Industry

The boss of Indian carmaker Tata Group, Ratan Tata, has confirmed his company is interested in acquiring the Jaguar and Land Rover labels from Ford. "We certainly have some interest in it," he said during a television interview with CNBC TV18 but refused to give a further comment. Earlier this...

The first MG cars manufactured under the ownership of Nanjing Auto will go on sale in China next month starting at a price of £11,500 (US$23,000). The first model will be the new MG7, which will be officially launched through 50 dealers across the country next month. The lineup includes three...

As car manufacturers around the world strive to reduce costs, a new plan that would see rival labels sharing more parts is quickly gaining favor. Purchasing chiefs of several major carmakers have announced that such a plan is feasible and that they're open to it. "We are constantly talking to our...

Toyota has confirmed its plans to build a new compact diesel engine for the European market, with the first car to get the new engine likely to be the new Auris hatch. Isuzu is a specialist in building diesel powertrains and have been in talks with Toyota since November of last year. The first new...

China and India’s rapidly growing car markets will see the Asia Pacific region outpace Europe in vehicle sales by as early as 2009, according to a new study released by J.D. Power and Associates. The research firm predicts vehicle sales in Asia will reach 23 million units at the end of '09...

China’s Chery Auto expects its production numbers to top one million units this week, making it the first all-Chinese carmaker to surpass the milestone. The cars were built over a period of seven years and nine months, with the first half million taking roughly six years and the second half...

The Daimler name is actually owned by a small UK carmaker owned by Ford Premier Auto Group’s Jaguar, which sells re-badged Jaguar XJ saloons as the Super Eight. Jaguar attained the rights to the company in 1960 when it bought the UK subsidiary established by Germany’s Gottfried Daimler...

Ford is considering increasing the number of North American-built vehicles it sells in South America as demand in the continent experiences record gains. Though no plans have been finalized, Ford’s president of its South American division Dominic DiMarco says there are a number of options...

Chinese copycat cars caused enough trouble when they were sold in China, but the new generation of copycats about to be sold in Europe are putting legitimate manufacturers on the defensive. The latest case involves the Shuanghuan Noble (pictured inset), a minicar whose styling is, to put it...

BMW’s new fuel-saving Efficient Dynamics technology is hurting its bottom line but the benefit of keeping the lead on rival Mercedes-Benz in the green stakes is well worth it, say company officials. CFO Stefan Krause revealed the cost of developing the technology blew out in the second...

A group of Spanish investors are hoping to purchase the Seat brand from Volkswagen Group, and are said to be currently in talks with VW officials. A consortium consisting of the Bergé group (the local importer for Lexus, Hyundai, Subaru, Bentley and Chrysler) and Spain’s wealthy Carulla...

The low value of the US dollar against the Euro has forced BMW to change its production plans for the next-generation Z4 sports car. At the moment, the Z4 is built alongside the X5 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, but it’s expected the new model, due in 2010, will be built at BMW’s...

New reports coming out of Sweden say local supercar manufacturer Koenigsegg is in financial trouble, not being able to service its debts. According to Sweden’s Realtid, Koenigsegg owes its creditors the amount of €240,000 and is seeking new investors to help raise the necessary funds...

Spyker’s interim CEO Michiel Mol has stepped down from the role and will be replaced in the meantime by vice-chairman of Spyker’s supervisory board, Hans Hugenholtz. Mol replaced former CEO and the founder of the Dutch sports car company Victor Muller back in May but his decision to...

One of the key parties bidding for the Jaguar and Land Rover labels is a group consisting of Indian manufacturers Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra, and according to latest reports Ford bosses are planning to meet with the bidders ahead of due diligence scheduled for later this month. The...

Tesla founder and CEO Martin Eberhard will step down from the top position, remaining at the electric car company as its new President of Technology. Eberhard, who has led Tesla since 2003, was planning the move since the start of the year and has the full backing of the company’s board...

UK motoring bodies are planning to raise London's congestion charge to £25 (US$50) a day for high polluting vehicles in an effort to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions. The new charge is targeted towards vehicles that make the biggest contribution to global warming, such as large SUVs and luxury...

The newly independent Chrysler is pulling all stops to turn around its ailing car business. One of the plans involves an alliance with Hyundai or Mitsubishi that could involve the companies building engines for each other or share platforms. Frank Klegon, Chrysler executive vice president of...

Buick has equaled Lexus in J.D. Power and Associates’ latest vehicle dependability study, the first time in twelve years that another carmaker has tied with the industry leader for first place. For the 2007 vehicle dependability study, more than 53,000 owners of cars bought in 2004 were...

GM is expecting to sell more than a million cars in China for the first time this year on the back of strong demand for new cars in the country. Combined vehicle sales are up by 21% on last year’s figure, and should top out at 8.4 million by the end of the year. Despite the positive result...