Auto News 5

Magna has posted sales down 7% to US$32.1bn for the year ended 31 December, with the weakening of certain currencies against the US dollar reporting currency, in particular the euro and Canadian dollar, having a significant negative impact.

Ford is investing $145 million in its Cleveland engine plant to support the production of an 'all-new second-generation 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine family.'

I have to admit to being a little surprised at how much interest a new pickup truck attracted on just-auto this week. OK, a new segment for the automaker, Fiat,  a little ingenuity in the barn-door, flexible configuration tailgate but, initially, only for South America. Perhaps the fact the name Chrysler is also appended to the word Fiat these days? And, given that South America is from where VW lobs the Amarok to the world, and the Renault-Nissan-Mercedes-anyone else want a rebadged LCV-alliance is working on several variations of the Japanese partner's Navara/Frontier truck for the globe, with some production in Argentina, I'd not be suprised to see this new Toro on sale, also in RHD, pretty much worldwide at some point. Fiat Brazil has exported light commercials widely before, including neatly packaged van and pick-up versions of the Uno it kept in production for decades.

With 1.09m units sold, January 2016 marked the 29th consecutive month of year-on-year registration growth in Europe, according to data released by JATO.  

News 28 Feb, 2016

New Ford Fiesta ST200 gets a power boost up to 197bhp, plus fresh paint and alloy wheels for the Geneva Motor Show

Subaru expects its new Levorg station wagon to have success in Europe that eluded the vehicle it replaces, the Legacy, which was pulled from the region in 2014 because of weak sales.

Volkswagen Brazil has launched its second update of the fifth generation Gol compact hatchback, Brazil's sales champion for 27 consecutive years (1987-2013). The Gol is also the country's production record holder with over 7.8m built since 1980, and the export leader with over 1.3m units shipped to 60 countries.

Canadian supplier Magna reported a rise in fourth quarter sales, excluding the impact of a strong U.S. dollar, helped by healthy vehicle demand and output in Europe and North America.

Features 26 Feb, 2016

All you need to know about the stunt driver and “Hoonigan” Ken Block ahead of his eighth blockbuster Gymkhana stunt video in Dubai

Thyssenkrupp says it will establish a new EUR100m (US$110m) plant for engine components and steering systems in Jászfényszaru, 70km kilometres east of Budapest.

Honda Motor expects two-thirds of its global sales will be zero-emissions vehicles by 2030.

General Motors can envision a day when it restarts vehicle production in Russia, although the company is unlikely to relaunch Opel in the market, GM's top European executive said.

News 26 Feb, 2016

The DS luxury brand is looking to the future with the all-electric DS E-Tense concept car set to make its debut at Geneva 2016

Audi is revving up its effort to topple BMW as the world's top luxury-car brand with new SUVs ranging from the tiny Q2 to the full-size Q8.

The growth of car-sharing services, such as BMW's DriveNow and Daimler's Car2Go, could trim global vehicle sales by 550,000 in 2021, a study said.

The latest issue of the Automotive News Europe monthly e-magazine goes live on Monday, Feb. 29. This month's edition looks at the challenges facing BMW in its second century.

GM plans to build 700 hybrid pickups -- 500 Chevrolet Silverados and 200 GMC Sierras -- and market test them in California.

Nissan disabled an app for the Leaf that left the electric car vulnerable to hackers, allowing someone to see the car's driving history and other data.