Helped among other things by its updated line-up and soaring gas prices which tend to benefit carmakers that produce smaller models, Subaru The all-new Forester had the biggest gains with a total of 5,339 sales that represents a 49% increase over April 2007, followed by the Legacy which saw its sales grow by 32% at 1,890 units. The new Impreza was up by 16% at 4,010 units while the Tribeca was up 29% over April 2007 with 1,395 units.
Even though it is apparent that the Chinese automaker Shuanghuan was heavily inspired from the previous generation BMW X5 when designing the SCEO SUV, it would have been a bit too inappropriate -even for their standards- to blatantly imitate bimmer’s characteristic double-kidney grille and badgetry.When it comes to private owners however, that’s another story. This Chinese driver decided to complete Shuanghuan’s work by adding a BMW grille along with a set of logos on the body and the wheels and presto; a near to perfect imitation of the X5 at a fraction of the price. -More images after the jump
Via: Le Blog Auto , Source: CCT
The Astucia SolarLite is a self-sufficient, solar-powered LED road stud that significantly boosts night-time or poor weather visibility compared with the traditional road reflector. The built-in LEDs automatically illuminate after dark providing drivers with up to 900 m or about half a mile of visibility, 10-times greater than the traditional reflective road stud which relies on being illuminated by headlight beams, which at best has a useful range of 90 m or 255 feet. The increased visibility given by the road stud extends reaction times when driving at 100 km/h / 62MPH from 3.2 to over 30 seconds.
Produced and marketed by a division of the British Clear View Traffic Group, The SolarLite studs are now in use in about 120 locations across the
For example, on the twisting A143 at Haddiscoe in
In
In addition with current LED studs, Clear View Traffic Group is also working on the next generation of smart road markings which can automatically illuminate to warn of bad weather or slow-moving traffic ahead, or can help reduce motorway hold-ups by automatically marking additional lanes to boost capacity.
(UPDATE: Mercedes-Benz has just issued a new press release containing different sales figures for the M, GL and R-Class models)
On the other hand, the rest of Merc’s line-up saw its sales drop during the first four months of the year: E-Class -18,6% (11,774 vs 14,458); S-Class -24.6% (6,571 vs 8,713); CL -3.7% (1,073 vs 1,114); SL -21.3% (1,651 vs 2,098); CLK -17.4% (4,534 vs 5,490); SLK -19.5% (2,049 vs 2,546); CLS -5.1% (2,678 vs 2,822); G-Class -23.6% (347 vs 454) and R-Class -14.7% (3,542 vs 4,151).
Audi announced that the most powerful and fastest version in the TT’s history, the TTS will be coming to Equipped with Audi’s 6-speed twin clutch S-Tronic gearbox and quattro all-wheel-drive system, the TTS Coupe accelerates from nought to 60 mph (96 km/h) in 4.9 seconds and on to a governor-limited top speed of 155 mph.
According to the German carmaker, in the U.S., the TTS is positioned between the BMW Z4 3.0si and BMW Z4 M with key competitors also including the Mercedes-Benz SLK350, Porsche Cayman and Boxster. -Continued
While U.S. pricing will be announced at a later date, Audi revealed that the TTS’ standard features includes quattro permanent all-wheel drive, 6-speed twin-clutch S-Tronic gearbox, magnetic ride adaptive suspension system, 18-inch aluminum wheels, xenon plus headlights with LED daytime running lights, plus – on the Roadster – a fully automatic soft top including power wind deflector.
Inside, all TTS’ get a multifunctional leather sports steering wheel along with extended aluminum trim and heated sports seats with leather/Alcantara upholstery. An automatic air conditioning system and Isofix child seat mountings on the front passenger seat are also included
As for the list of optional extras, it includes two navigation systems, a Bose sound system, an iPod port, an LED interior lighting package, electrically adjustable seats, as well as the Audi adaptive light dynamic cornering light system.
The third generation of Nissan’s boxy Cube minicar will make its way into the European market according to Brit auto magazine, “Whatcar”. The current, second generation Cube is available solely in Japan but “Whatcar” reports that Nissan's CEO Carlos Ghosn has confirmed that due to the positive reaction to the minicar, its next generation 'will be seen in many markets'. Since the current model has been in the market since 2002, the 3rd generation Cube should be arriving in 2009 or 2010 the latest. -Continued Measuring in just over 3,7 meters in length but 1,6 meters in height, the Cube is larger than the Fiat Panda (3,5m) but about the same size as the new Opel Agila and Suzuki Splash. Based on the Micra (March in
Via: Whatcar
The European Commission has given its consent to the Romanian government to grant Ford €143 million (approx $226 million) for the production of vehicles and engines in Last October, European regulators launched an official investigation to find out whether the Romanian government violated EU rules on state aid with its decision. Under EU rules, state aids to businesses are allowed only if they boost employment in poor or underdeveloped areas.
According to the European commission, Ford’s plans to completely overhaul the two Romanian plants it purchased to manufacture vehicles and engines will create approximately than 40 000 direct and indirect jobs in Craiova which is considered as one of the EU's poorest regions.
The Fiat Group is one step away from acquiring Zastava as the Italian carmaker and the Serbian Ministry of Economy and Regional Development (Zastava is 99.9 percent-owned by the government) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the acquisition of the assets of the Zastava plant at Kragujevac, 140 km South-East of Belgrade. According to a joint press release, if deemed feasible, the two companies will enter into a definitive agreement in the course of the coming months. Sources familiar with the Italian carmaker's plans told Automotive News Europe that the former Zastava plant in Serbia will become the sole factory to build Fiat's new minicar, dubbed Topolino after the iconic 1936 model that led to the 500 in the mid 1950’s. The modern Topolino, expected to be introduced towards the end of 2009, will be based on the 500 / Panda platform, shortened though to about 3,150 mm in length. -Continued
Commenting on the agreement between Fiat and the Serbian government, Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat Group and Fiat Group Automobiles, said, “This initiative represents a further step in Fiat Group Automobiles’ strategy aimed at supporting its growth and volume aspirations. It follows a number of targeted alliances and partnerships signed with leading carmakers and automotive suppliers over the last four years.”
“Moreover, it demonstrates our confidence and trust in
“We believe that, together with Zastava, we have played an important role in enhancing the Serbian automotive industry from both the manufacturing as well as the technological point of view. We are proud that many Serbian engineers and technicians have been trained at Fiat in
Apparently, security measures aren’t that much of an issue at 
Via: Logan-Club
Last time we heard about the 2009 Nissan GT-R and the Nurburgring race track was last year when the Japanese carmaker announced that its 473Hp supercar managed to lap the famous “ring” in 7 min and 38 sec. But then, the course was slightly damp…On April 16 and 17, 2008, GT-R chief test driver Tochio Suzuki took a base specification car fitted with standard Japanese market tyres back to the Nurburgring. This time the track was dry and Suzuki achieved a lap time at the notorious Nurburgring track of 7 minutes and 29 seconds which is one of the fastest times for production road cars. -Continued
“At last year’s testing, we were frustrated by the conditions at the Nürburgring, always believing that the GT-R could go under seven minutes 30 seconds,” said Kazutoshi Mizuno, Chief Vehicle Engineer for GT-R. “Below seven minutes 30 seconds, the GT-R proves it is among the fastest mass-production cars in the world. We set out to build a multi-performance supercar accessible to anyone, anytime and anywhere – I believe the GT-R has delivered that promise.”
Sales of the all-new GT-R began in
