BELGIUM: Union suggests rescue plan for Opel Antwerp (Tue, 09 Mar 2010)
Hopes of at least a partial rescue for Opel's doomed plant in Antwerp, Belgium, have been raised following a proposal from unions today (9 March).
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GOLDING'S TAKE: Lutz of memories (Tue, 09 Mar 2010)
The abiding memory of Bob Lutz, a man trained to kill by the US Marines, is him standing proudly among his products on the GM stand at auto shows the world over.
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US: Toyota questions unintended acceleration demo method (Tue, 09 Mar 2010)
In an unprecedented live webcast on Monday, Toyota's US unit raised serious concerns about the validity, methodology and credibility of a demonstration of alleged "unintended acceleration" in a Toyota Avalon by Professor David Gilbert of Southern Illinois University and depicted in recent ABC News broadcasts and on-line segments.
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CHINA: Car market surges 55% in February (Tue, 09 Mar 2010)
China's car market continued to boom in February according to official data.
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RESULTS PREVIEW: BMW expected to post Q4 earnings recovery (Tue, 09 Mar 2010)
When BMW posts its results for the final quarter of 2009 later this month (in Munich on March 17 with some preliminary results and dividend reported on March 11), they are expected by analysts to show an earnings recovery in the final quarter.
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BELGIUM: Toyota Europe launch delay only "theoretical" (Tue, 09 Mar 2010)
Toyota Motor Europe (TME) has firmly rebuffed any suggestion it could delay the launch of several models this year, although a spokesman conceded there was a "theoretical possibility" it could happen.
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CHINA: Changan profit surge boosts shares (Tue, 09 Mar 2010)
Shares in Chongqing Changan Automobile rose on Tuesday after it said 2009 earnings soared due to central government incentives to boost vehicle sales.
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INDIA: Ford to export Figo to South Africa (Tue, 09 Mar 2010)
Ford's Indian unit will export its new compact Figo car to South Africa, local president and managing director Michael Boneham said at the model's launch on Tuesday.
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GERMANY: BMW sales rise again in February (Tue, 09 Mar 2010)
BMW Group sales last month rose 14% to 91,758 vehicles and the year to date tally was up 15.3% to 173,911 units.
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UK: Total new registrations through scrappage hit 330,000 (Tue, 09 Mar 2010)
Some 324,991 new cars were registered through the UK scrappage scheme by the end of February with the scheme accounting for 19.6% of all new car registrations in February.
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JAPAN: UAW NUMMI appeal at Toyota HQ fails (Tue, 09 Mar 2010)
An appeal by a top official of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union for Toyota to reverse its decision to close the NUMMI plant in California has apparently fallen on deaf ears.
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JAPAN: Carmakers study brake override systems (Tue, 09 Mar 2010)
Brake override systems that could address both unintended acceleration and driver error are being studied by a number of Japanese carmakers in the wake of the Toyota recall crisis.
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GERMANY: Daimler sells full Tata stake (Tue, 09 Mar 2010)
Daimler is to receive EUR265m (US$359m) following the sale of its 5.34% stake in Tata Motors to investors.
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GERMANY: Audi February sales rise, 2009 operating profit drops (Tue, 09 Mar 2010)
Audi sold almost 80,000 cars worldwide in February, up 19.9% year on year. Sales for the first two months of 2010 rose 28%.
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INTERVIEW: Design head "comfortable" back at Volvo (Tue, 09 Mar 2010)
Some might say you should never turn back but that is precisely what Volvo's head of design Peter Horbury has done after spending the past few years in the United States with Ford. So why has he returned?
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MEXICO/US: Metalsa completes $147m Dana deal (Tue, 09 Mar 2010)
Mexico's Metalsa, a subsidiary of Grupo Proeza, has finalised the purchase of several facilities included in the structural products business of Ohio-based Dana. The deal is worth US$147m.
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JAPAN: Toyota could lower steel price to suppliers (Tue, 09 Mar 2010)
Toyota has said it could drop its steel products price to suppliers by up to 9% from next month.
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UK: Dealer Lookers improves 2009 results (Tue, 09 Mar 2010)
British car dealer group Lookers has posted sharply improved 2009 results. Like-for-like revenue rose 4.2% to GBP1.8bn (US$2.4bn), while profit before tax increased by GBP26.4m to GBP11.5m. Stocks reduced by GBP56.2m and net debt fell by GBP70.5m.
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JAPAN: Toyota exec posted to Subaru (Tue, 09 Mar 2010)
Toyota Motor managing officer Mitsuru Takada is serve as corporate senior vice president at Subaru maker Fuji Heavy Industries from 1 April "to improve the bilateral partnership", according to Toyota.
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SOUTH KOREA: Hybrid sales stall (Tue, 09 Mar 2010)
Hybrid vehicles are losing some of their appeal in South Korea, according to latest industry figures, and despite the government's decision to offer tax incentives to buyers.
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