Auto News 5

The German auto industry's output is set to rise 5 percent to almost 5.8 million vehicles next year, the VDA lobby group said. German car exports will probably rise 5 percent to 4.4 million units next year, the German Auto Industry Association added. Full story...

Limited run of 500 special Freelander Sports featuring upgraded styling inside and out.

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Chevrolet says it remains confident parent General Motors will repay the US taxpayer's USD50bn bailout "completely" following the automaker's recent return to Wall Street in one of the largest IPOs in history. Full story...

Chevrolet says it remains confident parent General Motors will repay the US taxpayer's USD50bn bailout "completely" following the automaker's recent return to Wall Street in one of the largest IPOs in history. Full story...

The price in Europe of tough polyester yarn used to make automotive textile parts such as seatbelts and airbags could rise following the European Union (EU) Council of Ministers ordering an anti-dumping duty on exports from China. Full story...

November was another good month for automakers. According to Ward's, more than 869,000 cars and light trucks left dealer lots, down 8.2% compared to October but 12.0% ahead of November 2009. Crunching those numbers yields a seasonally adjusted annualised rate (SAAR) of 12.26m light vehicles, the same as to October, indicating a slow but steady recovery. So far this year, sales are up 11.1%. Full story...

Economic woes and the end of scrappage schemes threatened a bleak start to 2011 for some of Europe's top car markets. Full story...

One of Daimler's rising stars, Jerome Guillen, has moved to U.S. electric sports car manufacturer Tesla. Full story...

Ford has signed a four-year agreement with Belgian unions to secure the future of its Genk assembly plant. Production capacity will be maintained at 225,000 units a year, with the potential to grow beyond that figure, depending on market demand. Full story...

NASCAR's Red Bull Racing officials confirmed on Wednesday the team's contract with Scott Speed has been terminated, effectively ending a seven-year association with the Austrian brand. Full story...

Comprised of 36 Karl Lagerfeld photos, Pirelli's 2011 calendar has been officially revealed in Moscow. Entitled "Mythology," it explores topics such as gods, heroes and myths while promising an idyllic, black-and-white interpretation of beauty. Twenty-one models from the four corners of the globe, including actress Julianne Moore, helped create this work of art. Full story...

Are you familiar with Frank Rinderknecht and Rinspeed? Over the past few years, this Swiss car tuning expert has created by far some of the most imaginative yet unorthodox concepts the auto industry has ever seen. Among their popular achievements is a Lotus Elise converted into a zero-emission submersible. Called sQuba, it made quite a splash during its introduction at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. Full story...

Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati. Just these words alone give me shivers. I see one on the road and I can't stop staring at it. The sound of the engine makes me hold my breath for a moment. These cars are the reasons for becoming an automotive journalist. Full story...

Mississauga, ON - Continental Tire Canada (CTC) announces a price increase of up to 6% with some in-line adjustments on all Continental, General and Proprietary Brand passenger and light truck tires in Canada. The price increase will vary by product line and size. The price increase is effective as of January 1, 2011 for the Canadian market and is a response to the continuing rise in raw material costs. This alignment will only affect summer and all-season tires. Full story...

BMW works driver, Briton Andy Priaulx looks set to graduate to the DTM series in 2012 with German car manufacturer BMW. Full story...

The Indy racing League has decided to revise its TEAM program awarding money to each car in the IndyCar series and two of the smallest teams will be the biggest losers. Full story...

Seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher is cautious about the 2011 season after a difficult return to formula one this year. Full story...

When you're in a slump, the best thing you can do as a vehicle manufacturer is offer alluring incentives. That's what Honda and luxury division Acura have done, and despite a very slow start to the 2010 calendar year, they are now matching last year's sales. Full story...

Toyota is not kidding around with safety; after the much-publicized episode of recalls due to sticking accelerator pedals earlier this year, they are doing everything in their power in order to change the negative perception that some customers might have concerning the safety of their vehicles. Therefore, they have announced the introduction of their Star Safety System for all their 2011 vehicles, in a press release today. Full story...

The Dodge Viper is back! A few months after production ended, the automaker is reportedly planning a rebirth in the not-so-distant future. Full story...