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Fiat 500 sold out!

Less than a month after its launch on our shores, the 500 is already sold out. The initial 2008 quota, 4,500 units, has been entirely sold since its introduction on January 21st.
Thanks to a successful campaign, Fiat UK has emptied its showrooms and from now on, you will have to wait six months between the time you sign the order and the time you get the car delivered. Will Mini sell more vehicles? Nothing is certain as the price difference between both cars is high enough to be patient and wait for your little Fiat.
Nevertheless, Fiat has to solve its production capacity limitation as soon as possible. At a time when cars are designed and considered like Kleenex, Fiat might not be able to sell the 500 by the time it increases its production. The 500 might not be fashionable anymore.
February 12, 2008
Infiniti might get the GT-R

In an interview with Car, Nissan design director said that the supercar GT-R might also be sold under the Infiniti label.
“An Infiniti version is a future possibility” and “we are thinking about it,” told the designer to the magazine; however he also said that the company hadn’t even started a design study.
More than a simple change of label on the car, the Infiniti would get a unique exterior and interior styling in order to justify such a model in the brand’s lineup.
February 12, 2008
Stefan Jacoby confirms the return of the Phaeton to the U.S.

VW Spokesman Andreas Meurer recently confirmed that the Phaeton will return to the U.S. The spokeman’s statement has been confirmed by VW’s U.S. Chief Stefan Jacoby.
Speaking at an Automotive News conference last month, Stefan Jacoby had already admitted it was a mistake to end Phaeton sales in North America. In an interview with the same newspaper, the CEO told that Volkswagen must meet “needs and wants of a diverse American customer universe.” if it wants to achieve the 2018 target and it means to bring back the Phaeton.
Jacoby is certain that the Volkwagen brand is strong enough to sell anything from a small car to the luxurious Phaeton; however th efuture limousine won’t be over-engineered and will share it is reported that it will share its platform with Audi A6. The future Phaeton might also feature a diesel engine as the company wants to increase its share of oil burners in the U.S.
February 12, 2008
Spyshot: Kia Soul

Here is a new spyshot of the future Soul model which will be launched later this year. The car has been spotted during and confirm a radical design unusual for the Korean car maker.
The Soul is Kia’s serious attempt to take on Scion Xb on the American market. Like the Scion model, it features a unique exterior styling which derives from eponym concept car unveiled three years ago. The production version will stay as close as possible to the concept car. The concept had been designed by the Korean and Californian company’s studios.
On the pictures, the Soul appears to be a large vehicle and there is no doubt the Soul will be roomy enough for five persons. it will be powered by a 2.0-litre four cylinder petrol engine hooked up to a five-speed automatic transmission.

Click here to see all the pictures
February 12, 2008
Hyundai to unveil the HED-5 at Geneva

Hyundai has unveiled sketches of a MPV concept car that the company will show at the next Geneva Motor Show.
Called HED-5, the concept car is a compact MPV which is roomy enough for six people. The HED-5 has been developed in collaboration with Recarro, Bayer and LG. The MPV will feature a flexible interior and advanced materials.

Technically, the HED-5 will adopt innovative technologies to reduce CO2 emission by 29%. Those technologies have been designed in such a way that it has a little impact on price and performance.
The company will also unveil the revamped Matrix model.
February 12, 2008
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