Auto News 5

British car dealer group Lookers Plc. said it expected to post first-half results that beat its expectations and the year-ago period. Full story...

New models such as the Citroen C3 Picasso and Peugeot RCZ coupe plus strong growth in China pushed up PSA's first-half sales 16.9 percent. Excluding sales of CKD kits -- nearly completed cars shipped for assembly in other markets -- sales rose 16. Full story...

Faced with mounting recalls and quality concerns, Japanese automaker is stretching time it takes to develop new models by an average of four weeks. Full story...

Despite a 41 percent unit-sales decline in Germany, Opel/Vauxhall's overall European volume has remained in positive territory due to strong demand for the new Astra and Insignia plus the launch of the new Meriva small minivan. Full story...

A $2 billion lawsuit launched by several U.S. hedge funds has not derailed the integration of Porsche Automobil Holding SE into Volkswagen AG, VW's CEO said. Full story...

Opel plans to act swiftly, cleverly and patiently to win back car buyers in its home market, the boss of the struggling General Motors Co. subsidiary said. 'We need to rebuild the image in Germany,' Opel/Vauxhall CEO Nick Reilly said. Full story...

A $2 billion lawsuit launched by several U.S. hedge funds has not derailed the integration of Porsche Automobil Holding SE into Volkswagen AG, VW's CEO said. Full story...

European Union competition regulators approved on Tuesday Ford Motor Co.'s sale of its Volvo premium car unit to Chinese carmaker Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. and state-owned investment group Daqing. Full story...

Volkswagen AG sold more than 3.5 million cars to customers worldwide in the first half of 2010, CEO Martin Winterkorn said. January-to-June sales topped those of the same period in 2009 by about 15 percent, Winterkorn said. Full story...

A 44 percent first-half surge in German car exports is expected to slow down over the remainder of the year as scrapping schemes run out in Europe and 2009 comparison figures become harder to beat. Full story...

After months and months of speculation, the iQ has been cleared for sale in Canada. That's good news. Why is it good news? Because a lot of people don't need huge cars like the Yaris or land yachts like the Corolla. The average couple has only 1.4 kids, so why have room for five passengers when you only need four? Full story...

French car manufacturer Citroen has released to the medias the first and very short video of its fully electric Survolt race car in a test session. Full story...

Hot enough for you? As we shuttle ourselves from house to office, to mall and back, looking for a place to stay cool, our cars are suffering. Not exactly in pain mind you, but keeping the temperature down in the car's cabin requires lots of energy and we all know what the by-product of energy consumption is right? Heat. Couple that to your internal combustion engine and ambient temperatures hovering in the low to mid 40s and you get a potential recipe for trouble. Full story...

The luxury sedan niche is particularly diverse and offers a wide array of models - and prices! The very definition of this type of car varies from one consumer to the next. So much so that some buyers associate the Toyota Avalon with this category, with an asking price of a little over $40,000, while others think of nothing less than the sumptuous BMW 7 Series, whose price largely exceeds $100,000. Full story...

For the first time, Dodge and Mopar have worked together to create a limited-edition version of the 2010 Challenger, and it's called the Mopar '10. It will only be available in black, but with a choice of three accent colours: Mopar Blue, Red or Silver. Full story...

On July 16 to 18, some of the most beautiful collector cars in the world will be assembled at Blainville's Parc Équestre, north of Montreal, for the second edition of the Concours d'Élégance Le Mirage. Full story...

Corvette Racing's Program Manager Doug Fehan gives us a tour of Corvette's command center in the pit lane. Full story...

French team ART Grand Prix has decided to withdraw their application to the International Federation of Automobiles (FIA) to take part in the 2011 Formula One World Championship. Full story...

The new compact SUV about to grace Mitsubishi showrooms in Canada will be called 'RVR' instead of 'Outlander Sport' like in the United States, according to a press release from Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada. Full story...

Valentino Rossi will ride a Yamaha YZF-R1 at a private test in Misano, Italy this afternoon. The Italian has made an excellent recovery so far since breaking his leg at Mugello on 5th June and he has decided to proceed with the test ride today in order to better understand his current physical condition. Full story...