Industry

The European Parliament agreed on a new law that would standardize all 110 licenses currently in use by drivers in the European Union. Under the ‘old’ system, it was possible to exploit a loophole and gain a license in a country even after your license had been revoked in another...

You may remember a report that a cargo ship carrying almost 5000 US and Canada bound Mazdas on board had keeled over. Earlier Mazda had announced that they would not be selling any of the recovered vehicles as new, and instead would inform consumers of the origin of the vehicles. Now, Mazda has...

Ford Australia has said it has nothing to do with the next-generation Mustang, despite earlier reports from the usually-reliable AutoWeek and Autocar publications that it will be building the iconic sports car. AutoWeek had suggested that Ford AU would help with development and that parts from the...

It’s rare to hear a company so openly admit it was wrong, but that’s what GM is saying when it comes to its use of the “super sport” label. In recent years it has applied the moniker to the undeserving Malibu sedan, which only gets minor feature and visual updates. "Not...

After months of ‘will-they-won’t-they’ between McLaren and Daimler Chrysler’s Mercedes-Benz, it appears that a merger is finally close to taking place. F1 Racing magazine is claiming to have sources that are “absolutely certain that a sale is taking place.” The...

DCX will not be sharing platforms between different brands for fears that sales and profits could suffer if buyers feel they can get essentially the same car at a cheaper price. That’s the message given by a member of the DaimlerChrysler board to a labor union event in Germany, reported...

Ford will be making sedan and estate versions of the Mustang when it gets an all-new replacement in 2011. Ford wants to utilise the Mustang brand to go further than just a simple performance coupe and offer a complete line of high-performance products, reports Automotive News. Some experts claim...

Vauxhall has decided to kill off the Vectra nameplate for its next mid-sized family car to be released in 2008. GM Europe head-honcho Carl-Peter Forster leaked deals of the plan to BusinessCar magazine in a recent interview and claimed the main reasons for the move were to reflect the...

Fiat is considering legal action against Great Wall Motors over the new Peri minicar, which has door structures that look almost exactly the same as those on Fiat’s Panda. Any carmaker will tell you that doors are one of the most expensive parts of a car to produce, so any copying could save...

Newspaper sources have confirmed that VW is about to embark on a due diligence audit of Proton before acquiring a 51% stake in the troubled Malaysian car maker. The PSA group comprising Peugeot and Citroen were also interested in Proton, but their focus was finding a development partner, not a...

Land Rover is considering rebranding its recently launched Freelander 2 (A.K.A. LR2) SUV as a Range Rover to improve its perception as a luxury vehicle. Land Rovers are considered to be utilitarian vehicles in all countries, but more so in some than others. In parts of Europe, for example, a buyer...

That’s about as detailed as Porsche’s chief executive is willing to get about their plans to take over VW. Like a complex game of chess, Porsche is making all the right moves as a lead-up to takeover VW including plans to issue share to raise capital. Porsche is looking at offering 8.75...

Toyota has edged out its own luxury division when it comes to retaining customers. Almost 64% of Toyota buyers replaced their cars with another from the same brand, compared with 63% for Lexus. The study, carried out by J.D. Power and Associates, found that average retention rates had dropped in...

Ford is evaluating plans to import models built by its European operation to the US for next year. Ford’s European range is generally considered to be better built and designed than its car in the US, especially when competing against in the lower-luxury segment. The models being evaluated...

Malcolm Bricklin’s dream to import Chinese cars with the help of Chery may be over, but he hasn’t given on up his plans to bring an affordable luxury car built in China to the US. Bricklin’s company, Visionary Vehicles, today confirmed that the deal was over but said that it was...

The Japanese government is planning on imposing tough new fuel efficiency regulations on carmakers that sell vehicles domestically. The trade and transport ministries are expected to draft proposals that would see economy increase 20% from 2004 levels by 2015. At the moment, all automakers must...

Honda’s CEO Takeo Fukui has revealed details about their diesel strategy, which includes the introduction of a V6 engine that may fit in four vehicles across the Honda and Acura range. These include the Ridgeline, Pilot, and Odyssey, as well as the Acura MDX. Honda will begin its diesel...

Claims that VW’s Spanish subsuidary Seat may go under the hammer are “absolute nonsense” said a spokesman for the Audi brand group. German newspaper Automobilwoche had based the statement on inside sources and used the recent decision by VW not to build the new A1 in Spain as...

Major shareholders in DaimlerChrysler are asking for Chrysler to be removed from the DCX group, stating that the company has basically zero value on its own and that the synergies expected from the two groups have failed to materialize. In a scathing news report from Reuters many well known...

Kirk Kerkorian’s troubled relationship with GM has finally come to an end with reports coming through that his investment firm Tracinda selling off all stock owned in GM. The Wall Street Journal cited anonymous sources “familiar with the matter” as claiming that Tracinda had sold...