Auto News 5

The German government is prepared to provide EUR4.5bn (US$6.35bn) in state aid for Opel if General Motors chooses Magna International rather than finance group RHJ to buy Opel, Deputy Economy Minister Jochen Homann said. Full story...

MINI fanatics from across Canada are invited to celebrate the 50th birthday of the beloved icon on August 26 at Polson Pier in Toronto. This event will feature the largest gathering of MINIs in Canadian History. With crazy MINIs, games, prizes, and a movie; the event is sure to be the highlight of the summer for MINI lovers. Full story...

ARLINGTON, VA -- The Smart Fortwo has the strongest roof and the Chevrolet Aveo has the weakest among 2009 micro and minicars recently tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Full story...

A decision in principle by General Motors on who it will sell Opel to will be made by the end of the week, according to a German government minister. Full story...

Daihatsu has rolled out on Monday a new mini passenger vehicle, the Mira Cocoa, targeting mainly female drivers. Full story...

China's government has expressed regret over the EU's anti-dumping investigations on Chinese imported aluminium alloy hub products. Full story...

This Friday, in a festive ceremony, Porsche Automobil Holding SE, Stuttgart, and Qatar Holding LLC (QH) signed an agreement signaling the entry of the Emirate of Qatar into the Porsche SE family. In the afternoon, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Porsche SE, Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, welcomed the high-ranking delegation from Qatar led by Prime Minister of the Emirate, Sheik Hamad ibn Jassim ibn Jabir Al-Thani, to the historical Porsche Villa located on Killesberg Hill outside of Stuttgart. Full story...

General Motors Co. Full story...

General Motors has said it will export Chinese-made minivans to other emerging markets, reflecting China's increasingly central role in its business. Full story...

Former Volkswagen and Mini marketing executive Kerri Martin will become chief marketing officer on Aug. 20 for electric car and battery firm Coda Automotive. Full story...

The Obama administration is considering whether to allow dealers to sell cars under the cash-for-clunkers program that are ordered from manufacturers rather than just those already in dealers' stock. U.S. Reps. Full story...

BMW Progressing On Greener Vehicles

According to BMW's Chief Executive Norbert Reithofer, BMW is not going to launch a fourth brand.

According to BMW's Chief Executive Norbert Reithofer, BMW is not going to launch a fourth brand to BMW, MINI, and Rolls Royce as some media outlets had reported. During a telephone conference, Reithofer did confirm that the new Megacity-vehicle program (dubbed Project i) will be launched under a "BMW sub-brand" comparable to BMW's M badge. The launch of the electric BMW will come after 2010 and prior to the 2015 model year.

Photo Gallery: BMW Progressing On Greener Vehicles - BMW Hybrids and Electric Cars - Automobile Magazine

Read More | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

Full story...

A Russian minister called for new support measures at AvtoVAZ's mammoth car factory on the Volga to avoid social unrest as data on Monday showed car sales in Russia plummeted again in July. Full story...

Alfa's new GTA, Exclusive look at new MINI coupe, Discovery 4 driven, lightweight Mazda MX-5 Speedster revealed Full story...

Hard-top version of Speedster gets green light for production and will be named after Sixties racing team Broadspeed Full story...

Opel's top labor leader Klaus Franz wants German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her foreign minister to intervene personally in stalled talks between Magna International Inc. and General Motors Co. and push for progress, he told Reuters on Friday. Full story...

Opel's top labor leader Klaus Franz wants German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her foreign minister to intervene personally in stalled talks between Magna International Inc. and General Motors Co. and push for progress, he told Reuters today. Full story...

Ford is likely to complete the sale of its Volvo Cars unit in the latter part of this year according to Swedish industry ministry state secretary Joeran Haegglund. Full story...

Nissan's upcoming Leaf electric car could outsell hybrids like Toyota's Prius even though it has a range of just 100 miles (160 km) according to Nissan North America's vice president for product planning Larry Dominique. Full story...

Nissan's upcoming Leaf electric car could outsell hybrids like Toyota's Prius even though it has a range of just 100 miles (160 km) according to Nissan North America's vice president for product planning Larry Dominique. Full story...