Coda Automotive, a California-based private company, and China's Great Wall Motors will develop and, build and an entry level electric vehicle to sell in North America, China and Europe.
Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche has told Brazilian journalists the company is most likely to resume car manufacturing in Brazil through its partnership with Renault-Nissan.
Renault first quarter group revenue fell 8.6% to EUR9.5bn (US$12.6bn), while units sold dropped 7.9% to almost 639,000.
Mercedes A25 AMG hot hatch spied with less camouflage at the Nurburgring
Mazda Motor and Ford have announced an additional spend of US$27m (approximately THB837m) in their AutoAlliance (Thailand) (AAT) joint venture to upgrade production equipment and increase pickup truck production capacity by 20,000 units per year.
Volkswagen Group reported first-quarter profit that beat analysts' estimates on higher demand at its Audi luxury brand. The automaker stuck to its target of matching last year's record operating profit of 11.
Volkswagen Group reported a 10 percent gain in first-quarter operating profits on higher demand at its Audi luxury brand. Operating profit rose to 3.21 billion euros ($4.26 billion) from 2.91 billion euros a year earlier, the automaker said today.
Hyundai expects to beat an aggressive sales target to raise car sales by 15.4 percent in Europe even though the overall market may fall by 5 percent. The automaker reported quarterly net profit up by almost a third to $2.15 billion.
Hyundai boosted sales in the United States and bucked sluggish markets in Europe and China to drive quarterly net profit up by almost a third to $2.15 billion, its highest since changing accounting methods a year ago.
Renault said first-quarter revenue fell 9 percent on declining European demand as the car industry struggles with a sluggish economy in the region and overcapacity.
Chrysler has announced its best quarterly profit since Italian automaker Fiat took control of the company following its 2009 bankruptcy. The U.S. carmaker said first-quarter net income rose to $473 million, up from $116 million a year ago.
Chrysler Group said its first-quarter net income quadrupled on surging sales as the automaker set a profit target of $1.5 billion for the year. Chrysler earned $473 million in the January-March period, up from $116 million a year earlier.
Chrysler Group will let its operating agreement with Ally Financial Inc. expire in April 2013 as the automaker negotiates with other banks for vehicle financing.
Ford may report that first-quarter profit slid by almost half as earnings in North America couldn't overcome losses in the automaker's international operations.
Ford Motor may report that first-quarter profit slid by almost half as earnings in North America couldn't overcome losses in the automaker's international operations.
Nick Reilly, who retired as president of GM Europe earlier this year, has been named by MSX International as chairman of its Asia Pacific region. MSX, a technical staffing and dealership process consultancy, expects major growth in Asia.
A new breed of DTM cars are being launched in 2012, so the Hockenheim season-opening round is much expected. Auto123.com's very own René Fagnan will be covering live from Germany.
Canadians Bruno Spengler and Robert Wickens will be closely watched by Fagnan. Spengler is making his debuts with BMW - which is coming back to DTM this season for the first time in 20 years -. Wickens, the Formula Renault 3.5 2011 champion, is making his DTM debuts altogether, with Mercedes' Junior Team.
Auto123.com's coverage includes both the qualifying sessions (starts Saturday at 8 am for Canadians) and the race (Sunday, also at 8 o'clock).
Simply look for the weekend's DTM articles in the Racing section to access the dialog box. From there, you will also find race reports and pictures updates throughout the weekend. See you there!
From wrc.com
Sebastien Loeb has gone fastest on the Qualifying Stage for Rally Argentina, round five of the FIA World Rally Championship.
Loeb, the winner in Argentina on the last six occasions, completed the 4.59-kilometre test from Villa Garcia to Cabalango in a time of 2m36.9s to earn the right to select his road position for day one's stages first.
Loeb's Citroen team-mate Mikko Hirvonen was second fastest.
Dani Sordo, who is making a one-off appearance for the factory Ford team in place of the injured Jari-Matti Latvala, was third quickest in his Fiesta RS WRC. Team-mate Petter Solberg opted to run on Michelin's hard compound tyre, which provided less grip in the slippery conditions.
Drivers will select their road positions for day one at 13:00hrs local time. The first stage, Super Especial Amarok, goes live at 20:08hrs local time tonight (Thursday).
At the Honda stand in Beijing, visitors can check out two new concepts that “show the direction of mass-production models” the manufacturer will introduce next year.
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| Honda Concept C (Photo: Honda) |
The Concept C is a sedan developed specifically for the Chinese market, with the “C” reportedly representing “Cool,” “Challenge,” and “China.” (All three words, of course, only start with “C” in English, but we digress.) Designers took inspiration from the image of a dragon. It was developed in tandem with teams in Japan and China. A mass-production model based on the concept is due next year.
The Concept S (for “Stylish,” “Smart,” and “Surprise”) uses a hybrid powertrain and emphasizes good interior space in a family-friendly design.
Firmer details on either model were not forthcoming.
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| Honda Concept S (Photo: Honda) |
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