD is planning to have vehicles on sale in the U.S. within two years, with similar ambitions for the European market. The company took a step closer to reaching those goals by launching the world’s first mass-produced plug-in hybrid vehicle in China last month, and at...
Jeremy Weber -
Chinese manufacturer BYD is planning to have plug-in hybrid vehicles on sale in the U.S. within two years, with similar ambitions for the European market. The company took a step closer to reaching those goals by launching the world’s first mass-produced plug-in hybrid vehicle in China last month, and now it has confirmed that the car will be on display at next week’s Detroit Auto Show. The car is the F3DM and it can drive up to 62 miles on electrical power alone before a small internal combustion engine takes over driving duties. Its battery can fully charge in nine hours from a...
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BMW's new 116d tops 53mpg, rivals hybrids
The 1-series has been a popular staple among premium small-car buyers in Europe for some time, but it has only hit the U.S. recently. The fun-to-drive and attractive compact has just gained a new sibling in the form of the 116d, powered by an efficient four-cylinder diesel. Unfortunately it's only...
Nelson Ireson -
BYD plug-in hybrids delayed in non-Chinese markets until 2011
Chinese carmaker BYD has pushed back the expected release date for its plug-in hybrid vehicles destined for non-Chinese markets. The company’s chairman, Wang Chuanfu, stated that the original target of 2010 was being pushed back by a full year to 2011. The new date puts the release for the...
Jeremy Weber -
Volvo launches research project to map driver behavior
As advanced as cars are becoming in terms of safety aids, nothing can make up for a skillful, attentive driver behind the wheel - yet, at least. Volvo has launched a research program to study how normal drivers react to tough traffic situations in the hopes of improving their cars' safety. The data...
Alex Kaufmann -
European Parliament agrees to looser CO2 rules
In September, a committee in the European Parliament proposed easing the carbon dioxide emissions rules previously set to phase in over the next several years, and today the proposal was approved. The modifications require only 65% of manufacturer fleets to meet the strict 130g/km targets in 2012...
Nelson Ireson -
WTO denies China's appeal on car part tariffs ruling
The World Trade Organization (WTO) has confirmed a ruling against China’s import tariffs on car parts in response to complaints from the U.S., Europe and Canada. By denying China's appeal to the decision handed down in July, the WTO puts a deadline on China's compliance with the measure...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran