All Kind Automotive

The world's largest carmaker may subsequently see its operating profit drop by at least 100 billion yen ($1.2 billion) in the 2010 fiscal year (ending March 31 2011) and up to 200 billion yen in the 2011 fiscal year. Auto analyst Koji Endo says any impact on production destined for export will affect earnings even more. “Hardly any cars will be built in April and a very low level of production will continue from May,” Endo was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.

Americans love their cars. Whether it’s a humble family wagon, a muscle car, a luxury sedan or even a minivan: there’s nothing Americans like better than the automobile. What’s that, you say? What about women car owners?

Unsurprisingly for a species with just two genders, half the world’s population is female. And as everyone these days has to own at least one car, automakers obviously spend a lot of money catering specifically to that section of the market.

In a new study by automotive industry analyst R. L. Polk, it was found that some 38.5% of the last four year’s light vehicle registrations were made by – you guessed it – women. In “not-white” households, it’s more like 40 to 45%. It might not seem like much,

So what are the nation’s womenfolk buying? Would you be surprised to learn that nearly half of all MINI sales (47.9%) went to the fairer sex? Okay, so that’s not too surprising, but how are top five market leaders doing? Well, scroll down to see for yourself:

What is the best way to promote a commercial van? Well, you can follow the classic way by showing off its qualities and advantages over the competition, but that lacks originality. On the other hand, a van that writes its own letters of application and sends them to 121 potential employers (i.e. big buyers of commercial vehicles) sounds a lot more creative.

And that’s exactly what a German marketing campaign for the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is all about. Check it out in the video below, but don't try to do that to your Sprinter, it might lose its grip -literally...

Given that the styling changes over the Chevrolet Volt would be limited to a Buick-specific grille and bumper designs, one of the most significant problems GM faces is how to justify the car and its higher price tag which would be in excess of the Volt’s base MSRP of US$41,000 not including a $7,500 federal tax credit.

The roadster uses styling cues from Chevy's 1963 Monza SS and the 1962 Corvair Super Spyder, but also from aircrafts, with its aerodynamic fuselage being reminiscent of modern jet fighters. Elements like the scissor-doors, the pronounced wheel-arches and the sharp front bumper add further drama to the Mi-ray's appearance.

The car's bodywork is made of lightweight materials such as carbon fiber and carbon fiber reinforced plastics, while the turbine-shaped wheels (20-inch front/21-inch rear) are made of aluminum-carbon fiber composite.

The newly developed bodykit is made from PUR-R-RIM plastic and consists of six parts. These include new front apron that replaces the series-produced central and side panels and has a stainless steel stay located in front of the cooling air outlet, side skirts that are mounted on top of the original parts and a new rear apron that accommodates the four-pipe sports exhaust system with oval chrome end tips.

Making its world premiere today at the at the Seoul Motor Show, is Kia’s Naimo electric crossover utility vehicle (CUV), a B-segment sized concept car that will serve as a test-bed for the company's EV technology. Penned by Kia's international design team in Seoul, the car takes its name from the Korean word “Ne-mo”, which is pronounced ‘Neh-mo’ and means ‘square shape.

There’s so much you can do to improve a supercar like the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, but tuning specialist Anderson Germany believes it has some goods to offer with its new program for the Italian model.

The 2011 Seoul Motor Show that runs in South Korea from March 31 to April 10 plays host to the world premiere of the all-new Hyundai Blue2 concept study. The name ‘Blue2’, which is read ‘Blue square’, is a combination of Hyundai’s sub eco-brand ‘Blue Drive’ and the number `2’ from H2, the symbol for hydrogen gas.

Codenamed HND-6, the prototype is Hyundai’s first sedan-style Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV). The four-door saloon is powered by a fuel cell electric system that delivers a stack power of 90kW or 121HP and fuel economy of 34.9km/ℓ (of hydrogen, of course), which is equal to 82mpg US and 2.9lt/100km. The concept is also equipped with low-resistance tires and alloy wheels which are designed to improve aerodynamic performance.

A new Buick concept model called the Envision will make its global debut at the Shanghai Auto Show on April 18. Jointly developed by Shanghai GM and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC), the Envision is a crossover model designed for the Chinese market, although the company points out the vehicle incorporates Buick's "dynamic, fluid, quiet and comfortable" styling language.

“This Malibu takes Chevrolet’s established and award-winning nameplate to new places and introduces it to new audiences around the world,” said Rick Scheidt, vice president of Chevrolet. “Whether the Malibu is sold in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, or Australia, it has been engineered from the ground up to meet the needs of customers around the world.”

Now, two years older and presumably a little wiser, Bembli has once again tackled the R10 in what I call the R10 v2.0. Though the concept of a low roofed, widebody coupe with a mid-mounted V10 remains the same, Bembli’s new-for-2011 R10 features a more aggressive front-end treatment, larger rear view mirrors and cabin windows and the addition of fighter jet-inspire side intakes.

Launched initially as a two-door coupe, the 3-Series gained throughout the years new body variants such as the sedan, station wagon, coupe, convertible and even a three-door hatchback model (Compact). Scroll down to read a brief history on each generation.

“Certain suppliers halted supplies to Saab Automobile pending discussions about payments and supply terms,” Spyker said in a statement on Wednesday. “Saab Automobile expects to resolve these issues in the short term, also to prevent any further disruptions in supply. Saab Automobile has sufficient means to meet its immediate liquidity needs from existing and available sources,” the company added.

It’s a great bit of advertising and holds up pretty well even today. There is one question that many would-be Lexus owners may be asking themselves today: are the cars still as good as they were back then? Has engineering perfection über alles survived twenty years of market reinvention and product development?

In order to reach that objective, CO2 targets are lowered progressively each year. In 2009 the average was 145.9 g/km and in 2010 it went down to 140.9 g/km. Emissions regulations will be imposed starting next year, with significant fines to be enforced to automakers that will not comply with the new emissions limits.

In December of the same year, Zagato sent out a holiday card featuring the older TZ1 and TZ2 alongside the latest TZ3 and one more unnamed fourth model wrapped in a bow, hinting at a new TZ4. Fast forward to today, and German car magazine Autobild is reporting that the Italian coachbuilder is indeed planning a fourth TZ model, which could carry the TZ4 Stradale nameplate.

According to Tesla, the show “contained lies and misinformation about the Roadster's performance, behavior and reliability.” Tesla Motors considers the breakdowns of the Roadster that allegedly occurred during the Top Gear episode were “staged” and that the statements made during the show are untrue.

More specifically, Tesla claims Top Gear misrepresented that:

1. The Roadster ran out of charge and had to be pushed into the Top Gear hangar by 4 men.
2. The Roadster’s true range is only 55 miles per charge (not 211).
3. One Roadster’s motor overheated and was completely immobilized as a result.
4. The other Roadster’s brakes were broken, rendering the car undriveable.
5. That neither of the two Roadsters provided to Top Gear was available for test driving due to these problems.

The facelift model will receive a makeover that includes a new front fascia with new lights, a redesigned front grille and reshaped bumper, which oddly enough, bring it closer to the original C-XF Concept that previewed the car. The XF will also benefit from tweaks to the interior and the overall quality, the introduction of new tech systems and an upgraded suspension for improved ride and handling.

Perhaps the biggest news for buyers across the pond is the introduction of a new 2.2-liter four-cylinder turbo diesel engine. The oil-burner is a development of the Ford unit found in the Land Rover Freelander and the European-market Ford Mondeo, however, given that the XF is rear wheel drive, it sits in a north-south configuration so Jaguar had to make several changes to the engine.

These changes boost output by 50HP to 550HP and peak torque from 700 to 750 Nm (553 lb-ft), while in the “Sport” and “Sport Plus” mode of the standard Sport Chrono Package Turbo (as well as during kick-down in normal mode) the eight cylinder engine delivers 800Nm (590 lb-ft) courtesy of the over-boost function.

When using the Launch Control function, the Panamera Turbo S completes the 0-100km/h sprint in 3.8 seconds [0-60mph in 3.6 seconds], and can reach a top speed of 191 mph (307km/h). In comparison, the standard Panamera Turbo needs 4.2 seconds and can go up to 303km/h (188mph).

The very first customized 2011MY Chrysler 300 is called the Fatchance 2.0 and it made its debut alongside the firm’s “S” concept cars at this past weekend’s Annual Spring Festival of LXs in California (see here). The low-rider 300 was crafted by John Fortuno aka Fatchance, who apparently caught the attention of Chrysler with his first generation 300-based FatChance 1.0.

The company formed a group of designers led by chief designer of passenger cars for the Asia, Pacific and Africa region, Todd Willing. The team created several of studies that paid tribute to the styling cues from the original XB Coupe Interceptor, but ultimately, only two made the cut. The winning designs were penned by Nima Nourian and Simon Brook.

This is why Volvo is trying out its C30 Electric model in the north of Sweden, inside the Arctic Circle. Temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius are something normal in this part of the world, so Volvo engineers want to ensure the battery-powered car runs smoothly even in harsh environments.

For those of you wondering how these modifications affected the GT-R’s performance on the notorious Nordschleife, Nissan’s team managed to shave more than two seconds off the 2011MYs time of 7:26.4, dropping it to 7:24.22, allegedly in less than ideal conditions. You’ll have to skip to about 3:20 into the clip for the driving to begin.

We also found a edited film on Youtube that compares the 2012 GT-R and Corvette ZR-1 on the 'Ring in a split format, which was created by synchronizing the two videos at the pit exit. Watch both videos after the jump.

According to Chrysler, the “S” treatment is a cosmetic package designed to appeal to younger customers that want something more “edgy” in terms of style. On the 300, this translates to a bespoke gunmetal finish, a new front grille, smoked headlamps and taillights, beefier alloy wheels in a unique design, a boot lid spoiler and if we’re not mistaken (since Chrysler has not released any official details), a lowered suspension. The interior also receives a makeover with red leather seats sporting the “S” logo and bespoke trim.

"We want to increase our 340,000 unit sales from last year – by 8 to 10 percent – thanks to existing models. We aim to sell 45,000 units of the Ibiza ST (station wagon) this year. And the Alhambra already is well above plan so we expect a full-year volume of 20,000 units. This proves that our brand is gaining strength," Muir was quoted as saying by Autonews Europe.

For 2012, the company has even bigger plans, fueled by the launch of four new models. "We will launch four new cars: the new Leon, a totally new entry-level model, a four-door sedan and a major Ibiza facelift," said Muir, who was appointed head of Seat in 2009.

The most potent model of the Panamera series to date is based on the Turbo model. It features a modified 4.8-liter turbocharged V8 engine delivering around 50 more ponies for a total output of approximately 550HP. Top speed is pegged at 307 km/h (191mph) and it will hit 100km/h (62mph) in 3.8 seconds. That’s compared to the standard Panamera Turbo’s 303km/h (188mph) top speed and 4.2 sec. sprint time.