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Land Rover rolls off the 100,000th Freelander 2
Land Rover has rolled off the 100,000th Freelander 2 less than two years after its launch in July 2006.
The 100,000th car is a Rimini Red 2.2 Diesel Auto which will be delivered to its Russian customer in the city of Surgut, located on Russia’s Central Siberian Plateau. For the carmaker this is good news and an important milestone for the company when future looks rather gloomy.
The Freelander 2 has won global praise from professionals and won over 10 international industry awards since launch including the What Car? Compact 4×4 of the Year Award, Top Gear ‘SUV of the Year’ and ‘Best Small 4×4’ at the Business Car awards. Without a doubt, the second-generation’s success helped Land Rover to achieve is best year ever in terms of sales last year. It is popular in emerging markets such as Russia, China and the Middle East.
Thomas Klein, Operations Director at Halewood said: "The 100,000th Freelander is an important milestone for the plant – Freelander 2 helped Land Rover achieve its best ever sales year in 2007 and has won several major awards in its first 12 months in the market place. Freelander is continuing to perform well in traditional Land Rover markets such as the UK but sales in emerging areas like Russia and China are also growing rapidly so it’s entirely fitting that this car is destined for a customer in Siberia. “
April 9, 2008
Lexus Commits $230 Million to Expand Australian Dealer Network
Lexus wants to increase its global presence, especially outside the US and has announced it will invest £108 million to expand its dealer network in Australia.
From its current network of 22 dealerships, the luxury brand will increase this number by 50% in the next four years. The new facilities will feature a new face similar to that of the latest Lexus dealer in Perth with a purpose of making customers “feel as though they are guests in our home”.
Lexus Australia CEO John Roca also said that "Lexus locally is in growth mode. Demand for our vehicles regularly outstrips supply and our dealerships in their current format are reaching their capacity limits. Lexus’ success comes from satisfied customers.”
Source: The Australian
Source photo: Edmunds
April 9, 2008
Hyundai opens $1 billion plant in China
Hyundai has opened a new factory in China with its business partner Beijing Automotive. The new facility will double production capacity in China to 600,000 vehicles in the coming years.
Like other carmakers, Hyundai wants to have its share of the Chinese pie and invests a lot to increase its sales. After the announcement of launching a new luxury brand there, the company has invested £500 million in a new plant as a part of an ambitious plan to capture a share of 10 per cent or sell 1 million vehicles. The new production site will build 100,000 Elantra this year.
Last year, Hyundai sold 231,175 vehicles and plans to sell 380,000 units this year. It will still be far form the leader GM which sold 508,308 vehicles last year but close to Toyota and its Toyota 281,952 units. In China, Hyundai tries to cover all market segments form the cheap models to the luxury segment on which the Genesis will be launched in June.
April 9, 2008
Citroën unveils the facelifted C-Elysee for the Chinese market
Citroen took the wraps off the facelifted Elysée due to be unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show in less than two weeks.
The revamped Citroen adopts the corporate look by gaining a new front end in line with the marque’s most recent creations, new wheels and new rear lights. Despite the heavy work done on the design, the Elysée can’t hide its link with the old ZX model sold in Europe in the early 90s. Like the revised Fukang, which is a true ZX, Citroen has improved the quality in an attempt to move the saloon upmarket. The equipment has been upgraded with a Bluetooth audio system, 6-CD hard-disk jukebox and USB socket as options, while the boot lid features an automatic opening function.
Under the bonnet, the facelifted Elysée comes with a 1.8-litre petrol engine and latest-generation ABS system.
April 9, 2008
Lexus future plans
Lexus plans to expand its lineup in an attempt to increase its globals sales. more F models, a small Lexus and the eagerly-awaited LF-A are on the menu.
In an interview with the Australian, head of Lexus Australia, John Roca, has revealed the future plans of the Japanese luxury brands. First, the long-awaited LF-A won’t be build before 2011. Tokyo Motor Show will likely be the event chosen by the carmaker to unveil the supercar.
The carmaker also plans to launch more F models. After the IS-F, the company plans to unveil the GS-F which might be powred by a V10 petrol engine like the Audi RS6 and the BMW M5. Lexus might also launch a LS-F which would take on the Audi S8 and the Mercedes S65 AMG.
All these models will help to boost the company’s brand image which struggles to get a pie of the luxury market outside the US. The real model expected to be built at large scale will be a compact model and a future hybrid model. The compact model will be Lexus’ attempt to fight on the compact market segment. Set to compete with the Audi A3 and BMW 1-Series, the future model will likely be powered by a hybrid transmission. The other hybrid model will be a unique vehicle a bit like the Prius in the Toyota’s lineup on which the future Lexus will be based.
April 8, 2008
Hyundai Coupe limited edition TSIII
While the American market has the new Genesis coupé, nothing has been decided yet for Europe and we’re forced to be patient with Hyundai which unveils a limited edition, called TSIII, of the current model.
Priced at £19,595, this limited edition comes with unique accessories which won’t make the ageing coupé be more appealing. It is available with a choice of four colours, Stone Black, Rose Red, Crystal White or Carbon Grey. Crystal White and Rose Red are exclusive to this edition. It also features 17” alloy wheels with a special anthracite finish. At the rear, there are four exhaust pipes but don’t be fooled, it’s still the peaceful 141bhp 2.0-litre petrol unit under the bonnet.
On the inside, this unique coupé features leather sports seats, metal trimmed pedals, Air conditioning with climate control, heated front seats and cruise control.
The TSIII is £1,575 more expensive than the basic model. There are many better ways to spend this amount than on this special edition.
April 8, 2008
Spyshots: VW Lavida
The VW Lavida was surprised during testing by Chinese spy photographers. The future saloon will be unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show.
The Lavida is expected to be sold as an upmarket model which might feature equipment seen on more expensive models. It is rumoured to use the Bora’s underpinnings, but with a final increased length of 100mm. The Lavida will be powered by 1.88-litre and 2.0-litre petrol engines.
With this new model, Volkswagen will try to take on the successful Buick Excelle which will be also facelifted at the Beijing Motor Show.
Source Chinacartimes
April 8, 2008
Spyshots: A V12-powered Range Rover?
This is probably pure speculation but according to spy photographers Land Rover is working on a V12-powered Range Rover.
The spotted Range Rover features a new front bumper with larger air intakes and four exhaust pipes. Both details suggest a bigger engine is under development at Land Rover, but a V12 is highly speculative. The next-generation is rumoured to move upmarket in an attempt to become the Bentley of SUVs. Rumours talk about a price tag up to £100,000.
A V12 engine would likely help to justify the hefty price. However such a big engine would also jeopardise the company’s CO2 fleet average.
Click here to see the pictures
April 8, 2008
Nissan GT-R Debuts In UK: 700 Units Sold In Just 48 Hours
The Nissan GT-R frenzy continues as nearly 700 customer deposits were received for pre-order reservations in the first 48 hours after the order book was opened for business.
Nissan UK has created a waiting list as there is a limited number of GT-R sent ot the UK next year. First customer deliveries are expected in March
Paul Willcox, Managing Director Nissan Motor Limited said that “the dealer order line lit-up on the 2 April with an unprecedented amount of orders being placed.” He also added that “waiting lists are not unusual to have for a vehicle of such high performance, specification and value but there is a limit that people will be prepared to wait. In order to meet demand we are now starting to negotiate vigorously with Nissan Europe to secure further volume from our production facility in Tochigi Japan.”
GT-R UK lineup and prices here
April 8, 2008
Brilliance BS4 Wagon: first official pictures?
Pictures of the expected BS4 estate have emerged on the Internet although there is some doubt whether they are official or not.
Like other Chinese carmakers, Brilliance wants to get media attention during the Beijing Motor Show. In addition to the BC3 coupé and the BS2 compact models, the company will unveil the BS4 estate. However the pictured BS4 looks rather odd. A closer look at the alloy wheels reveals something unusual, a like if an unskilled graphics designer had used Photoshop. There is also only one roof-bar on the left and the Italian registration plate is a fake.
The BS4 estate is expected to be available with two petrol engines, a turbocharged 1.8-litre and a 2.0-litre outsourced from Mitsubishi. The equipment will feature ANS, EBD, folding 60/40 rear bench. The boot capacity is estimated to reach 1,700 litres.
April 8, 2008