Auto News 5

Kia has said that the star of its display at the 2009 Salon de l'Automobile in Geneva at the beginning of March will 'redefine the mini MPV segment bringing style and cool to what is currently a bland segment of the new car market'. Full story...

PSA/Peugeot-Citroen CEO Christian Streiff said the auto industry is caught up in a catastrophe that has spread across the globe as even the key emerging markets that manufacturers had banked on for growth have now ground to a halt. Full story...

PSA/Peugeot-Citroen CEO Christian Streiff said the auto industry is caught up in a catastrophe that has spread across the globe as even the key emerging markets that manufacturers had banked on for growth have now ground to a halt. Full story...

PSA/Peugeot-Citroen CEO Christian Streiff expects group sales to fall 20 percent in 2009 and sees further pain in 2010 as the global slowdown persists. "The outlook for 2009 is terrible. Full story...

Next-generation roadster gets more upright grille and retains folding hard top Full story...

Colombia's BMW importer Autogermana has become the first in Central and South America to launch a factory-certified used car programme. Full story...

Mexico knocked Canada out of second spot in the North American vehicle production rankings last year for the first time as output there rose while automakers throttled back Canadian assembly. Full story...

Abu Dhabi's sovereign fund IPIC is considering investing in indebted German bearings maker Schaeffler or its 49.9 percent-owned unit Continental, the Financial Times Deutschland newspaper reported on Tuesday. Full story...

Nissan Motor Co. has applied for U.S. government financing to help it make electric vehicles and develop the advanced batteries that power them, the company said on Monday. Full story...

Industry legend Bob Lutz, General Motors' head of product development, will retire from the company at the end of the year. Full story...

Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel has scotched suggestions that Albert Park may be silent in late March due to the dispute over driver Superlicenses. Full story...

Ricky Carmichael, a five-time AMA Supercross champion will enter the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Daytona this coming Friday. Full story...

Donington Park boss Simon Gillett has denied reports that the 2010 British grand prix venue is in debt to the tune of 76m euros. Full story...

MotoGP star Marco Melandri will be making his Speedcar Series debut at the Losail International Circuit on February 12-14, 2009. Full story...

Winter testing resumed today on two different circuits, in Jerez, Spain and in Sakhir, Bahrein. On both tracks weather played a role and limited mileage. Full story...

Winter testing resumed today on two different circuits, in Jerez, Spain and in Sakhir, Bahrein. On both tracks weather played a role and limited mileage. Full story...

Japanese automaker Nissan just announced that it will sustain considerable losses for the third quarter of the 2008 fiscal year. The losses total a little over 1.11 billion dollars. Nissan reports that the situation is mostly due to the economic downturn as well as the negative effect of the Japanese yen exchange rate, sagging consumer confidence and the difficulty consumers have obtaining credit. Full story...

Small cars are big news at this year's auto show circuit, and Chevrolet is gearing up to launch a new production-confirmed model called the Spark at the Geneva Motor Show next month. Based on the Chevrolet Beat concept, millions of internet voters told the automaker that they wanted the Spark produced. Accordingly, it will be available for sale in Europe in early 2010, followed by 'other global markets' thereafter. Full story...

Ricky Carmichael, a five-time AMA Supercross champion will enter the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Daytona this coming Friday. Full story...

Bob Lutz, big boss of General Motors' product management, announced this week that he will be stepping down after eight years with the company. Lutz joined GM in 2001 and is responsible for improving design quality and raising the standards of product quality. Full story...