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Jaguar and Land Rover unions support Tata

In a previous post, we reported Tata was leading the bid over the Jaguar and Land Rover sale. One of the next stage was to meet the union and it went quite well for Tata.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the union believes Tata is the only bidder “with enough money, clout and experience”. This is quite a slap in the face for the other bidder, the partnership made between One Equity Partners and another major Indian car maker, Mahindra and Mahindra.
To tell the truth, the bid made by One Equity Partners and the M&M’s brothers look pretty scary for unions as both partner want to separate both companies. If both partners win the bid, M&M’s ~~brothers~~ family will take control of Land Rover while One Equity Partners gets Jaguar. But, we also remember the MG-Rover history in 2000. The union favoured the bidder which promised to keep jobs and five years later, the company collapsed.
November 23, 2007
Saab Aero-X designer won Elle magazine award

With an ageing line-up and no new models coming before 2009, Saab can not pretend to win the most famous awards. While some got the ‘Car of the Year’ title, Saab via its GM Europe’s Advanced Design division director, Anthony Lo, got the “Asian Designer of the Year“ prize at the 2007 ELLE Magazine Style Awards. He was honored for his work on the Saab Aero X concept car unveiled a the 2006 Geneva Motor Show.
Born in Hong Kong 43 yeaars ago, Anthony Lo studied design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and later graduated with a Master’s degree in Transportation Design from the Royal College of Art in London. He moved to Saab in 2000 as head of Advanced Design and worked under Michael Mauer, then head of design at Saab. In charge of the Advanced Design, he oversaw the latest GM concept cars in europe such as the 9X, 9-3X, 9-3 Sport Hatch and Aero X concept cars as well as the 2007 Opel GTC Concept and Opel Flextreme.
November 23, 2007
Honda Fit named car of the year in Japan
The second generation of Honda Fit/Jazz won the title of the car of the Year in Japan. It won over the Nissan Skyline and the Subaru Impreza.
Officially launched on the Japanese market in last October, the met a big success with 20,000 cars being sold in the first two weeks of availability thanks to its larger size and updated look which kept the original overall shape.
The car was elected by a 60-member panel composed mainly of car journalists.
Below you will find a list of the previous winners for the last 20 years:
2007–2008 : Honda Fit
2006–2007 : Lexus LS
2005–2006 : Mazda MX-5
2004–2005 : Honda Legend
2003–2004 : Subaru Legacy
2002–2003 : Honda Accord
2001–2002 : Honda Fit
2000–2001 : Honda Civic
1999–2000 : Toyota Vitz
1998–1999 : Toyota Altezza
1997–1998 : Toyota Prius
1996–1997 : Mitsubishi Galant
1995–1996 : Honda Civic
1994–1995 : Mitsubishi FTO
1993–1994 : Honda Accord
1992–1993 : Nissan March
1991–1992 : Honda Civic
1990–1991 : Mitsubishi Diamante
1989–1990 : Toyota Celsior
1988–1989 : Nissan Silvia
1987–1988 : Mitsubishi Galant
November 23, 2007
Bye, bye Ford Ranger

According to Automotive News, Ford will cease the production of the Ranger model. The American car maker will close its Twin Cities factory in 2009 and its Cleveland engine plant later at the end of that year.
Built in the Twin Cities factory, Ford did not say whether it would build the Ranger in another plant or not. According to company sources, the manufacturer wants to focus on the next F-150 due to be unveiled at the next Detroit Motor Show.
The first Ranger was on sale for the first time 26 years ago.
November 23, 2007
Byd F1 unveiled

The Chinese carmaker Byd has unveiled the F1 model. Despite such a name, the new vehicle is not a supercar, but a small hatchback , inspired by the Toyota Aygo sold in Europe.

Actually, the Byd F1 did more than takin cues from the tiny Aygo. It is a carbon copy! Byd even changed its BMWesque logo to adopt a chrome logo similar to Toyota.
While the Aygo has an entry price tag of £6,845, the Byd F1 will start at £1,500 or 23,000rmb.
Source: Autohome
November 23, 2007
Spyshot: Mercedes-Benz CLC

Here is the spyshot of the next generation C-class Sport Coupe, which will be on sale next year. The little C-class will adopt a new name, CLC, for the occasion. This time, it will face serious contender, the BMW 1-Series Coupe, and the latter might already be the winner.
Like its predecessor, the CLC will be based on the C-class platform. Nevertheless, information differ from one source to another. Some sources said the CLC will be based on the former C-class platform while others claimed it would be derived from the recently launched new C-class. The new spyshots might give us a clue, especially the interior styling. Mercedes-Benz kept the current dash structure instead of adopting the new C-class’. Maybe the German car maker tries to cut cost. In this situation , the CLC would rather be based on the former C-calss platform.
The CLC will feature a lightly revised exterior with a new front taking cues from the saloon and a rear similar to the outgoing generation. Do not expect a revolution with the CLC and it might be a mistake for Mercedes-Benz. If it is not appealing for everybody, the BMW 1-Series Coupe does not make you feel to face a shortened upper model. This is a real car. This is less true for the future CLC.
November 23, 2007
Toyota updates its sales forecast for the Chinese market

The Japanese car maker expected to sell 430,000 cars this year but 2007 could be better than planned as it announced it would probably sell 480,000 cars. On the first ten months, Toyota sold 385,000 vehicles, increasing its sales by 67% over the same period last year. By comparison, the Chinese market increased by 24%. It owns a market share of 7.5%.
The Camry and Corolla models explain the good news. Next year, Toyota will launch a smaller model similar to the Yaris in order to appeal to customers on a market boxed in by increasing petrol prices. It expects to raise its sales by 46% to 700,000 vehicles. One can be sure that some car makers must have nightmares.
November 22, 2007
Video: forgotten VW Nardo

At the end of the ’90s and beginning of this century, Volkswagen unveiled two supercars concepts at the Tokyo Motor Show designed by Giugiaro at the request of Ferdinand Piech. The first was a bright yellow W12 coupé. The second was the Nardo and this video is about it.
The super car was powered by the W12, which produces 600bhp. Thanks to weight of only 1,200kg, the Nardo ran the 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds and reached a top speed of 214mph.
November 22, 2007
GM recalls 90,000 vehicles

December means Christmas and GM thought at its customers in its own way! The American car maker will recall 90,000 vehicles to operate several fixes.
If you are one of the 20,514 happy owners of a 2001 model Saturn L-Series equipped with a 2.2-litre engine, you will need to go to your closest Saturn dealer to get the timing chain fixed. It might separate while the engine is running.
If you didn’t choose the roof airbags option or the sunroof option when buying an Equinox, pictured, or Torrent SUV, GM is expecting 57,100 of you to come to install more foam in the windshield pillars to prevent head injury in the event of a crash.
Finally, 11,974 owners of Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra will have to go to the dealer to fix a faulty crankshaft position sensor, which could cause the engine to stall
November 22, 2007
Carma Concept
Four aspiring car designers from the Institut Superieur de Design in France have revealed their own vision of what the future of Porsche cars might be.
Dubbed Carma Concept, the sports coupé features a unique floor, which features two tunnels running the length of the body. More interesting, the car is equipped with two variable portholes to replace the traditional spoilers. The air flows into the car and then exits at the rear end. With both technologies, the four designers’ goal is to suck the car onto the road at high speed.
The overall shape vaguely reminds Porsche cars by taking inspiration from current and past models. The most interesting exterior detail is the stern, which features a design inspired by the Porsche 928.
November 22, 2007