Entries from October 2008 ↓
Nissan 370Z in the Nismo installed Kit
October 31st, 2008 — nissan
Nissan launches 0 pct. financing deal on 5 models
October 31st, 2008 — nissan
Nissan Motor Co. said Friday it will begin offering zero-percent financing for five of its top-selling vehicles starting next week as it seeks to lift its U.S. sales and prove to consumers that credit remains available.
Nissan’s North American unit will offer the 36-month financing program on its Rogue and Murano crossovers, its Altima and Sentra sedans and its Versa hatchback from Nov. 4 to Jan. 5.
Al Castignetti, vice president and general manager of Nissan North America’s Nissan division, said the deal marks the first time Nissan has offered zero-percent financing for such a long period.
“It was not about offering zero-percent on our least-popular models,” he said. “It was about having a real deal on the most popular vehicles that we sell, and if you’re serious about this … then you bring it on your best-moving product.”
Renault Koleos to land in China in early 2009
October 31st, 2008 — China Automotive Movement News
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By George Gao From:Gasgoo.com
The all-new Koleos, French carmaker Renault’s first Crossover SUV model, will be imported to the Chinese market in March 2009 to compete with numerous city SUVs locally made in China, said xinhuanet.com today. Its selling price may start from 242,000 yuan ($35,500).
The Renault Koleos is a compact SUV which was first presented as a concept car at the 2006 Mondial de l’Automobile in Paris. The Koleos was designed by Renault and developed by Nissan. It is manufactured by Renault Samsung Motors, a subsidiary of Renault, at its plant in Busan, South Korea.
As the first SUV model carrying the Renault brand, Koleos is fashioned after the multi-purpose vehicle Renault Samsung QM5. The QM5 model, based on the Nissan Qashqai platform, is a new product jointly developed by Renault and Nissan at a cost of $600 million.
The Koleos features the four-wheel-drive system and comes equipped with either a dCi 150 engine or a dCi 175 engine and a choice between a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox. Renault Koleos’ basic model sells for $35,500, and the four-wheel-drive edition for $48,700. They were put on sale in the European market in July this year.
The Koleos SUV is also likely to be made in China for the local market where it will go on sale first as the imported car early next year. Before its local production, the imported Koleos SUV may test the waters in the Chinese market.
Chrysler to show electric vehicles in 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show
October 31st, 2008 — Auto show / Motor Show, Chrysler
Chrysler plans to show at least one, and perhaps all three, of the electric vehicles it is developing at the Los Angeles auto show in a few weeks.
Chrysler has said it will have an electric vehicle on sale in 2010. The three candidates for production are the Dodge EV battery-powered sports car and extended-range electric versions of the Jeep Wrangler and Chrysler Town & Country.
Mini’s upcoming electric car will also make its first public appearance at the LA show. Mini plans to build 500 of the Mini E cars this year and lease a few of them to selected customers in California, New York and New Jersey. The electric Mini has only two seats because its lithium-ion batteries take up the space where the rear seat normally goes.
Mazda posts modest gain, Mitsubishi climbs into black
October 31st, 2008 — mazda, mitsubishi
Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said today it swung into the black during the April-September period for the first time in six years, while the surging yen limited Mazda, an affiliate of Ford Motor Co., to a modest gain in profit.
Buffeted by the global financial crisis, both automakers slashed some of their forecasts for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009. Mazda Motor Corp. revised down net profits, while Mitsubishi lowered forecasts for sales and operating profits.
Mitsubishi, Japan’s No. 4 automaker, posted a net profit of $131.5 million, a sharp turnaround from the roughly $57.5 million loss it incurred last year as restructuring costs receded and it deployed a more profitable mix of models. The company said it had not posted a profit during the first half since the 2002 fiscal year.
Operating profit rose 35% to $261 million despite higher raw materials costs and a stronger-than-expected yen. Sales fell 8% to $12.4 billion as the global slowdown sapped consumer demand.
“The global financial crisis is impacting the automobile industry as seen in a weakening of consumer confidence and in the effects of the credit crunch,” Mitsubishi said in a statement.
“It is clear that there will be a significant drop in overall demand in the mature economies of Europe and North America and also that there will be a slowdown in the economies of many of the emerging nations that have until recently have been relatively buoyant.”
Mitsubishi, which makes the Eclipse sports coupe and Galant sedan, sold 602,000 vehicles worldwide during the first half, a 13% decline from the 691,000 units it sold last year, the company said.
Hiroshima-based Mazda, Japan’s fifth-largest automaker, reported a $299 million profit in the first half of the fiscal year, up only slightly from last year as the surge in the yen countered vehicle sales gains in Europe and China.
Honda export performance in first 9 months of 2008 grew 11%
October 30th, 2008 — honda
Asian Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Honda’s Bangkok-based Asia & Oceania Regional Headquarters, reported that total exports of Honda for all three main product lines namely automobiles, motorcycles and power products in the first 9 months of 2008 grew by 11% with to a total amount of 80,989 million baht while Q3 contributed 25,623 million baht, representing growth of over 4% compared to the same period last year.
Mr. Adisak Rohitasune, Senior Vice President for Asian Honda Motor Co., Ltd. disclosed that “Honda’s exports for the first 9 months grew 11% mainly contributed by continuing debut of new products. However, compared with 18% growth in Q2 2008, the export growth is declining caused by several economic difficulties in the international economy including the financial crisis in the US which has affected the entire world, declining sales of large cars in major markets, the uncertainty of oil prices and inflation rates. Meanwhile, the export value of Honda’s products for the full-year 2008 is anticipated to remain higher than last year’s export value.”
Automobile:
Demands for both automobile CBU and CKD remained stable with total exports of automobile CBU and CKD products in the first 9 month increasing by 9% to reach 52,071 million baht. Automobile CBU exports recorded 5% growth from 30,258 to 31,776 million baht. Currently, Honda exports a total of 5 models including CITY, JAZZ, CIVIC, ACCORD and CR-V to more than 34 countries worldwide. Total exports of automobile CKD reached 20,295 million baht representing 17% growth and the key markets include ASEAN, India, Pakistan, Taiwan, China, Turkey and Brazil.
“From late September, we started exporting the new CITY to Singapore and also plan to export to new markets such as Australia. We are confident that the new CITY will be strongly accepted by customers worldwide due to its sophisticated design, high quality and a growing trend of small cars.” added Adisak.
Guangzhou Toyota keeps 210,000-unit sales goal
October 30th, 2008 — China Automotive Movement News
By George Gao From:Gasgoo.com
Recently at the Yaris fuel-efficiency match, Guangzhou Toyota’s vice general manager Hu Su said that the joint venture will not give up the 2008 sales target of 210,000 units until the last minute of the year despite the huge pressure, reported Beijing Times today.
Hu said that in the first nine months a total of 108,000 Camry cars made by Guangzhou Toyota were registered for license plates, ranking No. 1 among mid- to high-end cars sold in China during that period, but meanwhile Yaris had only sold 14,370 units, which poses great pressure to the year’s total sales target.
At the beginning of this year, the company expected its sales to grow by 20% to 210,000 units, but judging by the current sales figures, only a 5% growth is possible.
In the fourth quarter the dealers of Guangzhou Toyota are required to make great efforts to fulfill their sales quotas for the year. The company expects the final few months to see a reviving market and therefore will not give up the sales target of 210,000 vehicles until the last minute of the year. Everything is going according to plan, Hu Su said.
Guangdong Toyota will extend a second production line in mid-2009, with an initial annual capacity of 120,000 units. It is another tough task for the company to relieve the problem of over-capacity of production against the background of low demand in the auto market.
The joint venture was reported to ignite a price war among Chinese automakers when it scaled down the prices of some models as the Chinese anti-monopoly law was issued earlier this year. But the company responded that its price cuts were not against the law and its new Camry’s price has been stable in the market.
Brochure Leaked :All new 200-2010 Lexus RX SUV on the web before 2008 LA auto show launching
October 30th, 2008 — lexus, spyshot
General Motors General Motors launches Chevy Cruze compact car in South Korea a.k.a. Daewoo Lacetti Premier
October 30th, 2008 — GM
General Motors Corp. officially launched its new compact car in South Korea on Wednesday, marking the ailing U.S. auto giant’s first model developed as part of a shift to more fuel-efficient vehicles.
The Chevrolet Cruze, which began full-scale production at a plant of GM’s subsidiary in South Korea last month, will hit showrooms in the Korean market in mid-November before launches in Europe in early 2009 and in the United States in 2010.
The Cruze, equipped with a 1.6-liter, gasoline engine that produces 140 horsepower at its peak, will be sold in South Korea as the Lacetti Premiere.
GM unveiled the new car this month at the Paris Motor Show for the first time.
“Working together with GM’s global design and engineering teams has resulted in a vehicle that is destined to be a global benchmark and a sales winner,” said Michael Grimaldi, chief executive officer of GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co., referring to the Cruze.
Nissan KiX is released now for Japan
October 30th, 2008 — nissan
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announced the release of the new KIX mini sport utility vehicle (SUV), which went on sale today at Nissan dealers nationwide.
Marketed under the tagline of “SHIFT_Active,” the KIX is a compact, dependable, high-utility SUV designed for people with active lifestyles. In fact, the name KIX is derived from “kicks,” an American slang term for “an exciting or highly enjoyable activity.” In addition, “X,” in mathematics, refers to an “unknown quantity” - reinforcing the idea that the new Nissan KIX offers owners the potential for spirited, exciting experiences and adventures yet to come.
Rugged Exterior, Comfortable and Practical Interior
The KIX’s exterior styling expresses the tough, rugged looks that are a hallmark of all Nissan SUVs. The rugged-looking front grille continues Nissan’s signature SUV design. It features vertical lines and a gun metallic finish, a look complemented by the massive, body-colored bumpers. In the rear, the hard spare tire half-cover is designed around the motif of an auxiliary fuel tank. The KIX comes in six attractive body colors, including Medium Gray Metallic (M).
Inside, the KIX interior projects a refined, sporty image based on a black monotone color scheme, which imparts a sporty, refined impression. The versatile seating arrangements and luggage area, with an abundance of handy storage areas, attests to the meticulous attention paid to convenience and functionality. Covering the seats is a sporty-looking black fabric adorned with blue points.
The KIX also offers high eye point (1,399 millimeters from the ground), which gives the driver excellent forward and rearward visibility, making the KIX easy to drive.
