Strong demand for low-cost cars in developing countries helped France’s
Renault return to sales growth in 2007, the Financial Times reports.

Renault’s no-frills Logan car, which retails for the equivalent of $8,566 to $11,225, was the company’s most popular model. Renault sold more than 360,000 Logans; about 15% of all vehicles sold by the Renault group are Logans.

In Latin America, Asia and Russia, the Logan is sold under the Renault brand. In Europe and North Africa, the Logan is sold under the Dacia brand, the name of Romania’s former national car producer in the Soviet era, which Renault bought in 1999.

Tags: Renault

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Dan Roth
Aftermarket, Tuners, Etc., Chrysler

Click either image for a gallery of the Chrysler 300C Rodeo Drive Plus 6.

Tags: Audi, Chrysler, Seat, Smart

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Moody’s Investors Service confirms what many observers have thought: India’s Tata, the maker of inexpensive cars, may not a good fit with luxury marques Land Rover and Jaguar being sold by Ford and wanted by Tata.

Moody’s has placed Tata Motors’ current rating on review for a possible downgrade, according to AFX International Focus, a European financial news service. It sees Tata’s swallowing up of Jaguar and Land Rover as creating digestive problems.

Tags: Ford, Jaguar, Rover

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About three-quarters of General Motors’ car and truck sales will come from outside the U.S. within a decade, Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner told Bloomberg Television in an interview.

GM plans to push sales in the fastest-growing markets as demand in the U.S. stagnates, Wagoner said. In the third quarter of last year, 58% of GM’s sales came from outside its home market. GM relied on the U.S. for most of its volume as recently as 2004.

Tags: Toyota

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As the dollar weakens and the American auto market stagnates, GM America’s number one automaker is looking overseas for its future. This year GM made 58 percent of its sales outside the U.S., and since 2004 a majority of GM’s sales have been from foreign markets. The driving force behind this increase isn’t just coming from its weakening home market, however. The nascent markets in developing countries as well as booming growth in China and Russia are fueling GM’s focus outside the U.S.

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Alex Nunez
Auction Action, Etc.

Well, it’s official. If it has wheels, Greg Jackson and Steve Davis will let you sell it at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. The item in question is none other than Robosaurus, the forty-foot tall transforming robot dinosaur that breathes fire and enjoys snacking on Grand Ams. We don’t doubt that it’ll attract a flurry of attention during primetime, and that some deep-pocketed bidder will throw money at it. What would make it the best Barrett-Jackson auction ever is if Robosaurus went crazy and started eating some of the big-dollar garage queens on live television.

Tags: video

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