Auto News 5

One-off 599 based coupé convertible debuted at millionaires Italian car show, Villa D'Este.

Daimler and Renault are planning to extend their partnership to batteries for electric cars, a person familiar with the matter said.

Ford is selling a Michigan fuel-tank factory for an undisclosed amount to Inergy Automotive Systems, a unit of France's Plastic. The sale is scheduled to close June 1, Ford said Thursday in a statement.

Saab said today that some suppliers had agreed to restart deliveries and it was pursuing talks with others after a month's production break due to unpaid bills.

Saab said on Thursday that some suppliers had agreed to restart deliveries and it was pursuing talks with others after a month's production break due to unpaid bills.

UK car production fell by 12.2 percent to 86,306 units last month due to disruption caused by Japan's earthquake and tsunami, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said on Thursday.

Ford's passenger vehicle joint venture in China, Changan Ford Mazda Automobile, on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chongqing municipal government for its first transmission plant in China. The plant, with an initial investment of US$350 million to be entirely funded by CFMA, will produce six-speed automatic transmissions with an initial annual capacity of up to 400,000 units, supplying Ford brand vehicles produced and sold locally by CFMA.

Daimler must face a U.S. lawsuit alleging its Argentine Mercedes-Benz unit collaborated with state security forces to kill and torture workers during the so-called Dirty War 35 years ago, an appeals court ruled.

Toyota expects U.S. supplies of its top-selling Prius hybrid to recover to about 70 percent of normal levels next month after output was disrupted by Japan's record earthquake. Toyota's U.S.

Chrysler secured $7.5 billion in new financing under a bond offering and term loan that will be used to repay high-cost government loans and put the U.S. automaker on firmer financial ground. Chrysler raised $3.

Chrysler plans to repay U.S. and Canadian government loans on May 24, clearing the way for Fiat to increase its ownership in the U.S. automaker by 16 percent, two people familiar with the plans said.

BMW has selected AeroVironment as the preferred provider of charging equipment, accessories and installation services for the U.S. launch of the BMW ActiveE EV in the third quarter of this year.

Johnson Controls took the first steps to dissolve its joint venture with Saft, citing a "fundamental disagreement" about the direction and scope of the 5-year relationship. Saft said it would fight the move.

Alright all you diehard Mini fans; time to get excited. One of the biggest (no pun intended) complaints about the new MINI that emerged in 2002 was its size. How could BMW call it a MINI when it was so much larger than the original? Sacrilege, right? Well, original Mini fans prepare to hang your heads humbly as you welcome the new mini MINI.

Alright all you diehard Mini fans; time to get excited. One of the biggest (no pun intended) complaints about the new MINI that emerged in 2002 was its size. How could BMW call it a MINI when it was so much larger than the original? Sacrilege, right? Well, original Mini fans prepare to hang your heads humbly as you welcome the new mini MINI.

Last Friday the Ferrari Superamerica 45 made its world debut at the Concorso d'Eleganza de Villa d'Este in Italy. If you've never heard of the machine before, that's because the automaker has no intention of producing it. It's a unique one-off model ordered by Peter Kalikow, a New York collector celebrating 45 years as a Ferrari client.

The Acura TL doesn't change much, if at all, for 2011 but that's because it didn't need to. As part of its 2009 rebirth, Acura fitted an optional all-wheel-drive system to the TL, helping Germanize this performance-oriented eye-catching sedan.

According to reports, Tiago Monteiro is in talks to join the IndyCar grid for this year's season-finale at Las Vegas and to have a shot at the $5 million bonus.

IZOD IndyCar Series driver Simona de Silvestro was involved in a crash early in the practice session at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, when her car hit the wall and flipped over.

Continuing its efforts to launch new models that will attract younger customers, Buick is said to be planning the introduction of a rebadged Opel Astra GTC, whose predecessor was sold in North America as the Saturn Astra hatchback. A droptop variant is reportedly considered as well.