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News 24 May, 2017

Subaru's hotter BRZ could finally be on the way as bewinged, STi badged development mule is spotted in the US

EXECUTIVE EDITOR ROGER HART: I have some of the same issues with this 2012 Hyundai Accent SE five-door that I have with the Elantra.

What is it?

Maruti Suzuki is planning to cut vehicle output by half at its plant at Gurgaon in northern Haryana state and build a new factory in the western state of Gujarat to manufacture up to 2m cars a year.

Mazda is to pull out of development and production of commercial vehicles in the face of dwindling demand in Japan according to a report in Japanese business daily Nikkei.

The Hungarian National Asset Management Company (MNV) has called a tender for rights to use land at the port of Gönyu, on the Danube, for a logistics investment, according to a local media report.

Following several media reports over the weekend and so far today (Monday, 26 March), there are ominous signs suggesting General Motors has decided, as widely speculated, eventually to close its Bochum plant in Germany and, possibly, Ellesmere Port in England, and replace the two plants' output with vehicles shipped from other factories across Europe and South Korea but likely not before agreements with unions expire in 2014.

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Ford will officially open its US$450m car plant in Rayong in May and production of the Focus will begin soon afterwards. The Fiesta is already made in Thailand and exported widely as far as Australia and New Zealand.

Honda has restarted production at its car plant in Thailand, crippled for the past six months after massive flooding there last year.

Ford has laid the cornerstone for a new US$1bn factory in India which will have the capacity to manufacture 240,000 cars and 270,000 engines a year when completed in 2014.

Honda is recalling 1,316 CR-V SUVs in the US for a potential welding problem that could lead to vehicle handling problems.

First Look: 2012 Hyundai I-oniq Concept

An electric sports hatchback.

You've already seen the teaser sketch, but this is the first official photo of the actual Hyundai I-oniq: a small, extended-range electric concept car that will formally debut next week at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.

Photo Gallery: First Look: 2012 Hyundai I-oniq Concept - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: First Look: 2012 Hyundai I-oniq Concept - Automobile Magazine

First Look: 2012 Hyundai I-oniq Concept | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

Daimler will present a study of an electric car for the Chinese market at next month's Beijing auto show, a company board member told a German magazine.

GM plans to keep all its Opel/Vauxhall plants open through 2014, GM Europe President Karl-Friedrich Stracke told a German newspaper. Reports that a German factory and a UK plant are scheduled for closure are 'false,' Stracke said.

The European Union risks losing its climate leadership in the auto sector to aggressive U.S. and Asian manufacturers unless it sets ambitious targets for cutting vehicle emissions in 2020 and beyond, governments and environmentalists have warned.

Volvo is recalling 12,798 of its 2012 model year vehicles imported into China, the top Chinese quality regulator said, in order to prevent potential fuel leaks and to fix faulty wiring that could cause airbag failure.

Opel has chosen veteran VW Group executive Alfred Rieck as its new sales and marketing sales boss, according to a newspaper report. Opel's supervisory board is expected to approve the appointment at its next meeting on March 28, the report said.

Labor leaders from Opel/Vauxhall and PSA will start efforts next month to forge a strategic alliance that would serve as a counterweight to the two companies and ward off job cuts.

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