Auto News 5

Saab is remaining quiet on speculation it could enter into a tie-up with fellow-Swedish manufacturer Volvo. Full story...

Toyota Motor Corp. reportedly plans to launch two variants of its Prius hybrid in the United States by 2013 as it ramps up plans to leverage its gasoline-electric drivetrain technology to meet stricter emissions standards. Full story...

Saab said on Thursday it was too early to talk about a possible co-operation with Volvo Cars about developing a new model, scotching reported interest from its home turf rival. Full story...

Mustang customizer Shelby American has locked in the engine-output ratings of GT350 package and frosted the cake with the addition of a 624-hp variant. Full story...

Car sales in South Korea are expected to climb at a seasonally adjusted rate of 12% this year, helped by improving demand and imported car sales, according to a government forecast. Full story...

GM expects to increase availability of key trucks and crossovers sharply for the 2011 model year, four people briefed on the plans said. Full story...

Johnson Controls is to invest US$118m to build a third automotive battery plant in China in Chongqing adding to the company's existing plants in Shanghai and Changxing. Full story...

A controversial figure on the Continental supervisory board - lawyer Rolf Koerfer - is stepping down after months of pressure over his role as a top legal adviser to major shareholder Schaeffler. In a joint statement issued with the Schaeffler family, Koerfer said he would discuss with chairman Wolfgang Reitzle exactly when he would leave the board. Full story...

Saab Automobile aims to start selling cars in China, Russia, Brazil and Mexico in the first half of next year, its sales chief said in an interview. Full story...

Climate controlled seat maker Amerigon has opened a technical support office in Augsburg, Germany, to provide design services, product development, application engineering and prototype builds to support sales to European automakers. Full story...

Sales of new imported vehicles in Japan, including those made by Japanese automakers overseas, rose 34.7% in the first half of the fiscal year ending next March. Full story...

ASSOCIATE EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: I had strong feelings for the Mazda 2 when I went on the first drive event up in Montreal a few months ago, and my night driving one around the mean streets of metro Detroit only helped solidify those otherwise... Full story...

General Motors is to voluntarily recall 3,996 Cadillac SRX crossovers from the 2010 model year for possible damage to the power steering line. Full story...

Car sales in Western Europe fell by 10.4% in September according to data released by JD Power Automotive Forecasting. Full story...

Mini's new Countryman crossover will start at $22,350, only $550 more than the three-door Clubman wagon. Full story...

Toyota Motor Corp., aiming to restore customer trust after a recall crisis, is launching two new U.S. service plans that will come standard with Toyota and Scion brand vehicles. Full story...

India's luxury car market has already zoomed past the magic 10,000-unit mark in the first nine months of 2010 and industry insiders think the momentum will carry on into next year as well. Full story...

Volvo Cars is shaking up its manufacturing team ahead of its launch of car production in China. Lars Danielson, who currently manages Volvo's main factory in Torslanda, Sweden, has been chosen to lead the automaker's new China production operation. Full story...

Car sales in western Europe fell 10.4 percent in September, according to J.D. Power Automotive Forecasting. The UK-based market researchers now expect a 6.4 percent decline in the region's car sales this year, followed by a 1. Full story...

Back in the day, waaaaay back in the day, in my far-off native New Zealand, the likes of Land Rover, and the then relatively rare Holden, Ford Falcon and Chrysler Valiant 'utes' (Antipodean-speak for the car-derived 'utility' or pickup truck variant originally developed by Ford Australia in the 1930s) were challenged in 1969 by an upstart newcomer - the Mazda B1500. If you'd told the 12-year-old me then that, 41 years hence, the B's successor potentially could soon be the world's top-selling single model, knocking big-brother Ford's F-series off its perch, I'd have just laughed. But it sure looks possible now. Full story...