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Aug
3rd

JAPAN: Toyota hikes sales and production forecasts

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Toyota Motor Corporation has revised its sales and production plans upwards, citing "increased sales volume [in markets] such as in Japan and North America", after booking a solid return to profit in the first quarter of fiscal 2012/3.
Aug
3rd

SOUTH AFRICA: Interest rate cut boosts sales

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New car sales in South Africa increased 18.3% year on year to 54,067 units in July according to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers (NAAMSA).
Aug
3rd

AUSTRALIA: Toyota creates Land Cruiser LC79 for mining prospects

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Australia is the first market for Toyota's new Land Cruiser LC79 double cab. Developed with the country's mining boom in mind, the new variant can even be fitted with rail arms to travel on mining train lines.
Aug
3rd

Ferrari F12 Berlinetta video

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Ferrari F12 Berlinetta video
Videos 3 Aug, 2012

Jack Rix travels to Maranello to put the new Ferrari F12 Berlinetta to the test on road and track

Aug
3rd

Sportier A class is key to Mercedes growth goal

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Mercedes-Benz has given its new A class a sportier -- and more conventional -- design that amounts to an abandonment of the outgoing model's quirky one-box styling.
Aug
3rd

Sportier A class is key to Mercedes growth goal

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Mercedes has given its new A class a sportier -- and more conventional -- design that amounts to an abandonment of the outgoing model's quirky one-box styling.
Aug
3rd

Toyota’s profit bucks downward trend in Europe

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Unlike mass-market rivals GM and Ford, Toyota posted a quarterly profit in Europe. The Japanese automaker reported a first-quarter operating profit of 35.6 million euros compared with a 68.
Aug
3rd

BRAZIL: Renault raises engine production

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Renault's engine plant in Brazil is to increase capacity by 25% between now and 2013 boosting output to up to 500,000 units.
Aug
3rd

Lexus LS promo

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Lexus LS
Videos 3 Aug, 2012

Watch official footage of the revised S-Class-rivalling Lexus LS in action

Aug
3rd

A look at Lexus future products: More frequent revisions are part of the plan

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Lexus is reworking its sedan lineup as part of an effort to vault past
Aug
3rd

Toyota posts $3.7 billion quarterly profit, hikes sales forecast

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Toyota reported a big increase in first-quarter profit and raised its vehicle sales forecast on demand for its cars in North America and Japan. The automaker said vehicle sales at its Toyota, Daihatsu and Hino brands would increase to 9.
Aug
3rd

Visteon cuts forecast on slowing Europe auto production

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Visteon reported a slump in sales and cut its earnings forecast for the year, citing lower vehicle production in Europe, South America and China.
Aug
3rd

Lear’s Q2 profits drop 18% on weak Europe

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Lear's second-quarter earnings fell 18 percent because of "challenging" business conditions in Europe, the supplier of seats and electric power management systems said.
Aug
3rd

GM is on target with Opel turnaround plan, CEO Akerson says

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GM CEO Dan Akerson said an agreement between management and German labor unions on restructuring the automaker's Opel unit is expected in the autumn.
Aug
3rd

Renault will boost Brazilian engine output but fears rising costs in Latin America’s biggest market

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Renault will expand the capacity of its Brazilian engine plant by 25 percent by 2013, extending a string of recent investments despite concerns about rising costs in Latin America's largest economy.
Aug
3rd

Mazda starts building new Mazda6 mid-sized sedan

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Mazda has begun production of the next-generation Mazda6 mid-sized sedan in Japan, and official photos from the launch ceremony show a production version true to the sleek, sculpted lines of the Takeri concept shown at last year's Tokyo auto show.
Aug
3rd

For the Guinness World Record – 1,000 Ferraris on Parade!

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Ferrari North Europe hopes to achieve the new record, on September 15 later this year, during Ferrari Racing Days at Silverstone Circuit. The previous record was set in 2007, with 385 Ferraris on the Circuit. Ferrari North Europe has always wanted to set a Guinness World Record with 1,000 cars. And already, more than 1,000 attendees have confirmed their presence.

Furthermore, Ferrari North Europe will give £5 (approx. $7.80) to BEN, (the automotive industry's own charity) for every Ferrari taking part in the record-breaking attempt.

For the Guinness World Record - a 1,000 Ferraris on Parade
Photo: Ferrari


Aug
3rd

Rally: Photos and video of first day of action at Rally Finland

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Local hero Mikko Hirvonen was five seconds adrift of his Citroen teammate Sebastien Loeb as the battle for top honours at the end of Day 1 on Neste Oil Rally Finland.

WRC Citroen Sebastien Loeb
Sebastien Loeb, Citroen. (Photo: Citroen Racing)

During the last stage of the day, Finlands' Hirvonen, in a Citroen DS3 WRC, was 1.5s quicker than his teammate, the winner of the FIA World Rally Championship title for the last eight seasons, to narrow the gap between the top two drivers.

WRC Ford Jari-Matti Latvala
Jari-Matti Latvala, Ford. (Photo: BP Ford Motorsport)

Loeb explained he has been struggling with a mechanical issue since the end of the previous stage: "I have a problem with the rear diff since the stage before," he said.

WRC Citroen Thierry Neuville
Thierry Neuville, Citroen. (Photo: Citroen Racing)

"It overheated and we lost the oil. It was handling really strange and we were sliding everywhere. We lose a bit of time and I wasn't sure if we could complete the stage at one point."

WRC Ford Fiesta
Ford Fiesta WRC. (Photo: BP Ford Motorsport)

Best-of-RallyLive brings you the video highlights from the first day in Finland.






Aug
3rd

2012 Buick Regal GS Review (video)

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When General Motors slashed and burned a few divisions a couple of years ago following the government's financial aid to save the ailing company, a lot of people probably wondered why Buick didn't get thrown into the fire alongside Pontiac, Saturn and Hummer. For those who don't already know, Buick is big in China: that's right, what is arguably the biggest emerging market in the world loves the brand.

As a result, Buick got a new lease on life in North America and the Regal GS, new for 2012, is the most tantalizing Buick currently available. Ah, the Gran Sport name recalls some fine classic machinery from the muscle car era. Yet, as a modern-day performance sedan, is the 2012 Regal GS worthy of its notorious badge? And more importantly, if you're in the market for a luxury sport sedan, would a Buick be on your shopping list?



The GS muscle
The 2012 Buick Regal GS gets a direct-injected 2.0L turbocharged four under its hood and produces 270 hp as well as 295 lb-ft of torque from 2,400 rpm. Those are impressive numbers for such a small engine; in fact, it's about as muscular as GM's 3.6L V6. You also get a choice between 6-speed manual and automatic transmissions. When's the last time you saw a clutch pedal in a Buick? I can't remember either, but I'm glad one's available now.

However, and like the rest of the Regal lineup, the GS drives its front wheels only. Those two rubber doughnuts have the unfortunate double duty of getting power to the ground and turning the car at the same time.

That's a recipe for torque steer in powerful front-drivers. To become a negligible issue, the engine frequently feels robbed of its full potential. We clocked a 0-100 km/h time of 7.3 seconds. Under hard acceleration, the 2.0L turbo feels about 100 lb-ft short, and you don't quite get that immediate-kick-in-the-pants feel as with VW/Audi's 2.0T engines.

Still, the Regal GS is very enjoyable, and driving fast is something you'll end up doing anyhow, because the car is so quiet inside. The turbocharger's whistle won't give you goosebumps like a good ol' V8 would, but it's music to our ears nonetheless.

Fuel economy has nothing to do with performance-oriented Buicks of yesteryear. At 100 km/h on the highway, the engine spins at just 1,800 rpm, and our combined city/highway average of 9.8L/100km is a decent result.

Stopping power is provided by four-wheel vented disc brakes, along with Brembo four-piston callipers and performance brake pads up front. The most potent Regal serves up good initial bite when you stomp on the pedal and short stopping distances.


The GS button
On the dash, you'll find Sport and GS buttons, which both stiffen the car's suspension and reduce body roll. On the open road, you likely won't feel any difference apart from a slightly jittery ride on the highway.

On the other hand, the reduced assist of the hydraulic power steering when the GS mode is active feels great when you wish to drive in a more spirited fashion. Ultimately, we think most owners will stop playing around with the buttons after a few weeks.

Yet, we shouldn't forget that this is a German-engineered sedan, and that means excellent road manners. The Regal GS, or all trim levels for that matter, benefits from good turn-in and minimal body roll. The GS probably is the greatest handling front-drive car GM has offered in North America, so far. Oh, by the way, the Regal is now built in Oshawa, Ontario.

2012 Buick Regal GS suspension button
On the dash, you'll find Sport and GS buttons, which both stiffen the car's suspension and reduce body roll. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

The GS difference
It's fairly easy to distinguish a Regal GS from other versions. The vertical air intakes on the front bumper give the car a sabre-toothed smile, while a sportier rear bumper and rocker panel extensions hug 19" alloy wheels; our tester is equipped with optional chromed 20-inchers -- not a bad upgrade from a visual standpoint.

Inside, you get excellent 12-way power front seats with rich leather upholstery, a fat and grip-y steering wheel and a 5.1 surround sound system, while a power sunroof and navigation are extra-cost additions.

On the downside, the electronic parking brake is a bit of a hassle; you must flip a console-mounted rocker switch to activate and deactivate it, which doesn't always cooperate when you're in a hurry -- and forget about wintertime parking-lot drifting. Rear-seat space is snug for two adults, uncomfortable for three.

2012 Buick Regal GS front 3/4 view
Inside, you get excellent 12-way power front seats with rich leather upholstery. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

The GS price
Base price for the 2012 Buick Regal Gran Sport is $40,900, while our loaded test car, which includes the $995 White Diamond Tricoat paint (ouch!), rings in at $44,555.

The Regal GS is a solid, great-handling sport sedan that treats its occupants well and delivers decent straight-line performance and fuel economy. However, competitors such as the Infiniti G37x, the BMW 328i and the Audi A4 quattro are all within a few thousand dollars and tough acts to follow in regards to performance, handling and prestige.

And let's not forget Cadillac's new, rear-wheel drive 2013 ATS, which can be equipped with the same engine. It all comes down to this: Could you imagine yourself driving a Buick sports sedan?
Aug
3rd

Rally: Sebastien Loeb maintains his lead at Rally Finland

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Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) maintained his lead at the end of the second day of Rally Finland, but the Frenchman is still under the pressure from his teammate Mikko Hirvonen.

The two Citroën works drivers were separated by only three seconds before the last Super Special stage held Friday night.

Sébastien Loeb, Citroën
Sébastien Loeb, Citroën (Phoo: Citroën Racing)

The pair today shared the the number of stage wins on Friday (4 to Hirvonen, 3 to Loeb), with the exception of ESS11, the last special stage of the day, which was won by Petter Solberg's Ford Fiesta.

Hirvonen, who is still looking for his first win with Citroën, is still classified behind his teammate Loeb. The works Ford Fiestas of Jari-Matti Latvala and Petter Solberg were running 20 seconds behind the Citroëns, as the Norwegian driver had a great catch up after his technical issues on Thursday.

Young Thierry Neuville (Citroën), who was fighting for fifth position with Mads Ostberg's Ford, was forced to retire after he rolled his car at a low speed in ESS11.

Classification after Friday :
1. Loeb-Elena (Citroën DS3 WRC) en 1h19'07''6
2. Hirvonen-Lehtinen (Citroën DS3 WRC) + 5''0
3. Latvala-Anttila (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) + 20''3
4. P. Solberg-Patterson (Ford Fiesta WRC) + 21''4
5. Ostberg-Andersson (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) + 47''7
6. Tanak-Sikk (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) + 1'36''4
etc.
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