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BMW to build a city car

According to AutoExpress, BMW is currently working on a small car set to compete with the Smart ForTwo and the future budget model Volkswagen in order to reduce its fleet average emission levels and comply with the 2012 EU emission regulation.
According to the sources, BMW won’t feature hybrid technology as result of cost cutting. Instead, the small car would be powered by small turbocharged petrol and diesel engines. Sitting on a front-wheel drive platform, BMW engineers would ensure the city car offer enough driver appeal.
The lineup would be positioned below the BMW Mini despite a similar length. BMW is seriously considering selling the car under a new label. Some observers talk about a possible revival of the Isetta brand. The car would be built by Magna-Steyr which will also build the future Mini Crossman. However, engines and powertrains would still be built by BMW.
February 4, 2008
Lancia future plans revealed

As reported in a previous post, Lancia will unveil the new Lancia Delta at Geneva and will be the group’s new attempt to relaunch Italian brand. Indeed the Delta model will be followed by a flow of new models in the coming years.
Lancia will expand its lineup by launching new vehicles and renewing current successful models. Likewise, low volume cars will be discontinued. The first car to disappear will be the Thesis executive saloon which we never saw in the UK. Set to compete with the Audi A6, BMW 5-Series and Mercedes E-Class, the Italian saloon failed by sporting the ugliest grille we have ever seen on a modern production car. This is rather sad as the Thesis comes with an interior padded with leather whose quality compete with Rolls Royce’s. Interior quality was also praised by car journalists and considered by some to be better than the German clique.
The new Delta will be a five-door hatchback featuring an upmarket interior. Lancia might expand its portfolio through derived variants such as a SUV and new coupé-cabrio. Within the next few months a decision will be made on both cars.
2009 will be the year of the next-generation Ypsilon. Despite its qualities, the current model suffered from the competition of the BMW Mini model. This time, the new model will be available in both three and five doors body styles. The Musa which is quite successful in Italy and France, will be also be renewed. Although secrecy surrounds the future small MPV, it is already known that it will feature unique underpinnings as the Fiat Idea is being discontinued.
Lancia also plans to launch an exclusive coupé like Alfa Romeo did with the 8C Competizione in order to spearhead a revival of the marque. The future exclusive coupé might be dubbed Aurelia in reference to the past. The last Lancia model to refer to the Aurelia heritage was the Thesis saloon.
Source: AutoTelegraaf
February 4, 2008
Great Wall Florid got the green light

The Chinese car maker has been given the green light by the Chinese government to build the Florid model which is a rip-off of the Toyota IST/scion xA model.

The Chinese car maker had unveiled a series of small cars eighteen moths ago whose particular trait was to be a faithful copy of European and Japanese models. Without the least hint of embarrassment, Great Wall executives declared the cars were their own creation, but even the Chinese government didn’t believe it and ordered the car maker to suspend the project as the government didn’t want to be sued for infringement of patent. But at the latest congress, one decided that business was a priority and Great Wall can release its Florid Model.

Due to go on sale from May this year, the Florid will be powered by a 1.5-litre petrol engine or a 1.2-litre diesel engine. The diesel engine comes as a surprise. Indeed, diesel engines are not common in China, but Great Wall has the ambitious plan to export the model to Europe. The car would be sold in Italy first and in the rest of Europe in 2009.
The Chines company is currently being sued by Fiat in China and in Europe over the design of the Peri model which is a rip-off of the current Panda. What will be the Toyota’s reaction? This is not the first time a Toyota is copied by a Chinese car maker. Indeed, Jonway cloned the RAV4 to build the UFO model. Unfortunately, Toyota did nothing because it didn’t patent the design.
February 4, 2008
Tesla delivered its first car

Tesla delivered its first production car on Friday to the company’s chairman, Elon Musk.
Despite the encountered difficulties, the start up finally succeeded in reaching the production stage which remains a bit complicated. The car was flown from England where the car is built at the Lotus manufacturing plant in Hethel while the batteries were imported from Tesla’s plant located in Thailand. Both parts were assembled at the company’s headquarters before being delivered to Elon Musk.
Tesla chairman called the moment “the beginning of the beginning”. In the meantime, he confirmed the first deliveries will start in mid-March. The first cars will be delivered with a temporary transmission before getting letter the final version of the single-speed transmission.
The second car will be delivered to Martin Eberhard who left the company at the end of November.
February 4, 2008
Spyshots: Audi A4 Allroad

The picture you see here is the front wheel of the future Audi A4 Allroad spotted during winter testing.
Like the Audi A6 Allroad, the car on the picture comes with similar wheel arches and side skirts. This Audi A4 also features a higher ride height and, of course, snow tyres. Normally, Allroad models are only available as an estate, but the spotted saloon might be only used for testing purposes.
The exact spec of this special A4 remains unknown although it is believed the car would be available with an engine range similar to Audi A6’s. There would be a 1.8-litre petrol engine with an output of 158bhp and a 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine producing either 138bhp or 168bhp.
Click here to see the pictures
Source: Worldcarfans
February 4, 2008
BMW to unveil green concept car in Geneva

According to InsideLine, BMW will reveal a green concept car at the next Geneva Motor Show. At this stage, information remains scarce and one does not know if the concept car will be a production ready concept or a pure concept car.
Indeed, BMW is getting used to unveil production ready concept cars such as the X6 at the latest Frankfurt Motor Show in September before unveiling the production model at Detroit a few weeks ago. This time, the Geneva Motor Show might be an opportunity for the car maker to display the eagerly-awaited Progressive Active Sedan.
The green concept car might also be a real concept car intended to show where the car maker is heading in terms of innovation and design in the future. The concept car might also announce a change in design. This is pure speculation and the next weeks will likely reveal more information about this concept car.
February 4, 2008
Spanish car market in the doldrums

The registration of passenger cars in January decreased by 12.7% over the same period last year, reaching a volume of 101,630 vehicles. This decrease has two basic reasons.
The first is “cyclical” generated by the advancement of operations for the purchase of vehicles from the highest segments, which occurred in December, as a result of changing tax levied from January 1 this year with a tax rate exceeding vehicles emitting more CO2.
The second cause is more “structural” and responds to a decline in private consumption and the overall performance of the economy.
The evolution of demand from individuals and companies in January showed a decrease of 16.2% while buying rental market increased by 39.6% over the same period.
February 4, 2008
200,000th Cayenne Leaves Porsche Factory

Porsche has announced that the 200,000th Cayenne had rolled off the production line. The 200,00th Cayenne is a red GTS model powered by a V8 petrol engine. This is a significant milestone for the German car maker which doubled its global sales thanks to the SUV.
This is also an opportunity for Porsche to prove that car maker can build other models than sports cars. Some predicted a shadowed future for the Porsche Cayenne at its launch, but its annual sales went beyond expectation. Indeed, the company originally planned to deliver 20,000 SUVs per year. Actually, Porsche delivers roughly 40,000 vehicles per year. According to Porsche, thirty-percent of Cayennes are sold in the US, the vehicle’s largest market. Will the next-generation meet the same success?
February 4, 2008
Hyundai to build a Tata Nano rival

Hyundai has announced it has plans to build a rival to the recently unveiled Tata Nano. The car would be sold at a price tag of £1,800.
With a potential market estimated a few million customers, the Tata Nano segment starts to whet other car maker’s appetite. Hyundai is India’s second largest automaker after Maruti, ahead of Tata Motors in third.
According to a Hyundai executive, the car would be launched in 2011 and would be produced locally in its Indian factory.
February 1, 2008
Nissan to recruit 800 new staff to build more Qashqai

Thanks to the success of the Qashqai model, Nissan will recruit 800 additional staff by creating a third shift at its plant in Sunderland.
Since its launch last March, the Qashqai found 130,000 owners obliging Nissan to boost production by 20% last June. This contributed to the plant achieving a record annual production volume of 353,000 units of Qashqai, Note, Micra and Micra C+C. Trevor Mann, Senior Vice President for Manufacturing & Supply Chain Management, Nissan Europe, said: “Currently on two shifts, we can produce 200,000 Qashqais per year. However, the car is proving so popular we now need to significantly increase our volume.”
With orders still above forecast and a customer order bank of 60,000 units, Nissan has no other choice than creating a third shift. By December 2008, 800 new persons will be recruited. Of these, 400 will be permanent positions, with the remainder temporary contracts.
February 1, 2008