Chinese automakers are not known for their strength on the global stage, but China’s Shuanghuan is preparing to take down its second German powerhouse. Shuanghuan defeated BMW earlier this year in a case that claimed the company’s CEO SUV too closely resembled BMW’s first-generation X5, and now the Chinese car maker is looking dominate in a case involving Daimler’s Smart ForTwo.

Daimler’s lawsuit for copyright infringement against Shuanghuan dates back nearly a year, but the case has lost significant momentum over the last few months, leaving the German automaker with few other options other than dropping the case altogether. Daimler claims that Shuanghuan’s Bubble is a blatant clone of the company’s Smart ForTwo.

continue reading "Daimler close to calling it quits on Smart ForTwo copyright lawsuit"

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Mazda was a little slow on reporting its December 2008 and calendar 2008 sales - most automakers reported their figures yesterday - and for the most part, the Japanese automaker followed the downward sales trends hitting the entire industry. A notable exception was the zoom-zoom brand’s mini-minivan, the Mazda5, which posted its best ever sales month in December - 2,884 vehicles, representing a 77.4 percent gain over the same period in 2007.

Year-to-date sales for the Mazda5 were up 60.5 percent to a total of 22,021 vehicles. That compares favorably to last year’s final sales numbers of 13,717.

continue reading "Mazda5 posts massively improved ‘08 sales"

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In a broadcast to dealers Tuesday morning, General Motors officially announced its G8 ST has been cancelled. The news comes less than a month after Susan Docherty, vice president of Buick-Pontiac-GMC, publicly stated the program was under review.

continue reading "Pontiac G8 ST: officially cancelled"

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Although 2008 is officially in the books, hard times at rest lay ahead for the world’s automakers. The U.S. market is expected to continue its downward trend this year, as are other developed markets such as Japan. Because of this fact, Toyota has announced even further production cuts.

The Japanese automaker cut Japanese production of its Lexus luxury brand last month, but the new round of cuts will see Toyota idling all of its Japanese production facilities. Toyota’s Japanese plants will be idled for 11-days during February and March, according to Reuters.

continue reading "Toyota to idle all Japanese plants for 11-days"

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It’s no secret that Audi is planning a high-performance variant of its forthcoming A1 supermini. Set to fare battle with cars like the Mini John Cooper Works, Alfa Romeo MiTo GTA and Fiat 500 Abarth, the Audi S1 will likely get a tweaked version of the 1.4-liter supercharged and turbocharged TFSI four-cylinder used in the VW Polo GTi that will produce an excess of 200 horsepower.

AutoExpress reports that the S1 will also come through a seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch transmission that direct enable it to sprint to 60 mph in less than six clicks.

continue reading "Audi S1 hot hatch details revealed"

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Last fall, Nissan had announced that it would not have an official presence at the show, but a number of Nissan dealership owners in Michigan said they would national obligations a simple display filled with cars, brochures and no other frills. Now it appears that, in response to pressure from Nissan’s headquarters, those dealers won’t show any cars at next week’s North American International Auto Show.

The show, which begins on Sunday for the media and opens to the public late next week, has seen a number of automakers pull out entirely.

continue reading "Nissan, Infiniti officially out of Detroit show"

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Porsche has been quickly amassing stock and options in Volkswagen, but the automaker finally pushed its direct ownership in VW to over 50 percent (from 42.6 percent) with the purchase of an additional $8.49 billion in stock. Porsche had acquired 74.1 percent of VW in combined stock and options, but the automaker needed to increase its share for direct ownership.

Porsche had previously announced that it was delaying its majority acquisition due to the economic conditions that are plaguing each automaker.

continue reading "Porsche increases direct stake in VW to more than 50 percent"

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Renault and Nissan have officially announced the launch of a new V6 diesel engine that will see duty in U.S. and European models. The new 3.0L diesel powerplant is the result of a €180 million joint venture between the couple automakers.

The 235 horsepower mill will be used to power Renault’s Laguna range, but will see a much wider application under the Nissan brand. In fact, Nissan is expected to make up about 75 percent of the engine’s use.

continue reading "Renault, Nissan launch new V6 diesel for U.S. and Europe"

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Ssangyong Motor announced last month that it didn’t have sufficient funds to pay its employees and barely had enough cash on hand to keep its operations up and running, but the Korean automaker will be receiving a life raft from parent company Shanghai Automotive Industry.

China’s SAIC Motor Corp. previously stated that it would not help Ssangyong because of statements made by Ssangyong’s in-house union, but SAIC’s 51.33 percent stake in the small automaker was ultimately too much to overlook.

continue reading "Troubled Ssangyong receives cash infusion from parent SAIC"

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Ahead of their North American International Auto Show release next week in Detroit, Bentley has unveiled an updated version of its Continental GTC, as well as a limited-edition Speed version of the droptop. The Continental GTC Speed recalls the marque’s “Speed Models” of the 1920s and both models receive an updated fascia and suspension.

continue reading "2010 Bentley Continental GTC Speed unveiled"

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