TOP 10  -  Mixed double for the Audi R10 TDI

In the last week in August the Audi R10 TDI competes on two race tracks which could hardly be more different: On 24 August the American Le Mans Series appears at the Canadian circuit Mosport, one of the fastest tracks on the calendar. On the agenda only six days later on the Belle Isle in Detroit (USA) is the slowest street circuit on the US sportscar series' calendar.

[ Source : planetlemans ]

TOP 9  -  Survey: BMW scores high

Customer satisfaction is a critical component of the U.S. economy because consumer spending accounts for about two-thirds of the economy, and for the ailing auto industry the news on that front is mixed.Detroit automakers, hit by huge quarterly losses, are also facing a slump in customer satisfaction. For international car companies like BMW and Toyota, customer satisfaction remains quite high, said Claes Fornell, head of the American Customer Satisfaction Index at the University of Michigan's National Quality Research Center.

[ Source : greenvilleonline ]

TOP 8  -  Fiat 500 production increases again

Fiat is responding to the runaway success of its retro-styled 500 supermini by making further increases in production capacity at the Tychy plant in Poland that builds it.

[ Source : autocar ]

TOP 7  -  Ford exec says company can weather downturn

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. | Despite the headwinds of a slumping U.S. economy, tight credit, high gasoline prices and declining home values, Ford Motor Co.'s top American executive said he is confident the company has enough cash to weather losses and make a profit again.

[ Source : nwitimes ]

TOP 6  -  Green cars the Kia for Hyundai future

The green car race continues and now South Korean manufacturer Hyundai-Kia has expressed its desire to get in on the act.According to a statement made on Monday, the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group will pour $1.1billion into research and development this year, and will hire around 4,500 new staff in an effort to make South Korea one of the world's top four green car producing nations. On Friday, President Lee Myung-bak held a Liberation Day in which he outlined plans to overhaul the industry and make it more eco-friendly.

[ Source : thegreencarwebsite ]

TOP 5  -  Porsche Romania sells cars worth over 600 million euro in first 7 months

Car importer Porsche Romania posted a turnover of over 600 million euro in the first 7 months of 2008, generated by the sale of 34,036 cars, according to the estimates.The best-selling make was Skoda, with 15,361 cars sold, and the best-selling model of the make was Octavia II, by 6,288 units, followed by Octavia Tour, by 4,172 units.Audi, the premium brand of VW-Audi group, recorded in the said interval sales of 1,777 units, up 13% versus the same period of 2007. The new Audi A4 was the best-selling model, by 801 units, twice more versus the similar period of 2007.

[ Source : financiarul ]

TOP 4  -  2009 Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTEC

Taking a road trip gives us the chance to try out any number of vehicles that the manufacturers may have in their press fleets. It allows us to push the envelope in practicality and economy in a real-world setting. This was just the case as we drove through New England this past week in a 2009 Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTEC. A new direction in diesel-powered vehicles for Mercedes, the ML320 BlueTEC is one the cleanest burning diesels on the planet.

[ Source : leftlanenews ]

TOP 3  -  Baron Automotive expanding Mini Cooper dealership  will no longer sell new VWs

Baron Automotive Group will stop selling new Volkswagens and doing factory-authorized warranty work on the vehicles to make way for a $2 million expansion of its Mini Cooper dealership.

[ Source : kansascity ]

TOP 2  -  2009 Nissan Maxima: Back On The Juice

The Nissan Maxima was like a body builder who had suddenly been deprived of steroids. Sure it still packed some muscle, the power of 255 horses to be exact, but it was nevertheless a decrease of 10 horsepower over the previous year. To further hamper the Maxima's appeal to sports sedan enthusiasts, Nissan scrapped the six-speed manual transmission in favor of the X-tronic CVT. Although this transmission has performed quite well for a CVT in other models like the Nissan Murano, it lacked a sport shift mode which had the effect of completely draining the Nissan Maxima of its sporting character.

[ Source : canyon-news ]

TOP 1  -  Toyota would be crazy not to focus on India

India would be a better bet than China for Toyota despite the fact that the latter is growing a lot faster, says James P Womack, the founder and chairman of US-based Lean Enterprise Institute, a big name in the world of lean thinking.

[ Source : sify ]