General Motors cruised to their fifth straight quarter in the black, announcing a gross profit of $3.2 billion, helped along by a sale of GM subsidiary Delphi for $1.6 billion in March. In a prepared statement, General Motors CEO Dan Akerson said “GM has delivered five consecutive profitable quarters, thanks to strong customer demand for...
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Honda will offer their Civic compact car with a new small diesel engine by 2013, but for now it looks like Europe and other markets will get it, with North America seemingly shut out. With a new Civic set to debut in world markets in 2012, Honda is mulling various options, with world markets set...
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Enthusiasts have wanted them for a while—a low-revving torque monster under the hood of our Jeep Wranglers or clean-burning Grand Cherokees. Now Jeep executives are actively considering the idea of importing diesel models to the United States. “Diesel in some of our models makes absolute sense,” said Michael Manley, president and CEO of Jeep, who...
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Ford has released the results of a survey conducted across Europe on the most popular car colors by nation. And to the surprise of absolutely no one (and the delight of the German carmakers), the most universally popular colors were…white, black and silver. No bright hues like the hot-pink Focus above. And no British Racing...
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Jeep is launching an ambitious campaign in Europe to boost sales eight-fold by 2014, with a new premium small SUV helping to lead the way. The next generation Jeep Compass is expected to debut around 2014, and will be based on the same platform as the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, and the Compass will also share...
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British radio personality Tim Westwood may have bought a Cadillac Escalade, but the brand has had inconsequential sales throughout Europe for its entire life. Even GM’s poor attempt at a Euro-friendly Caddy, the ill-fated BLS sedan. The misfortunes of Cadillac hasn’t stopped GM CEO Dan Akerson, who was quoted by Autocar as saying “The only thing you...
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Remember the Tata Pixel concept at Geneva? If not, this link should help refresh your memory…or, you can wait until your next European vacation, where you’ll be seeing the tiny little Pixel on the streets. Tata Motors has green-lit the Pixel for production and sale in Europe, replacing the previously-planned Nano Europa, which was just...
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Infiniti has only been in Europe since 2008, but the brand has big ambitions: it aims to double its sales by the end of this fiscal year. In 2010 up until March 31st, Infiniti sold 4,500 cars. This isn’t even a drop in the bucket compared to the likes of Mercedes, Lexus, and Audi, the...
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While motorists in North America have had 10 percent ethanol infused gasoline all but forced on them, and Brazil operates almost entirely on E85 biofuel, German motorists have slammed the door shut on the corn-based fuel by simply refusing to purchase gasoline that is made up of 90 percent dino-juice and 10 percent ethanol. The...
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Europe is getting the Grand Cherokee with a diesel as well as special 70th anniversary editions, as Jeep will announce at the Geneva Auto Show in a week’s time. The diesel will be a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6, sourced from the Fiat mothership and built by VM Motori. It’ll come in two forms: one with 188...
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Volkswagen is planning to spread the platform love with its new Up city car, with Czech subsidiary Skoda being the first VW division to get the tiny car, with a SEAT-branded version to follow. Packaged as a three-door five-seater, a 1.0L gasoline engine and a 1.2L diesel engine will be offered, with an all-electric version...
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With hatchbacks playing a significant role in auto markets outside North America, the Chevrolet Cruze hatchback will bow at this year’s Geneva Auto Show, where Chevrolet will try and further its push into the European market with a well-targeted product like the 5-door Cruze. While Chevrolet showed a concept version at the Paris Auto Show...
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Volkswagen‘s newest Jetta was designed to be a volume leader, selling for about $15,000. But Volkswagen loyalists, who previously loved the Jetta for its premium feel and sporty character, have decried what they see as a cheapening of their beloved compact sedan, and Volkswagen seems to be listening. After driving a European market Jetta, with...
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The Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel wasn’t long for this world in its previous iteration, but the oil-burning Jeep will soldier on in Europe, where diesels enjoy massive popularity. Bowing at the Geneva Auto Show in March, the Grand Cherokee CRD will likely use a version of Chrysler’s previous diesel engine which made 218 horsepower and...
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As part of Ford‘s “One World” plan, a single platform will be used across all markets worldwide. While we reap the benefits with the all-new Focus and C-Max, there can be trade-offs when different markets require different attributes in a vehicle. With the Ford Vertrek Concept, unveiled today at the Detroit Auto Show, the Blue...
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Toyota is projecting sales of 8 million units in 2012, according to parts suppliers who have been briefed by the auto maker. The projections do not include units sold by Toyota subsidiaries Daihatsu and Hino. The last time Toyota sold such a volume was in 2007, when the company moved 8.42 million vehicles. Toyota expects...
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Honda has given its European market Jazz (also known as the Fit to us North Americans) a mild refresh, and confirmed availability of the Jazz Hybrid that debuted at the 2010 Paris Auto Show. A front end re-style drops the drag co-efficient to 0.33, and the 1.2L and 1.4L powerplants get minor reductions in CO2...
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With the a proposed annual membership fee of around £100, the new scheme , which will feature a single ‘visual identity’ network currently looks rather attractive.
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Hyundai will launch it’s Genesis models in Europe starting in 2013, but the cars will be part of a separate luxury channel rather than as part of the existing Hyundai lineup. Outlining his plans for Genesis, Tony Whitehorn, Hyundai’s managing director for the UK, told AutoExpress “Lexus did a great job in the States, although...
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Volvo is set to enter the World Touring Car Championship in 2011, and while the brand isn’t normally associated with motorsports, the Volvo 850 wagon had a previous campaign in the British Touring Car Championship, where it was famous for being a station wagon, and having a penchant for going up on three wheels. Now,...
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Volkswagen‘s Passat will disappear after the 2010 model year to make way for the upcoming New Midsize Sedan (NMS) that is positioned against the Toyota Camry rather than continue with the Passat’s European-derived engineering. The Passat always developed a cult following among a certain group of buyers,, but never developed widespread acceptance among mid-size buyers....
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The Audi A1 1.4TFSI has stolen our hearts and left us wanting more, specifically a hotter version under the S1 label. If you’re like us, we have some bittersweet news for you. Audi has announced that there will be no S1 for the time being, but that the A1 1.4TFSI was going to be the...
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Although details are sketchy, the design features a cab with a narrower cross section than most current European large trucks, with flat top fenders, designed to improve airflow around the sides of the vehicle.
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With the Saab 9-5 getting all of the attention over the Saab, the Swedish car maker is looking to freshen up its entry-level 9-3 with some new styling. Fuel economy is said to be 12 percent better in the diesel version (which we won’t get, of course). The car remains mechanically uncharged otherwise, with a...
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