Author: yoann besnard

Ford to axe 8,000-9,000 jobs

Within the last two years, Ford eliminated 33,600 jobs throughout buyout and retirement packages. This time, the new “incentive” would enable Ford to cut as many as 9,000 union jobs.
The buyouts will be offered to workers from four American plants: St. Louis in Missouri, Edison in New Jersey, Norfolk in Virginia and Atlanta in Georgia. Employees have until the end of the month to accept the offer and then leave the company by March 1st. People refusing the buyout will have to relocate to another factory or be put on a “no-pay, no-benefit leave” scheme.
With this new round, Ford will lose almost 12% of its workforce. Ford focuses on reducing the union jobs. Indeed, the company pays a union worker $60/£30 per hour. The company wants to replace by new workers at a lower hourly rate for $26/£13 to $31/£16.
February 12, 2008
Chrysler to build a global platform

Chrysler engineers are currently working on the next-generation platform intended to save the company by allowing to build anything with wheels on it.
Dubbed “Project D”, the future platform will replace the current GS platform co-developed by DaimlerChrysler and Mitsubishi Motors. The GS platform is used for the Chrysler Sebring, the Dodge Caliber, the Jeep Compass, the Jeep Patriot , the Dodge Avenger and the Dodge Journey. Thus, this future platform is crucial for Chrysler and the key to its success.
The company has united a group of engineers, product planners, program managers and purchasing managers with the goal to develop a flexible platform able to feature both front wheel drive and rear wheel drive vehicles, to satisfy international regulation and to be modern enough in ten years. Indeed, Chrysler doesn’t expect the first vehicle based on the new platform to be released before five or six years.
Source: Automotive News
February 12, 2008
Volkswagen to sell small cars in the U.S.

Volkswagen is determined to increase its sales on the American market whatever it takes to achieve such an ambitious goal. After the Passat CC, the return of the Phaeton, the German car maker is seriously considering bringing the small VW derived from the Up! concept car.
Offering a small car on the American car market would have been compared to a suicide attempt a few years ago but with rising gas prices, American start to change their negative perception towards small cars. Aware of the new order, Volkswagen is currently studying the opportunity to export the future low budget Volkswagen there.
“Small cars like the Polo could be very, very interesting,” Volkswagen Group of America Chief Stefan Jacoby told Automotive News. Other possible models “are attractive lifestyle cars that are a little bit SUV-looking and a little van,” Jacoby revealed. Between the lines, Volkswagen actually wants a share of the large pie owned by BMW with the Mini. Surely, a fun car derived from the Up! concept car would be an interesting offer.
February 12, 2008
Alfa Romeo to launch a Duetto roadster in 2010

Alfa Romeo is seriously considering launching a small roadster on the American market in 2010. Dubbed Duetto, the Italian roadster will try to spearhead a revival of the eponym model launched in the sixties.
The future roadster would share its underpinnings with the 149 compact model which will be launched next year. Thus, the future Duetto would be able to offer a large choice of engines from a 150bhp 1.4-litre to a 185bhp 2.2-litre units. The roadster is said to be 4300 mm long which is longer than the Mazda MX5. However, the Duetto might be a front-wheel drive roadster which would betray the original Duetto.
Duetto evokes a lot of memories for all car maniacs. The 1966 original car is said to be the last work of art on wheels Battista ?Pinin? Farina has taken part of.
Source: Road & Track
February 11, 2008
Renault details the Koleos ahead of Geneva

Renault has unveiled the official pictures of its first ever SUV, the Koleos. The new SUV is similar to the eponym concept car showed at the 2006 Paris Motor Show. The Koleos will go on sale from June.

If you read this blog, you will remember that the Koleos looks like the Samsung QM5 unveiled in last November. Built in the same plant, in South Korea, the Koleos has been designed by Renault but engineered by Nissan. Nissan has an acclaimed expertise in building SUVs and the Koleos share its underpinnings with the X-Trail model. Both vehicles will offer similar powertrains; however, Renault will likely offer a larger range.

The exterior styling is, of course, similar to Samsung’s, but the Koleos sports the corporate grille. Surprisingly, at a time when new Renault models adopt a plain surface grille, the Koleos features the old design that appeared with the previous-generation Laguna. At 4.52m long and 1.85m wide, the Koleos will be roomy enough for five passengers.

Koleos is the first Renault model to feature four-wheel drive from launch. The torque split between the front and rear is automatically calculated as a function of available grip. In normal conditions, torque is delivered to the front wheels only. Should less grip become available, up to 50 per cent of torque is transferred to the rear. This front-rear split is ensured by an electronic coupler and controlled by the latest-generation ‘All mode 4×4-I’ system developed by Nissan for the X-Trail.

The Koleos sits on a MacPherson-type suspension at the front and the fully-independent multilink rear suspension seen on New X-Trail. Ground clearance of 206mm (diesel version: 188mm) and approach and departure angles of 27 and 31 degrees respectively will help the Koleos to go into the mud. But don’t be fooled. Unlike the X-Trail, the Koleos will likely be road-biased.

The Koleos will be available with a choice of three engines, one petrol unit and two oil burners. The petrol engine, is the Nissan 2.5-litre TR25 which delivers 169bhp and torque of 167 lb ft. Along the petrol unit, Renault will offer one disel unit in a choice of two power outputs, 148bhp or 170bhp. The petrol engine and the least powerful diesel can be associated with either a two-wheel drive system or a four-wheel drive transmission. The most powerful diesel will only be available with the four-wheel drive transmission.
All engines are hooked up to a six-speed gearbox either manual or automatic,except the petrol engine which is hooked up to a CVT gearbox.
February 11, 2008
Volvo to release pictures of the XC60 on the 20th

After Mercedes which unveiled the GLK at Detroit, Volvo will show its BMW X3 contender, the new XC60, at The Geneva Motor Show. Fortuantely, the Swedish car maker will release the first pictures ahead of the show.
The design of the XC60 will be close to the concept car’s shown last year at Detroit. The small SUV will reinforce the company’s lineup by sitting below the XC70 crossover and XC90 SUV. Volvo has big expectations with the XC60 as the model will arrive on the market at the same time as the Audi Q5 and the Mercedes GLK.
The XC60 will be the first Volvo to be designed by Steve Mattin, the new British design director.
February 11, 2008
Daimler sales grow by 16 percent in January

The German group has recorded a successful start for the month of this year as its sales jumped by 16%.
Daimler sold 90,400 vehicles compared to 77,700 over the same period last year. Mercedes-Benz recorded a 12.1% increase from 73,500 to 82,300 units while Smart sales rose by 91.2% from 4,200 to 9,100 units over the same period.
In the lineup, the C-Class skyrocketed, of course, as last year, customers expected the arrival of the current generation. Mercedes sold 26,800 cars compared to 13,400 units in January 2007.
It is in Germany that Daimler record the strongest growth with a 18.8% jump to 15,500 vehicles thanks to an active market. Overall, the sales recorded a 18.4% increase in Western Europe. The U.S. remains the largest market with 18,300 units and a 7.1% increase.
February 11, 2008
Reva to expand its lineup

Reva has announced its plan to expand its line up by launching a new model every year from 2009.
The Indian company has set the ambitious plan to conquer the electric world by expanding it lineup. Reva only sells one model, the G-Wiz. The company has recently opened a new factory which has a production capacity of 33,000 vehicles per year. The increased capacity will also enable the car maker to sell the car on more markets. After the UK, continental Europe will likely the next target for Reva.
Reva’s deputy chairman and chief technology officer, Chetan Kumaar Maini also said that the future vehicles will come with “ a battery that can traverse wider distance.”
February 11, 2008
Maruti Alto to pass one-million mark

The Maruti Alto will pass the one-million mark this week. The car has been on sale in India since 2000.
“The model is just about 2,500 units short of crossing the one-million mark, which we expect to achieve in the middle of the week,” a company official told. The Alto model has set many records since its introduction such as being the first one to reach the 100,000 mark in 150 days. The model had recorded its best monthly sales of 22,784 units in November 2007, the official said, adding it continued to average 20,000 units a month. The top-end variant LXi, outsells the other two, Standard and Lx by huge margins.
Along its success in India, the Maruti also meets a string demand abroad. Maruti has expeorted 152,300 units in the world. Surprisingly, the Netherlands are its largest foreign market.
February 11, 2008
Official picture of the Acura TSX

Acura has unveiled the next-generation TSX salon which will make its debut at the New York Auto Show. The Acura TSX is the American version of our European Honda Accord which whose next generation will be unveiled in Geneva.
The car’s styling is more an evolution than an all-new design. According to the press release, the saloon will feature”numerous advancements in performance, styling, technology and safety.” The statement is rather obscure; however it is already known that the TSX will be the first Acura to be powered by a diesel engine.
February 11, 2008