Auto News 5

A behind-the-scenes video from SAAB’s safety facility

A behind-the-scenes video from SAAB’s safety facility

Ford Motor Co. broke ground today on a $500 million engine factory in southwest China as the automaker seeks to expand in the world's largest market and boost global sales by 50 percent in four years.

The Slovak factories of Volkswagen, PSA/Peugeot-Citroen and Kia will probably boost production 12 percent this year as foreign demand has revived, the Association of the Slovak Automotive Industry said.

MG Motor UK is targeting used-car buyers -- and especially BMW 3-series owners -- with its MG6 sedan, which will go on sale in the UK in July and mainland Europe next year.

Renault's plan to build a battery plant near Paris to supply forthcoming electric vehicles has been delayed, the French automaker said. A Renault spokeswoman said the delay would not impact deliveries of electric vehicles.

Discussions on plans for the Renault-Nissan alliance to take a majority stake in Russia's AvtoVAZ are likely to take a few more months.

Volkswagen has begun delivery of a second test fleet of Golf EVs to customers in Germany. The majority will be tested by corporate customers, as VW views this group as the largest market for EVs in the future.

Renault's plan to build a battery plant near Paris to supply forthcoming electric vehicles has been delayed, the French automaker said. A Renault spokeswoman said the delay would not impact deliveries of electric vehicles.

Minivans will never go out of style. Families recognize the functionality of them and automotive companies are working on making them more functional and more appealing to the market.

According to AutoExpress, Lamborghini plans to use the next-generation Porsche Cayenne's platform to develop its own sport utility vehicle.

Following his terrible crash at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Mike Rockenfeller will sit out the fourth round of the DTM held this weekend at the Lausitzring in Germany. He will be replaced by veteran Tom Kristensen.

According to Autocar, Mazda will use the arrival of the 2012 CX-5 to introduce a 2.2-litre, SKYACTIV diesel mill coupled with a six-speed manual transmission and producing 173 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque at 2,000 rpm.

When it comes to Jeep, I'm a huge Wrangler fan. The fewer doors and the more mud it has, the better. That's a real Jeep. It's rough, it's tough, it's hardcore to the chassis. Take it anywhere, drive it over any surface and it's going to give it its all. What a man's vehicle.

Gas prices often dictate consumer behaviour when it comes to purchasing a new vehicle. Europeans aren't crazy about sub-compacts like the Ford Fiesta and Mazda2 for nothing, after all.

McLaren is hoping the blown exhaust crackdown gives the Mercedes-powered MP4-26 a big performance boost in qualifying.

The Scuderia Ferrari's new Marlboro deal is worth almost half a billion dollars to the famous Italian Formula 1 team.

We all know that the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan back in March have had devastating impacts on domestic automakers, particularly in terms of production and sales. Parts shortages will soon become a thing of the past for Nissan, Subaru, Honda and Mitsubishi, but one could argue that Toyota will prove to be the biggest loser in the end. And General Motors couldn't be happier.

Despite having spent a small fortune on my two Prima Donna project cars, I'm once again relegated to driving my 20-year-old, bone-stock, $900 winter beater. Diva number 1, a customized Dodge pickup truck dubbed "The Mighty Dak", has just undergone expensive surgery to replace its ball joints. And yet it sits--with every cubic inch of its powertrain massaged, stroked and having gone less than 5,000 loving kilometres--awaiting a new starter motor.

Formula 1 Team Lotus' latest sponsor deal with General Electric will mean the outfit runs KERS technology in 2012.