Auto News 5

Even as General Motors explores the sale of Opel, it will tap its European unit as a source for future Buick sedans. Full story...

Even as General Motors explores the sale of Opel, it will tap its European unit as a source for future Buick sedans. Full story...

Mercedes' small car division on show at Geneva.

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A head-turning burgundy 1932 Ford B400 took home top honors at Detroit's Autorama on Sunday, winning the coveted Ridler award over seven other finalists. Full story...

A head-turning burgundy 1932 Ford B400 took home top honors at Detroit's Autorama on Sunday, winning the coveted Ridler award over seven other finalists. Full story...

The 79th Geneva Motor Show has opened its doors to the media preview days. Concept car highlights include the Nissan Qazana, Infiniti Essence, Ford Iosis Max, Dacia Duster, Frazer-Nash Namir by Giugiaro,  BMW 5 Series GT, Rolls-Royce 200EX and Aston Martin Lagonda. Production debuts include the new Volkswagen Polo, Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe, Peugeot 3008 and Toyota Verso.

We will have ongoing reports of the most significant debuts in our show Highlights, with in-depth Design Reviews and an extensive Photo Gallery of our own images coming soon. Until then, be sure to check out our Photo Galleries section for all the press images of the new cars on show...

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Opel has threatened to close plants in Eisenach and Bochum plus a facility in Antwerp, Belgium, according to media reports. Full story...

The economic downturn in New Zealand continued to affect new vehicle sales with February passenger car registrations of 3,795units down 28% on January's and also down a massive 38.5% compared with February 2008. Full story...

The European Union's investment bank is to boost to almost 7 billion euros ($8.9 billion) its loans to the auto industry to develop climate-friendly cars, but it cannot save the sector from economic crisis, the bank's manager said today. Full story...

A former Swiss investment banker admitted in court today that he seduced and blackmailed Susanne Klatten, heiress to the BMW car empire, with secret films of their hotel trysts. Full story...

A former Swiss investment banker was jailed for six years today after admitting in court that he seduced and blackmailed Susanne Klatten, heiress to the BMW car empire. Full story...

A former Swiss investment banker was jailed for six years today after admitting in court that he seduced and blackmailed Susanne Klatten, heiress to the BMW car empire. Full story...

Official VFACTS data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) showed that 70,241 passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were sold in February 2009 - down 21.9% year on year. Full story...

Ford is targeting growth in China ahead of the 10% overall market expansion expected this year due largely to the launch of the redesigned Fiesta there. Full story...

Indian 'car for the masses' makes Euro show debut.

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BMW saw global sales in February decline 24.4 percent to 80,453 vehicles, in line with the forecast of CEO Norbert Reithofer given last week at the Geneva auto show. Full story...

BMW saw global sales in February decline 24.4 percent to 80,453 vehicles, in line with the forecast of CEO Norbert Reithofer given last week at the Geneva auto show. Full story...

Tata Motors, India's largest vehicle maker, said today that its founder Tata Sons has pledged an additional 24.05 million shares taking its total pledge to 13.42 percent of its total equity. Full story...

Tata Motors, India's largest vehicle maker, said today that its founder Tata Sons has pledged an additional 24.05 million shares taking its total pledge to 13.42 percent of its total equity. On Feb. 10, the company had said its parent had pledged 37. Full story...

General Motors nailed down a key piece of its North American restructuring plan on Sunday (8 March), reaching a tentative agreement with the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) that trims hourly labour costs at its Canadian operations and meets demands from governments in the country that have been asked to bail out the company. Full story...