Industry

Volkswagen’s joint-venture with China’s Shanghai Auto will spawn a new car that will eventually go on sale in North America. The new model will mark the first time that VW’s Chinese partner will help develop a vehicle targeted at a global market, Reuters Reports. There’s...

Indian carmaker Tata Motors and tractor manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra are reportedly considering a bid for Jaguar and Land Rover in a deal estimated at roughly $1.5 billion. According to analysts, Tata is in negotiations with Fiat surrounding a deal to finance the bid for the British marques...

Australia’s famous RWD 6-cylinder cars are under attack from high fuel prices. Aussies are moving to smaller cars and smaller engines and it’s just not worth building them locally when you can import them without the added production costs. The current inline six will be replaced with a...

There’s been no end to the list of potential bidders for Ford Premier Auto Group brands - Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo. Carmakers such as BMW, Renault and Hyundai were all thrown into the rumor mill as well as equity firms Cerberus, Blackstone and Equity One as suitors but more details are...

Honda has announced it will delay the introduction of its premium Acura brand to Japan by at least two years. The company was originally intending to bring Acura to its home market in 2008, but is changing its plans to a 2010-11 release. No specific reason was cited, except for the vague "[the...

A recent study conducted by J.D. Power and Associates has found that 50% of prospective car buyers in the US are considering a hybrid model, down from 57% one year ago. By contrast, the level of interest surrounding new diesel models has risen sharply with 23% of respondents claiming they’re...

To secure its diesel future General Motors will purchase a 50% stake in Italy’s VM Motori diesel engine plant from current owner Penske Corp. in a new 50-50 joint venture. This is the same engine plant that GM co-developed its new 2.9L V6 turbodiesel, which will initially be sold in...

Despite rising fuel prices, more congestion in major cities and tighter shopping center car parks, there seems to be no end in demand for bigger and more powerful models. Over the years, each model generation for many popular cars has on average grown over its predecessor to the point where some...

Now that the US market is finally beginning to realize the benefits of diesel engines, one of the largest suppliers of diesel fuel injection systems, Siemens VDO, is predicting that sales of the oil-burners in the US will reach 867,000 units by 2012. This is up from an estimated 653,000 diesels...

China has announced the development of its own electric vehicle technology and has already demonstrated the first working systems using a small fleet of electric buses. The new propulsion systems were developed at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), which now holds the proprietary intellectual...

Ford Australia is looking at an export program to help turnaround its current loss-making operations and secure the small Aussie outcrop’s future within the Blue Oval Empire. Ford is the third largest carmaker in Australia, ranking behind GM Holden and Toyota in the one million vehicle...

Cerberus boss John Snow has told reporters that there are no plans to sell the recently purchased Chrysler Group and that the troubled US auto industry is due for a turnaround soon. Snow also revealed that management were pleased with Chrysler CEO Tom LaSorda's recovery plan, which is expected to...

An agreement between the F1 controlling body and the Indianapolis Speedway has failed to materialise by the agreed July 12th cut-off and has therefore nixed any plans for a grand prix in the US next year. Bernie Ecclestone, the sport’s commercial supremo, said "We didn't reach an agreement...

Toyota has moved up to sixth place on this year’s Fortune 500 list of the world's 500 largest companies by revenue, up from eighth spot the year before. General Motors still managed to hold its title of the world’s largest carmaker in terms of revenue, registering ahead of Toyota in...

BMW’s 50% stake in Brazil’s Tritec engine manufacturer has been signed over to the Chrysler Group, who may now sell it on to a third party. Tritec was originally formed in 1997 between Chrysler and Rover (then a subsidiary of BMW) to develop a compact four-cylinder engine for a range of...

Bidding for the Jaguar and Land Rover labels has failed to ignite the level of excitement and the flurry of rival bids that surrounded the sale of Aston Martin earlier this year. Leading the charge in the latest Premier Auto Group sale is private equity firms Cerberus, Ripplewood and One Equity...

Despite having just announced their split, Mercedes and Chrysler will continue to share electrical systems, SUV components and other technology long after the de-merger has been finalized and the dust has settled. A joint operating board will be set up to manage any parts sharing programs with...

In May we first reported that BMW was evaluating a possible takeover of Volvo and had even gone so far as to request copies of the Swede’s financial statements in preparation of a rumored bid. Since then, officials from both Volvo and parent company Ford have denied rumors of the sale...

Porsche shareholders approved plans recently for the creation of a new holding company that would combine Volkswagen and truck manufacturers MAN and Scania to form a global powerhouse to rival industry leader Toyota. Porsche under the guidance of CEO Wendelin Wiedeking will be in charge of the new...

Future models developed under the Renault-Samsung partnership will be based on the latest designs from Renault, with cars like the Megane II and recently revealed Laguna III expected to spawn a host of new models. The current ‘SM’ series of cars are based on platforms shared with Nissan...