We just reported that a group of Chrysler employees in Toledo are crafting a proposal that would have the automaker’s 50,000 UAW workers buy a controlling stake in the automaker. The proposed worker buyout offer is already stirring up a reaction among the major players involved in the potential sale of the Chrysler Group. Continue reading CAW rejects, Kerkorian cozies up to UAW workers’ bid for Chrysler
Want the more aggressive looks of an AMG without the extra power and huge jump in price? That’s what the Sport Editions have traditionally been all about. Popping up on models that need a little something extra to create a bit of a stir in sales, they typically feature bodywork changes as well as upgraded wheel/tire/brake packs. The CLK is the latest model in the Mercedes-Benz range to get its own Sport Edition. Continue reading Mercedes-Benz injects more Sport into CLK
Cross-training sneakers took a little while to catch on, too. They weren’t the standout shoe in any of the segments they straddled, but they aimed to be competent for more than one use. Think of the Audi Cross Coupe concept as a vehicular cross trainter. Strictly as a coupe, meh; it would look sweet were it, say, half a meter lower with 1/3 less body at the beltline. Continue reading Audi Cross Coupe Quattro live shots
Renault is planning to expand into the upscale market with five new models within the next three years, sources have confirmed. Previous ventures upmarket didn’t turn out so well for the French automaker, but it’s determined to make another go of it with the hopes of cashing in on the market for pricier vehicles.
The first new model slated for production is a compact crossover previewed by the Kaleos concept (above) unveiled last year in Paris. It’s been developed with input from Samsung Motors, Renault’s South Korean subsidiary. Samsung is also expected to contribute to the development of a large sedan and a large SUV for Renault as well. Further premium models could be niche vehicles made in limited quantities, and Renault would be smart to start cashing in on its Formula One success with something other than a special-edition Clio or Megane before their racing prowess evaporates.
Management admits that previous upscale models from Renault have been less than successful, humorously referring to the dismal Vel Satis as “the automotive equivalent of wearing a suit without removing the hanger.” For a time, Renault had considered acquiring a premium brand for itself, but such ventures didn’t pan out, and apparently Infiniti, which came along with the Nissan acquisition, wasn’t enough to satiate Ghosn’s appetite for the upscale.
[Source: Just-Auto]
Details are few, but Audi has decided to pass on building its Malibu Maxx Roadjet concept. All of the flowery prose about how the Roadjet is “a vehicle that blends the latest evolutionary stage of Audi’s formal idiom with an entirely new space concept” with an “unprecedented synthesis of performance, liveliness, and efficiency” are now considered overstatements by Ingolstadt. Continue reading Flameout! Audi Roadjet ist kapputt.
Last week we told you that DaimlerChrysler’s Rüdiger Grube was heading to New York to visit with potential suitors for the Chrysler Group. And it appears he was a man on a mission. It seems that a close source has told news outlets that a sale could be wrapped up by as early as May. Continue reading April showers could bring May sale of Chrysler
New York’s mayor, Mike Bloomberg, is ready to steal a page from his London counterpart’s handbook and announce plans to hit drivers who bring their cars into Manhattan below 86th street with an $8 congestion charge in a bid to ease gridlock in the city’s crowded midtown business district. The fee would include the existing bridge and tunnel tolls drivers currently have to pay. Some people are understandably upset, and opposition groups are said to be forming in the outer boroughs. Continue reading Mayor Mike readies $8 congestion fee for NYC drivers
Formula One Czar boss, Bernie Ecclestone is apparently a “big, big” fan of bikes, and partnered with his place in the F1 hierarchy, decided to purchase a controlling stake in Turkey’s Istanbul Park. Continue reading Bernie Ecclestone loves Turkey! Buys Turkish GP track
Our friends at Auto Motor & Sport in Sweden just gave us a heads up on some new photos they found of the revamped Saab 9-3. They found both the convertible and wagon models completely devoid of camouflage roaming the roads and back alleys of Sweden. Continue reading New Saab 9-3 without camo
We’ve known for far too long that the MINI Clubman is on its way, but it’s still nice to get some confirmation from the automaker’s main information outlet that the elongated hatch is on the horizon.
Granted, the teaser page that MINI put up doesn’t reveal any more information than we’re already aware of, but in true-to-MINI fashion, it provides a quirky (dare we even say satisfying?) way of revealing the profile of the new Clubman.
Check it out – if nothing else, it’ll appeal to your inner-six-year old.
[Source: MINI USA]
In the long list of toys that Europe gets to play and the US doesn’t, Audi’s RS4 Avant and RS4 Cabriolet have got to be somewhere near the top. However, Automobile magazine has been told by an Audi product planner that the droptop RS4 could soon become a US citizen. Continue reading Audi RS4 Convertible may be headed to US
Over in Shanghai this week, all the local producers are bringing out their latest wares. By now we’ve gotten used to seeing Chinese cars that bear remarkable resemblances to products from non-Chinese manufacturers with slight tweaks to (barely) distinguish them. Our crosstown neighbor, Chris Paukert, spotted this vehicle called the Huanghai Fast NCV with a front end that will be familiar to many Pontiac shoppers. Continue reading Chinese carmakers now doing mashups! Meet the Lexiac RX Torrent