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Renault-Nissan prepares for difficult times
‘I am not betting or planning on a quick recovery,’ he said. ‘I don't see that happening in the European market in the short term,

Electric car sales ready for take-off, says Renault-Nissan CEO
‘There are still investments going in, but for now we have the total package we promised – four cars for Renault and two for Nissan,’

Toyota to recall 209,000 FJ Cruisers in US
The recall applies to certain 2007 through 2013 model year FJ Cruiser vehicles. According to the carmaker, the retractors for the driver and front passenger seat

EU decision-makers put first-ever production fuel cell car to test
This is the second year running that the Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell – the world’s first production, zero-emission fuel cell car – has been selected

UAE’s AWCCS to drive fleet efficiency with bynxFLEET
AWCCS was looking for a more streamlined, productive and cost-effective process for vehicle acquisition and management by corporate, government and semi-government organisations and took the

Lexus & GMC lead way in JD Power 2013 US Customer Service Index
The 2013 CSI Study was based on responses from more than 91,000 owners and lessees of 2008 to 2012 model-year vehicles, who were surveyed between

Fuelling the fleet
You have probably never heard of FleetCor Technologies but there is every chance that the Norcross, Georgia, USA company is having a major impact on

Renault commits to French production under “historic” cost-cutting agreement
The agreement has been made in response to the continued problems with the European automotive market that contributed to a 15% fall in net profits

Nissan pushes ahead with plans to be number one Asian car brand in Europe
Figures show that the carmaker was the number one Asian car brand in February in the UK, France, Spain, Belgium and Hungary. Nissan also announced

Ford UK MD to take on chairman role
Mr Greenwell has been chairman of Ford since 2009. In his 40-year career in the motor industry he has held a variety of senior roles

Skoda unveils “GreenFuture” sustainability strategy
Skoda chairman Dr Winfried Vahland said: ‘“GreenFuture” is a clear, measurable commitment by the company and its employees towards environmental protection; we are investing in

Audi to continue growth in 2013
The carmaker posted an 11.7% rise in the number of units shipped in 2012, which were up to a total of 1,455,123 cars. In spite

Fourfold success for Kia at “red dot” awards
The jury presented the carmaker with “Winner” awards for its cee’d five door, cee’d Sportswagon and Carens compact MPV models while the new pro_cee’d gained

NAFA focuses on global fleets with International Fleet Academy
The Academy will take place on 21-24 October at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Arizona, and will extend the reach of the North American

Future is on side of range extenders, says BF Forecasts
So says BF Forecasts, following last week’s Geneva Motor Show, which saw the unveiling of a number of e-mobility solutions, including hybrid supercars. Commenting on

Partnering for profits
The European Auto Industry in 2012 declined again for the fifth consecutive year, with sales down by more than 8%. Every mass-market OEM has been

Range Rover
SECTOR Large SUV PRICE €82,960-€114,500 FUEL 7.5-13.8l/100km CO2 196-322g/km Is it possible to be British and not like a Land Rover product? In short, yes

New York Auto Show News: Infiniti to debut QX60 Hybrid
Based on the now-renamed seven-seat Infiniti JX35 that was launched early last year, the Hybrid version of the QX60 uses a 2.5-litre supercharged engine and

Nissan and Mitsubishi unveil jointly developed minicars for Japanese market
The minicars will be sold as the Nissan DAYZ and DAYZ Highway STAR, and the Mitsubishi eK Wagon and eK Custom and are said to

VW turns to CO2 for air-con systems as part of eco goals
The announcement – made at the Geneva motor show – will see the CO2 technology rolled out progressively across its vehicle fleet. The move follows

Mercedes reconsiders A1/MINI/DS3 rival
The idea, which would produce a rival for the Audi A1/Citroen DS3/MINI, was looked at and rejected a while ago but is now ‘back in

New York Auto Show News: Teaser shot of new Range Rover Sport
The carmaker says that more Range Rover Sports are sold in New York than any other metropolitan area in the world and the model is

Volkswagen Golf
SECTOR Lower medium PRICE €16,975-€28,825 FUEL 3.8-5.3l/100km CO2 99-123g/km It was a strange sight – a group of journalists sitting around gloomily exchanging notes on

Mercedes-Benz unveils next-generation van safety technology solutions
The systems include the Crosswind Assist technology, which is said to almost completely offset the effects of crosswind on vehicles. The system is based on

Geneva News: Infiniti signs new Swiss dealer contract
The Infiniti Centre St Gallen will be officially opened in September this year, coinciding with the launch of the new sports saloon Infiniti Q50, which

Further blow for West European car sales, reports LMC Automotive
With the dismal economic backdrop continuing to hamper sales, the percentage fall translating into a selling rate of under 11.4 million units/year. As a result

How to save a life…
Smart automotive technologies that help drivers avoid collisions, navigate and improve fuel efficiency should make Europe’s roads safer, ease congestion and reduce pollution. But just

Geneva News: China’s Qoros sets out European stall
Qoros is a joint venture between China's Chery Automobile and Israel Corporation, an industrial investment company founded in 1968 to attract foreign investors to help

Geneva News: Alfa 4C to spearhead return to US
‘It's a long time since Alfa Romeo was in the market there, but there is a history in the US if you go back to

Business Lease Nederland BV commits to tighter targets under Cleaner Car Contracts
The Cleaner Car Contracts coalition – a group of more than 60 companies and six European environmental organisations that have signed up to ambitious fuel-efficiency

Geneva News: TomTom continues Fiat partnership with new nav solution
Showcased at the Geneva motor show, the new infotainment system will initially be available in Fiat 500L series models before being rolled out to other

Geneva News: GM reveals European powertrain strategy
GM has started to roll out three new engine families that will eventually amount to a total of 13 powertrains. The first unit was the

Enterprise targets South Eastern Europe expansion with Sfakianakis Group deal in Greece
Sfakianakis SA was established in 1957 and remains a family-owned business. The company is now the largest automotive group in Greece, with 500,000 customers, more than 800

Geneva News: Auris Hybrid emissions to drop to 84g/km
In its press conference today (5 March) at the Geneva Motor Show Toyota Europe said that it’s planning a big push on hybrids this year,

Geneva News: VW Golf is clear winner of Car of the Year title
The jury, which comprises motoring journalists from across Europe, recognised the model for its ‘overall balance and the outstanding achievements in safety, fuel efficiency, dynamics

Five-star Euro NCAP awards for ZOE, Octavia, Auris and RAV4
The Renault Zoe, Skoda Octavia, Toyota Auris and Toyota RAV4 all achieved the maximum star rating, with the Octavia also having been awarded for the

Average CO2 emissions drop 2.9% in 2012, reports JATO Dynamics
The findings come ahead of the launch of JATO’s latest report – A Review of CO2 New Car Emissions across Europe 2012 – which covers

Ford enters car-sharing arena in Germany
The carmaker has signed a deal with German Ford dealers association FHD GmbH, and DB Rent – the company behind Flinkster car sharing – for

GM and Disney build on 30-year relationship with new Opel deal
The relationship between General Motors and Disney began in 1982 when the first alliance was signed with Walt Disney World, showcasing GM car technology in

The connected car
It’s not so long ago that drivers would only be storing basic information in a car – data which extended as far as radio presets

Geneva News: CNG Mii Ecofuel is lowest-emitting SEAT ever
The Mii Ecofuel, which is SEAT’s first CNG model, will offer average consumption of 2.9 kg CNG/100 km, giving it running costs that are approximately

Pan-European telematics system to save fleets time and money
Dubbed Fraikin Vision, the web-based system has been developed by the commercial vehicle fleet management and transport solutions provider to enable fleets to keep track

Japan’s Isuzu Motors buys Isuzu Truck (UK) Limited
Isuzu Truck (UK) was formed in 1996, with CEO Nikki King explaining: ‘We established the Isuzu Truck commercial vehicle brand in a crowded marketplace. We

Lars Danielson to head up Volvo Cars’ China Operations
Lars Danielson has a long history within Volvo Cars and filled several senior positions. Most recently, he was vice president China operations within manufacturing and

Opel-Vauxhall plants to be used for GM-brand production
GM Europe president Steve Girsky said that the company needs to use spare capacity at its existing plants. Other brands will be from the GM

Cascada, ADAM and Mokka to become halo products for GM Europe
Speaking at the launch of production of the Cascada at the company's Gliwice plant in Poland, Mr Girsky said: ‘Along with the new Mokka, these

Geneva News: Land Rovers to gain 9-speed auto box
The ZF 9HP box is designed for transverse applications and is set to reduce emissions and improve efficiency with smaller ratio steps also giving improved

Geneva News: Seven electric Defender models to dominate Land Rover stand
The 110 Defenders use a 70kW (94bhp), 330Nm electric motor twinned with a 300-volt, lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 27kWh, giving a range of

LeasePlan Italy to push on with expansion plans following BBVA acquisition
LeasePlan Corporation NV says that the acquisition, which comprises approximately 20,000 vehicles, allows it to further expand into the profitable Italian small and medium enterprise

EU commercial vehicle registrations down 10.6% in January
Looking at the major markets, the UK was the only one to post growth (+5.4%) in January. France (-9.8%), Germany (-15.5%), Spain (-15.5%) and Italy

Can leasing speed up LEV uptake?
It’s probably true to say that the motor industry has never been faced with as much change as it has been for the past few