Beijing Automotive Industry Corp. (BAIC) has made a bid worth 660 million euros ($923 million) for Opel in an effort to win the General Motors unit by requesting less state aid than rival Magna International Inc., a German newspaper said.
Porsche's squabbling owners are set to discuss an investment by Qatar in the next two weeks, a milestone that could change the dynamics of a Porsche-Volkswagen merger, people close to the talks said.
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to start mass producing plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2012, with a projected first-year output of about 20,000 to 30,000 units, the Nikkei business daily reported.
CEO Sergio Marchionne's immediate product plans for Chrysler Group could be limited to weeding out weaker models and tweaking prices as he gears up to launch new designs within two years.
Beijing will urge President Barack Obama to desist from imposing duties on Chinese tires because such a step would send a worrying signal about trade protectionism, China's commerce ministry said.
Relaunch of MCM
Welcome to the all new Motor Car Market online magazine.
We have completely upgraded and updated the magazine since its launch in late 2006. We continue to be "Devoted to stick and rear-wheel drive" while bringing you the best of what the automotive web has to offer. As we continue to transition all the content from the old site (still available here), please take a moment to read the new daily Motor Car Market blog, from our founder called Grusche's Gray Matter. It is updated on the spot at 10AM Monday through Friday. We hope you enjoy!
"In an era when cars are becoming so fast, to get any sensation out of them at all you have to be physically involved." -- Jay Leno interview with Motor Car Market.
Motor Car Market is dedicated to stick shift cars with rear-wheel drive and Jay's quote pretty much sums up our beliefs. He is talking about running a Honda 600 through its paces and as with most cars of a by-gone era, to make them sing is to make them work. If they work, you work. And that's the appeal of older cars on the streets that can get their tail wagging.
Changing of the Guard at C&D
It was last month that I sat down to read about the new editor of Car and Driver magazine, Eddie Alterman. I'm usually not drawn to politics that leaves one man out while another one gets in. But this, after all, was the changing of the guard that doesn't happen much in a lifetime and certainly not at the worldwide leader in automotive magazines. So regardless of whether it was economic strife dictating change, or the passing of the torch like Carson to Leno and Leno to Conan, I wanted to be part of it as it happens live. No Tivo, no Hulu, just us two, the strategically crafted thoughts of a new leader and me. Read more at the founder's Blog...
