Auto News 5

VW has hired Klaus-Gerhard Wolpert as its new chief product strategist. Wolpert, who spearheaded development of Porsche's best-selling car, the Cayenne premium SUV, is the latest Porsche AG executive to shift over to VW. Starting Oct. Full story...

Ferrari was almost immune to the ills of the global financial downturn. Full story...

Robert Bosch GmbH will showcase its expertise in hybrid-vehicle maintenance at this year's Automechanika. The German supplier will position itself as a customer's 'Partner for the Future of the Workshop' this year. Full story...

Ulrich Hackenberg sits at the center of Volkswagen AG's quest to become the world's largest automaker by 2018. Full story...

Rainer Schmueckle, who lost his position overseeing Mercedes-Benz Cars unit to Wolfgang Bernhard, has left the automaker. Full story...

Eight companies ranging in size and scope from global technology giant Robert Bosch to an Austrian manufacturer of tire chains have been selected to receive Automechanika Innovation Awards for 2010. Full story...

Many aftermarket suppliers are still reeling from the impact of the global economic crisis of 2008-09, but few appear willing to miss this year's Automechanika in Frankfurt. Full story...

Tata Motors, which bought Jaguar from Ford Motor Co. two years ago, recently approved a product plan that gives Jaguar three new models: a small sports car, an entry-level sedan and a station wagon. Full story...

Mini, known for its retro-chic appeal, is targeting an unhip crowd with the Countryman crossover: families. The not-so-mini Mini will have four doors and be the brand's biggest ever model. Full story...

Luxury carmakers have descended on Russia to rally the nation's long list of billionaires to snap up their latest models in the wake of last year's industry collapse. Full story...

Tata Motors promises that Land Rover will add smaller vehicles and hybrid powerplants, but it hasn't said much about the timing. Land Rover will continue to share components with Jaguar, which is also under Tata ownership. Full story...

BMW will concentrate on small crossovers with a redesigned X3 and the all-new X1. Both are based on the redesigned 3-series sedan, which will arrive in 2012. Full story...

Aston Martin's perplexing decision to rebadge a Toyota iQ minicar could be explained, possibly, if the car were sold only in big European cities that impose vehicle congestion charges. But the Cygnet will be sold in the United States as well. Full story...

General Motors expects competitive pricing for its hybrid Chevrolet Volt in China as it hopes to gain a foothold in China's fledgling environmentally friendly car industry with the highly anticipated car. Full story...

Every week of the year, your writer subjects himself to a several-hundred kilometre drive between Sudbury and Toronto, Ontario, to exchange weekly test cars. The long drive takes me through some of Northern Ontario's great scenery, and lets me accurately gauge real-world highway fuel consumption and ascertain any model's ability to deliver long-term comfort. Full story...

Every week of the year, your writer subjects himself to a several-hundred kilometre drive between Sudbury and Toronto, Ontario, to exchange weekly test cars. The long drive takes me through some of Northern Ontario's great scenery, and lets me accurately gauge real-world highway fuel consumption and ascertain any model's ability to deliver long-term comfort. Full story...

McLaren's new production road car, the MP4-12C, made its global and North American debuts this summer, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, respectively. Now the carbon fibre and aluminum, mid-engine missile is off on a big tour. Full story...

Malaysian racing driver Nabil Jeffri became today, September 1st the youngest ever Formula 1 test driver when he piloted the Cosworth-powered Lotus T127 in Great Britain. Full story...

French tire manufacturer Michelin wants to make its return in the World Rally Championship next season following its withdrawal from the series in 2005. Full story...

« Any place Is Paradise » sang Elvis in 1956. All those rare and exotic automobiles he owned and drove surely reflect that too. Among them were two Mercedes-Benz 600, one of which will be on display tomorrow for the media and prospective buyers to boast Bonhams' traditional end of year auction of 'Important Motor Cars and Fine Automobilia'. This event takes place on December 6, 2010, and for the first time at Mercedes-Benz World in Surrey, UK. Full story...