Last year was a difficult one for most automakers, but everybody managed to pull through. Daimler had a difficult first half of year, but managed to improve its EBIT in the third and fourth quarter. EBIT from ongoing business increased to plus €0.6 billion in the fourth quarter of 2009, resulting in full-year EBIT of minus €1,513 million (2008: plus €2,730 million).
Last year brought many great challenges also for Daimler, stated Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Man… (read more)
Audi AG shocked the DTM fans on Thursday when announcing their official factory lineup for the season to come. Unlike in the previous few seasons, the German manufacturer will align 5 works driver on the DTM grid. However, that’s not a bigger news than the one that 21-year old Spanish driver Miguel Molina will be the one to join the existing Audi lineup in the DTM.
Molina is arguably an unknown figure to the racing fans in Germany, as this will be his first racing season in which he’ll get be… (read more)
Fiat will attend the 2010 Geneva Motor Show next month with one of the most important technologies released in Europe in the last few years: the first two-cylinder engine on the Old Continent. The 900cc, two-cylinder TwinAir configuration will be installed on the Fiat 500 this summer and will produce a maximum output of 85 horsepower.
This will be the first two-cylinder engine in Europe, as Tata Motors, currently offering a similar unit on the Nano minicar, is yet to bring the vehicle on the … (read more)
The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) announced the number of corporate-elected Board of Directors members was reduced from six to four, while two at-large member positions were added. The total number of Board members, however, remains at 12.
The two new at-large positions can be filled by individuals who will reportedly bring outside expertise to the AMA Board of Directors.
"It’s understandable, considering the AMA was first created in 1924 with substantial support from the mo… (read more)
The new Tata Sanand plant in Gujarat began trial production of the manufacturer’s very low cost Nano, with commercial output expected to begin this April. The new factory will help Tata meet the increased demand in the Nano and set it on its way of achieving its production target.
"We have started the trial production of Nano in Sanand and commercial production should start in another two-three months," vice-chairman Ravi Kant told the Hindustan Times.
According to the initial … (read more)
German-engineered Kalkhoff bicycles and e-bikes are now available on the North American market, Greenlight Bikes announced. Kalkhoff’s pedal-assist electric bicycles, also known as pedelecs or e-bikes use an electric motor to supplement the power a rider applies to the pedals, while being operated as a traditional bicycle.
Most e-bikes currently available in the US use either front- or rear-powered hubs, many of which require the use of a throttle. The Kalkhoff pedelec system seamlessly appli… (read more)
Manhart Racing, a BMW-dedicated tuner, has unleashed a three-stage violent tuning program for the BMW M3.
The most modest stage, if we can say that, straps a small compressor to the M3’s 420 HP 4 liter V8 engine. This uses a supercharging pressure of 0.35 bar to bring the unit to an M5-beating 515 HP. For the owners who want an even wilder M3, the German tuning house offers an increased supercharging pressure (0.50 bar) that enables the V8 to reach an output of 585 HP.
The third and ulti… (read more)
The race for building a charging infrastructure and different devices for the future electric vehicles has started a while ago. We can’t really tell which companies will offer the best solutions, but there are a lot involved in this game.
Competition is good, as it will create better products. So we should be glad that GE and Juice Technologies announced a joint development agreement to create intelligent plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) charging devices for U.S. and global markets. The charger… (read more)
Christian Klien might not leave the world of Formula One just yet, even though his chances of securing an F1 driver for the upcoming campaign are close to zero. The test/reserve driver market out there is still very open though, and it seems the Austrian driver is holding the top spot in McLaren Mercedes’ preferred drivers’ list for the job, as reported by the Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper.
The Woking based team’s former tester Pedro de la Rosa left McLaren approximately one month ago, whe… (read more)
The Type R designation will make it to the CR-Z as well, with this particular model to have an output of approximately 200 horsepower. This is what the guys over at autoexpress.co.uk are claiming, while saying that the CR-Z will undergo a significant sport treatment courtesy of Mugen, Honda’s tuning division.
First of all, the engine will be a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine plus a petrol-electric configuration that will roll out a maximum power of around 200 horsepower. The engine will obviously… (read more)
Although the echos of the Daytona 500 race can still be heard in the distance, Roush Fenway Racing applied the old "time’s a wastin” saying and replaced Matt Kenseth’s crew chief, Drew Blickendersfer, with Todd Parrott, effective immediately.
"Veteran crew chief Todd Parrott has been appointed crew chief of Roush Fenway’s No. 17 Sprint Cup team with driver Matt Kenseth. Parrot will take over the role effective immediately," Roush Fenway says in a release.
Blickendersfer, w… (read more)
German manufacturer Daimler AG might have chosen to form their own team in Formula One this season – after purchasing more than 75 percent of the title-winning Brawn GP last November – but their F1 operations might come to an end sooner rather than later if the Brackley based team doesn’t continue its winning trend in the series.
This time, it was the German carmaker’s very chief executive Dieter Zetsche to send the message loud and clear to motorsports director Norbert Haug, saying that his … (read more)
BMW dedicated tuners AC Schnitzer are preparing their own X1 for the upcoming Geneva show next month. The team have recently offered a preview of their kit for the smallest SUV in BMW’s line, which will have its official unveiling at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show in Switzerland.
Based on the BMW X1 E84 premium compact SUV, the refined version by AC Schnitzer rides on 19-inch double-spoke Type VIII wheel, though 18- and 20-inch rims are also available.
The new bodykit includes extensions to th… (read more)
Peugeot is working on several new innovative models and the recent concept shown at various auto shows around the world comes to support this statement. The recently-presented 5 by Peugeot concept model that will attend the 2010 Geneva Auto Show is believed to make it to production as Peugeot 508, the car you’re seeing in the adjacent photo gallery.
The spyshots we have here, which by the way are only revealing a few things "thanks" to the garbage bags-like camouflage used by Peugeo… (read more)
Most people working in the automotive world are very passionate about their job and committed to achieving the impossible. As technological progress happens every day, some get recognized for their contribution to the auto world. This is just the case of Cummins Vice President and Chief Technical Officer John Wall, who has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
In the world of auto engineers, this is just like winning an Oscar, as the award recognizes an individual’s outstanding… (read more)
Following the resignation of Finn Johnsson last month and the appointment of Louis Schweitzer as interim chairman, an election committee for the truckmaker announced the former Renault CEO will be proposed as full time chairman.
Johnsson was supposed to stay until the manufacturer’s next annual general meeting takes place on April 14 when, according to some analysts, Leif Johansson, Volvo’s CEO, would have taken over as chairman as well.
"There was some speculation that Leif would ta… (read more)
The Chinese automotive imports are expected to increase by 20 percent in the current year, reaching 420,000 units, as Gasgoo reports.
Last year, China’s volume of imported automobiles saw a smaller 31 percent increase from a year earlier, reaching 353,000 units, while imports at customs grew by only 2.8 percent to 419,000 units in 2009. The reduction of the increase rate was caused by two factors: obviously, the global financial crisis and a government tax on imported cars equipped with engin… (read more)
One day after Karun Chandhok was linked with a racing deal with Stefan GP, the Indian driver issued a quick response to the allegations, insisting that nothing that has been written on this topic is true. Not that he’s mind for it to become true anyway, but the fact of the matter is he is still keeping his options open for the season to come.
I am surprised to see the reports emerging, I haven’t signed any contract with any team as of now. For now it is all speculation, but I wish it comes tr… (read more)
Indian carmaker Tata looks to extend its business into the military sector by entering a government bid for the supply of 1,000 light bullet proof vehicles to the Indian armed forces.
"There are several other domestic companies also participating in the contract for supply of light bullet vehicles, a senior Tata official said according to Business Line.
Although the value of the contract has not been disclosed, sources say each of the vehicle will cost around Rs 35 lakh.
Taken a… (read more)
Traffic politeness rarely exists any more. Everybody is in a hurry and people seem to give each other the finger more and more often. According to Allstate, this attitude also reflects on the hit while parked collisions, as the likelihood of drivers stopping or leaving a "sorry" note on your windshield if they hit your car is not very high.
Though most states require the driver responsible for an accident with an unattended vehicle to notify the owner, this rarely happens any more. … (read more)