Auto News 5

Kia hopes its latest Sorento will halt the model's steep sales slide in European markets. The Korean carmaker will launch sales of the medium SUV in Europe shortly after the model's European debut at the Frankfurt auto show in September. Full story...

Official VFACTS data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) showed that 75,650 passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were sold in March 2009 - down 17.1% (15,635 vehicles) compared to the same month in 2008. Full story...

March sales of 4,881 new cars in New Zealand were 28.6% up on February while still down 23.3% on March 2008. Full story...

Striking Toyota workers in Venezuela have finally reached an agreement with the automaker and will return to work next Monday. Full story...

Fears that a major U.S. automaker could seek bankruptcy protection are causing auto parts suppliers to demand quicker payments from the manufacturers, exacerbating problems for the already hard-pressed car makers. Full story...

TOKYO (Reuters) -- Shares of Mitsubishi Motors Corp. jumped to a three-month high on Friday after a news report said the automaker would double its annual electric car production capacity target in the business year to March 2012. Full story...

U.S. carmaker Ford Motor Co. is in talks with unions to cut the workweek at its sole Russian assembly plant to compensate for expected falls in demand, a Ford spokeswoman said on Thursday. Full story...

The centerpiece of Mitsubishi Motors' stand at next week's New York Auto Show will be the Outlander GT Prototype. Building on the success of the current Outlander, this sporty compact CUV will make its World debut on April 9. Full story...

Charlottetown, April 2, 2009- Classic elegance will meet modern technology this summer as hundreds of motoring enthusiasts descend on the Island's capital to showcase the treasures of the automobile industry, both past and present. Set against the backdrop of the stunning waterfront in Historic Downtown Charlottetown, the PEI International Motoring Festival will celebrate the best in North American and Foreign make automobiles ranging from heritage vehicles to exotic cars. Full story...

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz -- Following an intensely competitive bidding process that evaluated four of the largest photo enforcement companies in North America, the City of Edmonton, Alberta, selected American Traffic Solutions (ATS) as its vendor for the expansion and upgrade of the city's photo enforcement program. ATS replaces the current vendor, which has had the Edmonton contract since 1993. Full story...

Unwell Renault Formula 1 driver driver Fernando Alonso said on Friday he hopes to feel better when the Sepang event moves into qualifying and race mode of the Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend. Full story...

Ford Team driver Mikko Hirvonen leads the Rally of Portugal with a 15-second advantage over his pursuers after an action-packed first day of competition in the Algarve. Full story...

Two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso and Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone have added salt to McLaren and Lewis Hamilton's open wounds. Full story...

After his KERS incident in the initial session, Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari topped the timesheets as the three hours of Friday action concluded at Sepang at the Grand Prix of Malaysia. Full story...

Reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton on Friday apologised for lying to FIA stewards in Australia, but said he was instructed to by suspended team veteran Dave Ryan. Full story...

During second practice at Sepang on Friday, McLaren issued a statement confirming that sporting director Dave Ryan has been suspended due to his role in the Lewis Hamilton/Jarno Trulli saga. Full story...

In 2007, Acura introduced RDX, a smaller crossover brother to MDX. While based on Honda's CR-V platform, the RDX is a legitimate premium entry, by way of its two major pieces of techy hardware: a fabulously over-achieving 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine; and SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive). Full story...

It's been awhile since we've shown you some spy art of Suzuki's upcoming sport sedan foreshadowed by the Kizashi concepts. Full story...

Steve Saleen said Thursday that he will honor the warranties on some of the products that bear his name--a month after the new owners of his former company said they wouldn’t accept the older claims. Full story...

Despite General Motors’ looming troubles, development of the Chevrolet Volt rolls on, and 80 new prototypes will be built and tested starting this summer. Full story...