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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Auto123.com spent some time inside the garage of the Force India team during one of the free practice sessions of the Grand Prix of Canada in Montreal.

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.

Summer usually is the off-season in the auto industry, but car enthusiasts across Canada still have a lot to look for. The legendary Motorexpo will be held in Toronto from June 20 to 24, 2011. Established in London, Los Angeles and New York, the event will be presented in Canada for the very first time.

According to Reuters, Mazda will host a press conference on Friday to announce its financial forecasts for the current business year as well as the construction of a new assembly plant in Mexico that will build compact cars, initially for sale in Mexico and South America, and eventually export to North America.

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.

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.

Bruno Senna could soon replace Nick Heidfeld in injured regular Robert Kubica's Lotus Renault GP race seat.