Auto News 5

Car sales in China fell for the third month so far this year in November, data released this week shows. Full story...

Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Pa., raised the possibility today of an interim rescue package for the Detroit 3. Full story...

Taganrog Automobile Plant (TagAZ), based in the Rostov region, has assembled the first batch of Chery cars last month, Rostov Deputy Governor Sergei Nazarov told a news conference at Interfax. Full story...

Skoda will start production of its new sport utility vehicle Yeti in the last week of May 2009, Czech daily Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) has reported. Full story...

Honda Motor Co. has pulled out of Formula One racing to save more than $200 million a year. President Takeo Fukui wants to sell the team and won't field a car when the next season starts in March. Engines also won't be supplied to other teams. Full story...

General Motors said today it is cutting shifts at three North American assembly plants in response to declining demand in a move that will lay off almost 2,000 union-represented factory workers. Full story...

Two weeks of annual leave still needed taking. Lots of late-autumn chores needed doing around the house. The last two weeks of November should be quiet so Dave Leggett and the rest of the just-auto team can handle the news. Or so I thought. You know how it turned out. The Detroit Big Three faced up to looming liquidity crises but were sent home from their first trip Washington to concoct more detailed plans for state aid. Markets everywhere continued to tank. Assembly lines were idled for days or months, more workers faced losing their jobs. And it ain't over yet. In a quarter-century of covering this industry and close to two decades more as an interested observer, I don't think I've ever seen things as bad, though the 1970s oil crises ran it close. Full story...

The South Korean government is looking at the possibility of tax cuts for its struggling automakers, local press has reported. The news comes as the latest figures from the country show double-digit falls for the industry in November. Full story...

In what can best be described as a surprise, Audi said on Friday that it will not be represented by its factory team, Audi Sport North America, in the 2009 American Le Mans Series. Full story...

The Formula One world has been turned upside down by Honda's decision to pull out of the sport effective immediately. Full story...

Volkswagen used the Bologna auto show to roll out the Scirocco Studie R concept. And what we see is pointing the way to a car we expect to replace the Golf R32 in VW's lineup about a year from now. This new car is likely to be called the R20T. Full story...

Australia's treasurer Wayne Smith has today announced plans to boost the country's ailing car industry. Full story...

The continued market downturn for the auto industry has resulted in a "significant decline" in sales for BMW in November. Full story...

Kia Motors' labour union has agreed to production cuts to match falling demand world-wide. Full story...

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) has signed a deal with Malaysia's Proton Holdings for the development of a new Proton vehicle. The contract also grants a licence to the Malaysian automaker to manufacture a new Mitsubishi vehicle based product. Full story...

2009 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG

A huge, luxurious, and expensive coupe makes quite an extravagant statement, and one that's AMG-fortified makes it even more emphatically.

The CL coupe stands out as something unique in the automotive firmament. No other manufacturer builds a coupe off its top-line luxury sedan; BMW's 6-series comes closest, but it's not really close at all. The CL is more a kindred spirit to a Bentley Continental GT or even a Brooklands. A huge, luxurious, and expensive coupe makes quite an extravagant statement, and one that's AMG-fortified makes it even more emphatically. The awesome, 6.2-liter V-8, which we know from so many AMG models, provides jet-thrust acceleration accompanied by a stock-car sound track, an utterly charming combination - especially for those with their own oil well.

Photo Gallery: 2009 Mercedes Benz CL63 AMG - Mercedes Benz Luxury Coupe - Automobile Magazine

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Full story...

Honda has shaken the motorsport world with a shock decision to withdraw from Formula One and sell its team. Around 800 employees here in England are expected to lose their jobs by the end of January, local media reported. Full story...

The German government is looking at various options for possible help for Germany's Opel unit of General Motors and is on track to take a decision on any action by Christmas, a government spokeswoman said on Friday. Full story...

Brazil's biggest car makers will sell 14% more vehicles in 2008, but the Brazilian Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association, ANFAVEA, lowered its sales expectations for the year. Full story...

The Board of Directors of ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, has elected Carlos Ghosn as its new president. Full story...