English Press / Presse anglaise

Magna, the Canadian car parts company, designs, manufactures and assembles parts and components for global carmakers

Strong interest for SUVs fuelled by improved efficiency and shrinking size, while surge in demand for pickups attributed to rise in housing starts

Foreign brands have seen their share of South Korea's market for premium vehicles surge to 41 percent from 28 percent in the past two years, according to Korean industry groups, as lower tariffs make their cars cheaper and local buyers abandon a...

Elon Musk was fresh off the sale of PayPal and starting another business, commercial rocket service Space Exploration Technologies, when he met kindred spirit JB Straubel.

A research study commissioned by UAW labor organizers claims that Nissan could receive four times the previously reported level of state and local incentives and tax breaks to operate its assembly plant in Canton, Miss.

Early Easter helps carmakers end 18-month downward trend in April, though a historic low in April 2012 made for a favourable comparison

Tesla Motors increased the size of its equity and debt offerings by 30 percent to as much as $1.08 billion to repay its U.S. loan and build up cash reserves.

Shares in GM topped its $33 initial public offering price for the first time in more than two years as the automaker prepares to introduce redesigned full-sized pickups.

There was a 1.7% increase, year on year in new passenger car registrations in the EU last month. If that sounds underwhelming, don’t be so sniffy

Cadillac is adding a new 410-hp, twin-turbo 3.6-liter V-6 engine as an option on the XTS sedan for 2014.

European car sales rose for the first time in 19 months as a gain in consumer sentiment in countries using the euro led to rebounds in Germany and Spain.

I test drove the MG5 last year and was instantly let down – how could such a car carry the MG badge? It seems that AutoCar are in agreement. The UK magazine cites the noisy underpowered engine as one of their main beefs with the Five but give the 5 credit for having a much improved interior with good fit and finish.

AutoCar:

To make this car competitive in the UK market would take a great deal of work, although it must be said that the firm’s parent company, SAIC, is already making great strides in its powertrain development, and has a proven track record with the MG 6 for making a sweet riding and handling car.

Furthermore, we would urge some caution before laying in to MG; this car did not feel entirely right, the test venue was far from perfect. Perhaps it’s fairest of all to wait until we get the opportunity for a full road test before drawing too many conclusions.

In what was a busy day for ZX Auto, the company signed a factory sharing deal with Guangzhou Auto (GAC) which will see GAC use ZX Auto’s spare capacity in Yichang city for commercial vehicle production, the facility has a total production capacity of 450,000 vehicles per year which is far greater than what ZX Auto actually needs as a small scale pick up truck and SUV manufacturer.

ZX Auto’s AUV rolled down the production lines in Yichang city earlier today as well, the mini trucklet does not actually go on sale until late June but the company held a Start of Production (SOP) Ceremony to introduce the media to the new car and ZX Auto’s production capacity. The AUV stands for Activity Utility Vehicle and comes at a time when ZX Auto is aiming to have a Great Wall Motors moment as it turns from relying solely on trucks and SUV’s to smaller hatchback like models.

The AUV measures in at (LxWxH) 4120mm x 1761 x 1645 with a wheelbase of 2500mm, it has ground clearance of 182mm which seems to be a good figure for urban driving. Power comes from an off the shelf Mitsubishi 4A91 1.5L series engine, the unit produces 141Nm of torque when paired with a 5 speed manual gearbox. Pricing hasn’t yet been announced but we suspect it will be in the low 60,000rmb range to get people more interested in the ZX Auto brand.

Geely are planning to push their sub brands hard this year, the Emgrand brand has already proven itself to be a popular brand with Chinese consumers as has the Gleagle but the Gleagle is lacking somewhat in terms of products. This year the economy brand focused Gleagle range will receive the below GV5 MPV:

The GV5 is a compact seven seat home use MPV that will carry a 1.3T engine to help it pack a torque punch, manual gearboxes are shown in the spy shots but we suspect that automatic offerings will be offered later, the GV5 might also come with a 1.5L naturally aspirated engine.

With a 1.3 billion population there are bound to be plenty of accidents and emergencies within Chinese borders that require the assistance of firefighters, now firefighters in China can make use of American KME’s trucks.

KME, or Kovatach Mobile Equipment Corp are a Pensylvania based company that have looked beyond the domestic US market for new sales and have partnered with Brilliance China Automotive Holdings to establish a new JV to supply the Chinese market. The new JV was officially announced at the China Fire Expo 2013 earlier this month where the company received a reported 80 orders for a combination of 80 pumpers and tankers.

Initially KME product trucks will be imported into China but eventually will see Chinese production, the new JV with Brilliance will create a 31,000 square meter facility in Dalian Economic Zone with work starting in July, initial production is set to be just 100 vehicles but this will be ramped up to 300 to 500 by the fifth year.

KME  is focusing itself on developing fire trucks that are capable of tackling fires in high rise buildings, pinning its experience on its experience in tackling fires in compact high rise cities such as New York and Chicago. High rise fires have become a major concern in China after the major boom in construction from the year 2000 onwards, high rise apartment blocks and skyscrapers have become commonplace in even China’s smallest cities, these buildings are often out of the reach of China’s current firetrucks.

A federal judge in Kansas City, Kansas, ordered Dow Chemical to pay $1.2 billion in a price-fixing case involving chemicals used to make foam products in cars, furniture and packaging, according to court documents.

A surprise policy shift in China is expected to give a boost to GM, Volkswagen Group and other foreign automakers planning to expand in the world's largest car market.

Fiat said the idea of moving the group's legal headquarters to the United States following a planned merger with Chrysler Group is not on the company's agenda.

Ford, moving to ease production constraints in North America, plans to shift output of the Fiesta subcompact from Mexico to Thailand in 2016, The Detroit News reported today.

The steady growth in sales of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles, along with public and private investment, is expected to drive a sharp rise in the number of charging stations worldwide by 2020, a new study says.