Business News

MOTOR SHOW 2008_5

2008-11-17T07:51:00.000-08:00

MOTOR SHOW 2008_4

2008-11-17T07:46:00.000-08:00

MOTOR SHOW 2008_3

2008-11-17T07:43:00.000-08:00

MOTOR SHOW 2008_2

2008-11-17T07:41:00.000-08:00

MOTOR SHOW 2008_1

2008-11-17T07:39:00.001-08:00

Renault Launches Clio RS 197 LUX

2008-11-17T07:23:00.000-08:00

For those that like to spice-up their hot hatch with a touch of more refinement and added comfort, Renault U.K. has introduced a new version of the Clio RenaultSport (RS for short) 197 named "Lux". In addition to the leather upholstery and automatic climate control, the Clio RS 197 Lux's standard equipment includes automatic headlamps and wipers, cornering lights, 'extra' tinted rear windows, a 60W radio MP3 CD player, Renaultsport carpet mats and satin chrome finish to the fascia air vents. On the outside, the Lux boasts brushed 'Raider' alloy wheels and a satin chrome finish to the door mirrors and to the air vents in the front wings.

Pricing for the Clio Renaultsport 197 Lux has been set in the U.K. at £16,995 with first deliveries expected in early January 2009. Renault claims that the Lux offers £2,000 worth of equipment for just £1,000 more than the standard RS 197.

The Clio Renaultsport 197 Lux is available in a choice of five exterior colors: Ultra Red, Racing Blue, Renault i.d. Glacier White (this will cost you an extra £150), metallic Deep Black (+£375) or metallic Albi Blue (+£375).

If you're still not satisfied with the standard equipment, Renault will gladly accessorize the Lux with electrically folding door mirrors (£100), an electrically operated panoramic sunroof (£600), xenon headlamps (£550), Speedline wheels in either white or black (£100) and the sporty Cup chassis (£400).

2009 Mazda Demio: JDM Mazda2 Receives Subtle Upgrades

2008-11-17T07:21:00.000-08:00

Mazda's ongoing quest for perfection has led to the introduction of the 2009MY Demio in Japan. The Demio, which we know as the Mazda2, has received a few minor and somewhat insignificant updates that concern the vehicle's cabin. In particular the supermini's interior now features a glossy black center panel and matching (new) materials for the seat cover centers and door trim.

2009 Mazda Demio - Mazda2 There's also new silver garnish on the shift knob, parking brake and inner door handles while an illuminated shifter display has been added to the models that are equipped with an automatic or CVT transmissions. Finally, Mazda has added a new dark silver exterior body color raising the total number of available colors to twelve.

GM Sells Leftover Suzuki Stake to Raise Cash

2008-11-17T07:06:00.000-08:00

Hile awaiting a decision on a $25 billion U.S. government aid for the auto industry, cash-strapped General Motors decided to sell back its 3.0 percent stake in Suzuki Motor Cooperation for 22.37 billion yen or $230 million. Suzuki issued an official statement this morning saying that the purchasing price will be today's closing price of 1,363 Yen per share for GM's 16,413,000 Suzuki shares which is equal to 3 percent of the Japanese firm's total issued common stock, on the open market. GM's partnership with Suzuki began in 1981 but the American company loosened its bonds with the Japanese automaker in March 2006 when it sold a 17 percent stake.

Suzuki said that the two automakers will continue doing business together despite the break up. "We are committed to continue promoting and implementing not only our existing projects, including development collaboration on advanced automotive technologies, but also collaboration on entries in new emerging markets," Suzuki said in a release. The two companies also confirmed "to give positive consideration on a possibility for GM to repurchase Suzuki shares in the future".

Statement by Osamu Suzuki

"Suzuki and GM have been constantly exchanging frank opinions on various topics as business partners. As GM taking this particular step to sell the shares it owns as a step toward strengthening its balance sheet is very understandable, we wanted to support GM's decision. We confirmed each other in a conference call with Wagoner-san and me that all individual initiatives will be pursued as they are today. There will be no impact on Suzuki's current business plan."

GM's Opel Insignia 'Car of the Year 2009' - Ford Fiesta Comes in Second, VW Golf Third

2008-11-17T07:01:00.000-08:00

For the first time in 22 years, a General Motors vehicle has been voted 'Car of the Year' (COTY) in Europe. The brand-new Opel insignia gathered a total of 321 points beating the second Ford Fiesta by the narrowest possible margin - a solitary point. The Insignia is the third Opel / Vauxhall model to be awarded with the COTY after the Kadett (Vauxhall Astra in the UK) scooped the award in 1985 with the Omega (Vauxhall Carlton) following in 1987. The COTY jury, which is made up of 59 senior motoring journalists from 23 European countries gave the VW Golf VI a total of 223 points placing it third of the contest's seven finalists.

"This is the closest COTY competition for years," comments Ray Hutton, president of the 59-strong jury of senior motoring journalists. "Car of the Year has often been decided narrowly, but it is eight years since another Ford, the Mondeo, was beaten by a single point by Alfa Romeo's 147." To underscore the closeness of the 46-year-old competition, the Vauxhall/Opel Insignia received most votes from 20 of the international jurors, while the Fiesta was placed first by 19 of them.

Points allotted by journalists to the other COTY finalists were Citroen C5 198, Alfa Romeo MiTo 148, Skoda Superb 144 and Renault Megane 121 points.

For the record, the competition's first stage was in October, when jurors chose seven finalists from a total of 37 contenders. In order to be eligible for COTY, a car must be launched within the past 12 months and has to be available in at least five European countries - which is why the Toyota iQ didn't take part in this year's competition as European sales start in January 2009.

Nissan 370Z Revealed at Private Event in LA: Photos and Video

2008-11-17T06:51:00.000-08:00

In collaboration with Nissan the crew from Inside Line organized a private "Z" gathering in West LA, California to show off the brand-new 2009 Nissan 370Z ahead of the coupe's official debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 19. Fortunately for us, Streetfire member Shinkaze put his camera to work shooting the new 332HP 370Z from various angles inside, outside and even under the hood. Check out the image gallery along with a live video from the LA event by following the jump.

AllCarShow.Com - New Fiat Panda 4x4 Glam Edition

2008-11-17T06:49:00.000-08:00

Fiat has just launched a new special edition version of its diminutive off-road model for the Italian market. What makes the Panda 4x4 Glam Edition special in Fiat's eyes is the new pearl white finish that's complemented by the aluminum roof bars and the newly styled 15-inch alloy wheels. Similarly, interior mods are limited to the new jean-like seat and door-panel fabrics along with the decorative aluminum trim on the dash. Power for the Panda 4x4 Glam Edition comes from either a 60HP 1.2-liter petrol unit or a 70HP 1.3-liter turbo diesel engine with prices in Italy set at €14,800 and €16,910 respectively.

AllCarShow.Com - Nissan 370Z or Nissan GT-R? A Journalist's Weekend Nightmare...

2008-11-17T06:44:00.000-08:00

Turns out that the red hot 2009 Nissan 370Z we showed you the other day either belonged or was heading towards the folks over at Edmunds Inside Line. In this family portrait, the latest 'Z' is pictured sitting next to a white Nissan GT-R and Inside Line's Editor in Chief Scot Oldham is wondering in his blog which of the two sporty Nissans should find a spot at his home garage during the weekend. Well, not that we really care but if you want an answer from a journalistic point of view, it's the car you haven't driven or to be more precise, the one you haven't driven enough. And in this case it's the 370Z -especially since the GT-R is a long-termer.

Futile questions aside, seeing the two newest sport coupes from Nissan parked side by side, we can't help but notice the more 'Euro' styling of the 370Z compared to the 'Playstation' aesthetics of the GT-R. Now here's a question worthy of an answer: from a design standpoint, which of the two Nissans gets your motor running?

AllCarShow.Com - Mugen Kits the new Honda Life minicar

2008-11-17T06:37:00.000-08:00

Not even the newly launched Life mini has escaped from the claws of Honda's unofficial motorsports and tuning arm, Mugen. The Japanese company has released a host of tuning accessories that promise to give a little more... life to Honda's new 'kei-car'. These include a subtle bodykit, various alloy wheel designs available in sizes 14'' or 15'', a sport exhaust system and an electronic tire-pressure gauge so you can always keep your tires in tip-top shape. Sorry to say, speed freaks will have to do with the standard 0,7-liter engine that's available in both naturally aspirated and turbocharged forms as Mugen did not released any performance upgrades.

AllCarShow.Com - Video: Merc's 670HP SL65 AMG Black Series in Action

2008-11-17T06:32:00.000-08:00

Not that the recently updated Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG with its 612HP twin-turbocharged V12 engine isn't powerful or fast enough, but you'll always have a few customers -very few to be honest- that crave for something a bit more special, a bit more fast and a whole lot more expensive. The result was the introduction of the SL 65 AMG 'Black Series' of which only 350 will be produced, with around 200 of those earmarked for the U.S. As a typical example of Merc's 'Black Series' cars, this SL has been stripped out and tuned to the bone. Among other upgrades the 'Black Series' has been enhanced with a fixed carbon-fiber rooftop and a tweaked 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 engine producing 670HP and a monstrous 738 lbs/ft of torque. Hit the jump for a narrated video of the car.

Yamaha FZ1 Abarth Assetto Corse Concept Bike with 150HP R1 Engine - AllCarShow. Com

2008-11-17T06:24:00.000-08:00

We don't usually post articles on motorcycles but this time we are obliged to make an exception. The 'naked' Yamaha concept bike you see in the picture above was developed in cooperation with Fiat's sport division, Abarth as part of the celebrations to mark the 100th birthday of the Italian firm's founder Karl Abarth (born on November 15. 1908). The prototype model is based on the FZ1 which is powered by a 1,0-liter engine derived from the Yamaha's R1 supersport bike. The 4-cylinder unit produces an output of 150HP at 11,000 rpm.

Yamaha FZ1 Abarth Assetto Corse Concept Bike The FZ1 Abarth Assetto Corso is distinguished by the classic Abarth livery which combines Abarth's Scorpion and Yamaha's three tuning-fork logo. Mechanical improvements on the concept bike include a new Akrapovic exhaust as well as suspension and brake upgrades.

Along with the FZ1 Abarth Assetto Corso, Fiat's sport division marked Karl Abarth's centenary with the release of a limited edition version of the 500 Abarth (click here for details and photos) and a snazzy high performance desktop powered by the new Intel Core i7 Extreme processor.

AllCarShow.Com - New Poll Shows That 55% of Americans Support Bailout

2008-11-16T07:34:00.000-08:00

A new poll administered by Peter D. Hart Research Associates for General Motors says that 55% of the 804 U.S. citizens that took part in the survey back a $25 billion federal bailout (in loans) to American automakers "so they have the money to manufacturer vehicles". Thirty percent of the respondents said that the government shouldn't give a loan to the 'Big Three' while 15% weren't sure. The results from the Hart poll stand in contrast to a USA TODAY / Gallup poll (see here) that was published earlier this week and showed that 47% of Americans believe "providing loans and other help" to auto companies is "not very important."

The Hart poll, conducted Nov. 11-12, also showed that 64% of the people that participated in the survey agreed with Obama that one of his first economic priorities as president is to ensure that the American automobile industry continues to be able to operate and that he favors an economic assistance program to help them. As for whether or not America's automakers will face bankruptcy without government help, 60% answered yes compared to 22% who said no.

2010 Nissan 370Z "Spied" in Red Hot Dressing - AllCarShow.Com

2008-11-16T07:20:00.000-08:00

Nissan is trying its best to keep a low profile with the 370Z until next week's 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show when the new 'Z' makes its first public debut. Of course we're being sarcastic as after a trio of photos that were shot in Europe, the 370Z has been photographed once again, this time outside a parking lot somewhere in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Seen here for the first time in a bright red finish, the 370Z will be powered by a 3.7-liter V6 engine producing 332HP with buyers being able to choose between a 6-speed manual gearbox or a buy-another-car-if-you-want-this 7-speed automatic transmission. Hit the jump for seven more photos of the 370Z.

Hyundai Starts Mass Production of Cars in the Czech Republic - AllCarShow.Com

2008-11-16T07:15:00.000-08:00

Hyundai's first European manufacturing plant at Nosovice in the east of the Czech Republic, has began volume production of the firm's i30 subcompact hatchback. The i30 is the first vehicle to be built at the new €1.1bn (US$1.45bn) plant and will take over the supply of i30s to the European market. To date, the i30 was exported to Europe from Hyundai's Korean factory in Seoul.

Hyundai's Czech plant is expected to produce around 18,000 i30s by the end of the year. In 2009 with the addition of a second model, the Nosovice plant will have an annual cappacity of 200,000 units. The second phase of production will be launched in 2011 when a third model will join the plant's line-up raising output to 300,000 units a year.

"The Hyundai plant is such a large investment and important production influence on the GDP and will amount to around 1 percent a year and trade surplus will grow by around CZK 50 billion a year after the plant switches to full capacity," said Martin Riman, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic. He added: "The Czech Republic will then take over position of a European leader from Slovakia in terms of the number of cars produced - almost 130 units per 1,000 inhabitants."

"Since the 1 November, when production was launched in our plant, Hyundai has become officially the European automobile brand. And although it will not be easy in the tough European climate, I believe that our cars will soon build up a strong position and the sales will grow rapidly," said Kim Eok-Jo, President of HMMC.

AllCarShow.Com - 2009 Peugeot 3008 Crossover Scooped Completely Undisguised

2008-11-16T07:12:00.000-08:00

When we first saw Peugeot's Prologue concept car at the Paris Auto Show in October we knew that the compact crossover was practically production ready. Apparently it was so good to go that Peugeot doesn't even care about covering the actual production model that was spotted by a reader of the Dutch car magazine Autoweek without a single trace of camouflage. Minus a few rings and bells like the absence of the aluminum exterior trim and the unadorned alloy wheels, the production model doesn't vary from the concept car we saw in Paris.

Peugeot 3008 Crossover The compact crossover that will most probably be called 3008 (supposedly) combines features and elements from both SUV and minivan (MPV) vehicles. The new model will face competition in Europe from the likes of the Citroen C4 Picasso and the quite successful Nissan Qashqai.

Since it's based on the underpinnings of the Peugeot 308, expect to see naturally aspirated and turbocharged variants of the PSA - BMW Group co-developed 1.6-liter petrol engine as well as a wide range of HDi diesel powerplants when the vehicle goes on sale in Europe in the second half o 2009.

AllCarShow.Com - James Bond's Ford Edge Hydrogen from "Quantum of Solace"

2008-11-16T07:05:00.000-08:00

James "I'll- even-advertise-panties-for-the-right-price" Bond will get behind the wheel of a black 2008 Ford Edge SUV in the new 007 film "Quantum of Solace," which opens this weekend in theaters in the U.S. The four Ford Edge crossovers that will be seen throughout the move will be dressed to look like hydrogen-powered vehicles. But this is a case of 'fiction-meets-reality' as Ford is currently working on the Edge HySeries which promises to be the world's first fuel cell hybrid electric plug-in. According to FoMoCo, the HySeries combines an onboard hydrogen fuel cell generator with lithium ion batteries to deliver more than 41 mpg.

"Four Edges dressed up as hydrogen-powered vehicles are part of a fleet that belongs to Greene, and they are integrated naturally into the plot of the movie," said Al Uzielli, senior advisor to Ford Global Brand Entertainment. "When you see the Edge – as when you saw the Mondeo in 'Casino Royale' – there's no question to the relevance or the correctness of the vehicle being in that scene."

Relevant or not, Ford's product placement in 007's new adventure does not end with the Edge Crossover as the firm's European arm will also have an ambassador in the movie, the 2009 Ford Ka mincar that will be driven Bond's new girl Camille played by Olga Kurylenko.

SEMA: Five-Axis' Stealthy Lexus GS 460 - AllCarShow.com

2008-11-15T07:35:00.000-08:00

After the sinister-looking Project IS F that made quite a splash at last year's SEMA show, Troy Sumitomo and his Five Axis automotive returned to Sin City with a fresh take on the Lexus GS 460. Sporting a titanium matte paint finish, a widebody conversion with concept-like styled bumpers and black-colored 20-inch alloy wheels in 245/30 ZR20 rubber up front and 295/25ZR20 at the rear, Five Axis' GS 460 is a stealthy proposal for those that like their cars shaken, not stirred.

SEMA 2007 Sleek & Sexy Nissan GT-R - AllCarShow.com

2008-11-15T07:32:00.000-08:00

Girls of SEMA 2008: Day 1 - AllCarShow.com

2008-11-15T07:30:00.000-08:00

The Girls - SEMA 2008 - Las Vegas - Models - AllCarShow.com

2008-11-15T07:27:00.001-08:00

SEMA 2008 Mercedes GLK & Girls - AllCarShow.com

2008-11-15T07:25:00.000-08:00