Auto News 5

Navistar launched its first commercial trucks for the Indian market at the Auto Expo in Delhi. Sales will begin by March. Full story...

Steel Strips Wheels on Wednesday said it would supply 48,000 spare wheels annually to BMW for a Mini model. Full story...

Tianjin Qingyuan Electric Vehicle Co, the first Chinese automaker to break into the United States, hopes to significantly boost sales of its self-developed electric models in the world's second-largest market this year, a source with direct knowledge of the matter was quoted as saying on Wednesday. Full story...

LG Chem is to supply lithium ion batteries for commercial hybrid electric vehicles to Eaton for four years starting next November. Full story...

Fiat plans to launch a small car in India in 2012, designed specifically for the local market, a senior company official said on Wednesday. Full story...

Nissan Motor will soon offer nine vehicles in India including five built locally as it aims to catch up with rivals in the fast-growing market, the head of its Indian operations said. Full story...

Hyundai Motor expects tougher competition in India as more global rivals enter the small car segment there but said it would continue to be a top player due to its big volumes and sprawling sales network. Full story...

Toyota Motor said on Wednesday it sold 21% more cars year on year in China in 2009, well behind General Motors' 67% gain and Changan Ford Mazda's 54.5%. Full story...

China's SAIC Motor Corp on Wednesday said its 2009 net profit was expected to surge more than tenfold after the government's efforts to stimulate domestic consumption led to record sales. Full story...

A delegation from the Swedish government is to meet with General Motors executives in the US next week to discuss the future of the company's loss-making Saab unit, Sweden's national news agency reported. Full story...

The Australian new vehicle market ended the year strongly, if down slightly, due to record annual sales that well exceeded industry forecasts with many of the additional sales attributed to the federal government's business tax break. December saw record volume for that month, too. Full story...

India's emergence in the global automotive marketplace is being cemented with a series of key announcements and new model launches at the Indian Auto Expo in New Delhi this week, according to SupplierBusiness. Full story...

New car sales in Italy for 2009 fell just 0.17% to 2.158m units from 2008 levels, according to figures from the country's Transport Ministry. Full story...

New car sales in Belgium were down an annual 11.15% in 2009 at 476,194 units, according to figures from the country's Federation of Car Industries (Febiac). A total of 535,947 vehicles were sold in 2008. Full story...

Recessionary pressures coupled with customer insistence on greater environmental considerations, have led to a remarkable growth in car club operator Streetcar's membership. Full story...

Kia Motors America has teamed up with Microsoft to develop what it calls Kia UVO, short for 'Your Voice,' which allows drivers to manage hands-free mobile phones and music files by voice. Full story...

Spain's car industry lost 30,000 jobs and saw 10% of small and midsize dealers go bankrupt as sales plunged 18% in one of the worst years for the industry in decades. Full story...

Ford was the big winner amongst the Detroit Three both in December and full-year 2009 sales. Adjusted for selling days, the blue oval booked a 23.9% year on year rise to 180,870 units. Full year sales were off 14.7% to 1,656,119. In contrast, GM was off 12.4% to 207,576 units last month and down 29.9% for the full year (2,072,237). Chrysler, though up on November, was down 10.3% year on year to 86,291 units and off 36% to 927,200 - its worst annual result in 47 years. Full story...

Ford was the big winner amongst the Detroit Three both in December and full-year 2009 sales. Adjusted for selling days, the blue oval booked a 23.9% year on year rise to 180,870 units. Full year sales were off 14.7% to 1,656,119. In contrast, GM was off 12.4% to 207,576 units last month and down 29.9% for the full year (2,072,237). Chrysler, though up on November, was down 10.3% year on year to 86,291 units and off 36% to 927,200 - its worst annual result in 47 years. Full story...

New 200mph machine from sports car maker Lee Noble breaks cover

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