Auto News 5

Volvo and Saab, struggling to revive slumping U.S. sales, need to find distinctive design and the right price tags to win sales from luxury brands such as BMW and Daimler's Mercedes-Benz, experts say. Succeeding in the U.S. Full story...

Land Rover will price its Range Rover Evoque starting at 30,000 pounds (about $40,000) in the UK. Land Rover issued more information about the two-door Evoque ahead of the model's public debut at the Paris auto show later this month. Full story...

Former GM executive Richard M. Donnelly has been named chairman of the board at heavy-duty vehicle maker Oshkosh Corp. Donnelly, 67, will assume the position on Feb. 1, 2011. He succeeds Robert Bohn, 56, who is retiring as CEO on Dec. 31. Full story...

Given his history of making shrewd long-term business decisions, it makes sense that Ferdinand Piech wants to ensure that no one #8211; especially members of his family #8211; can mess with his auto empire before or after he dies. Full story...

Early U.S. sales for Ford Motor Co.'s Fiesta show that consumers are buying higher-end versions of the new small car, boosting the automaker's profit on sales in a traditionally low-margin segment, company officials said. Full story...

Renault and Nissan will jointly develop a platform for at least 10 models to reduce its suppliers and lower procurement costs by about one-third, the Nikkei business daily said. Full story...

Mahindra and Mahindra may back Italian financier Simone Cimino's plan to build electric cars at Fiat's Termini Imerese car factory in Sicily. Full story...

Early U.S. sales for Ford Motor Co.'s Fiesta show that consumers are buying higher-end versions of the new small car, boosting the automaker's profit on sales in a traditionally low-margin segment, company officials said. Full story...

U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., said he is outraged China's government may force automakers to surrender electric-vehicle technology in return for selling cars in the world's most populous nation. Full story...

VW will start building a $550 million gasoline engine plant in Silao, in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, next month. The plant will be completed by 2013 and have a capacity of 330,000 engines a year. Full story...

French rally driver Sebastien Loeb has told people magazine Paris Match that he could retire from the World Rally Championship at the end of next season. Full story...

Mercedes insists it is still not worried about Michael Schumacher's outings on the saddle of powerful superbikes. Full story...

You've probably noticed that the V6-powered Camaro RS and the V8-powered Camaro SS look virtually identical, except for some minor visual tweaks and a single letter of their badges. With horsepower ratings at 306 for the RS and up to 426 for the SS, the strong cosmetic similarities mean that opting for the higher-end model is almost entirely an output-motivated decision. Full story...

Tokyo - Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI) has developed its new-generation boxer engine that combines the technology and know-how used in Horizontally-Opposed Boxer engines, the core technology that has supported Subaru's unique driving since it was first employed in the Subaru 1000 in 1966. This overall renewal is the first in 21 years, since the second generation boxer engine was introduced in the first Legacy models in 1989. Full story...

Bernie Ecclestone has revealed he is not opposed to the idea of France returning to the formula one calendar. Full story...

The 2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost stands ready to challenge and conquer the harsh environment that makes the world-famous Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 an unparalleled test of man and machine - and the world racing debut for Ford's EcoBoost engine. Full story...

Jean Todt has hinted that F1's team orders ban will be reconsidered in order to make the sport more "transparent". Full story...

Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa, who raced for Sauber Motorsport this season, has been signed up as a second Pirelli test drver. Full story...

Fernando Alonso insists he is not worried about his engine situation with five races still to run in 2010. Full story...

German driver Michael Schumacher swiftly dismissed on Thursday rumours he is considering returning to retirement at the end of the 2010 season. Full story...