Looks like things aren’t tough everywhere for General Motors. GM’s Australian unit Holden has rolled its seven millionth car off the production line. The red Commodore sedan (cousin to the Pontiac G8) was revealed with a focus on green energy solutions and fuel efficiency, being fitted for dual fuel LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas — a sorta mixture of propane and butane.) It was rolled out amid a crowd of workers, executives and government officials.
Holden built Australia’s first mass produced car, the 48-215, in November 1948 at Fishermans Bend in Port Melbourne, Victoria. Its one millionth car rolled off the production line almost 14 years later in October 1962. The Commodore was launched in 1978 and has been Australia’s best selling car for the past 12 years.
Stories are beginning to surface again about the likelihood that Mercedes’ parent company Daimler will lose its independence. Earlier this month, other takeovers in Germany focused a spotlight on Daimler’s situation. Currently the German carmaker has lost 45 percent of its value over the last year, but it still has €9 billion ($13.2 billion) in liquidity – a combination that makes it a perfect storm for unwelcome new owners. A spokeswoman for Daimler said: “We do not see ourselves as a takeover candidate, but we cannot totally exclude the possibility. We have no indications that an investor is building a large stake.”
Daimler’s only large shareholder is the Emirate of Kuwait, with a stake of 7.6 percent as of the end of April. But multiple hedge funds own a total of about 20 percent of the company. A Swedish investment firm Cevian Capital also bought a stake in the company and has been part of the rumor of a potential new parent for Daimler.
Unlike its cross-country rival BMW, Daimler shares are completely traded on the open market. The Quandt Family has held a controlling interest in BMW since 1959, and so they can block any takeover attempts. But there still is hope that if a foreign company tries to take over Daimler that it will become a point of national interest. Then Daimler may get its own “Volkswagen Law”—A German rule that protected Volkswagen from voting rights for any investor going beyond 20 percent (Porsche has since struck it down.)
So could Daimler end up the in the same hedge-fund fate as its former subsidiary Chrysler? Time will tell, and we’ll tell you.
General Motors may be gunning to reclaim the world’s largest automaker title (or more likely looking to kick-start the slowing American market.) Tomorrow General Motors will relaunch the “employee discount for everyone” incentive program. This is a program that GM used in the summer of 2005 to great initial success. The program is expected to run through September 2nd.
This is a significant price break. As the Automotive News reported, a 2008 Buick Enclave crossover that lists for $44,010 will sell for an employee price of $39,561. A Buick Lucerne sedan that lists for $35,220 carries an employee price of $31,813. GM will go further into discount on some models. On top of the employee discount, it will offer cash back on slower-selling light trucks including the Silverado pickup, said a dealer who had just been briefed by GM.
Those in the industry who opposed the program were concerned last time that GM let the program run for too long, which meant that there were no perspective customers left for the year-end sales. Also the deep discounts may harm the residual values of GM cars.
Audi has lifted the veil on the 2009 A4. The new vehicle features a very big list with innovative technologies, an improved suspension, a new-generation MMI control system as well as cutting fuel consumption with over 15%.
The new design of the car consists in a new single-frame grill, bumpers, air vents and fog lights, new LED daytime running lights, a new gentle lip on the trunk, integrated chrome strip on the bumper, broad diffuser and straight exhaust pipes are part and partial of the revamped rear end”. Also, the car comes with 13 exterior colors to choose from, including five new ones.
Like most Audis, the interior of the car its clean and elegant, with new higher-resolution graphics for the instrument panels, with new materials like the Valcona leather available for the sport seats and integrated headrest system reduces the danger of whiplash.
Under the hood, the new Audi received engines like the 2.0 TFSI, a 125 kW (170 hp), two new 2.8-liter FSI engines: the 140 kW (190 hp) or the 162 kW (220 hp), 3.0 TFSI with 213 kW (290 hp) and the astonishing 4.2 FSI, a 257 kW (350 hp) V8 engine. Pricing starts at 34,200 Euros or $50,985 for the A6 2.0 TFSI sedan.
>> read 
BMW is recalling 200,000 cars. The recall involves the passenger airbag in the 2006 3 Series, the 2004-2006 5 Series, and the 2004-2006 X3 compact sport utility vehicle. This is a significant recall considering BMW sold almost 1.4 million cars in 2006.
The recall is due to cracks that may develop in the sensor that detects if there is a passenger in the car. If the sensor malfunctions it could cause the airbag to turn off and not deploy in an accident. BMW has stated that there have not yet been any injuries associated with this recall.
Lotus is developing engines that run on alcohol. Right now, the only other cars that do that in the U.S. are drag racers. Built by Lotus Engineering, in collaboration with Queen’s University Belfast and Jaguar Cars, the new engine concept called Omnivore looks to be revolutionary because it will offer significantly improved fuel efficiency for sustainable bio alcohol fuels as well as low CO2 emissions.
The Omnivore engine will feature an innovative variable compression ratio system with a two-stroke operating cycle with direct fuel injection. According to Mike Kimberley, Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus, "Alcohols possess superior combustion characteristics to gasoline which allow greater optimization. Taking full advantage of the benefits of sustainable bio alcohols will ensure a greater percentage of vehicle miles will be traveled using renewable fuels."
Press release after the jump.
>> read 
Bucking the market trend, Toyota will be accelerating the production schedule of an SUV. Toyota announced today that production of the Highlander SUV will be moved up six months. "We need to get those people working. That’s the bottom line," said Steve St. Angelo, senior vice president of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Inc.
The Highlander makes the most sense out of all of Toyota’s SUVs because it is the one currently offering a hybrid version that can attract sales. Slow sales has already caused Toyota to halt production until November of the large Tundra pickup and Sequoia SUV at the plants Princeton, Indiana, and San Antonio, Texas. The new plant in Tupelo, Mississippi, that was originally slated to make the Highlander will now make the Prius instead.
Unlike most of the U.S. auto companies, Toyota is giving a more optimistic view for the future at its U.S. plants that currently produce trucks. "I don’t anticipate us laying off any people," St. Angelo said. "Hopefully – and I can’t predict the future — the bad stuff is behind us, and we can stabilize, train and pick up again in a month or so."
Cadillac will unveil a new global car this Friday at Pebble Beach a few days ahead of this year’s concourse. General Motors says that with this new car, “Cadillac is preparing to take its dramatic design and technology into new directions to extend its renaissance.”
General Motors has been successful in the past with sharing unpinnings across the globe. It currently utilizes mid-size front-wheel drive Epsilon platform for many different cars worldwide such as the Chevrolet Malibu, Saab 9-3 and Opel/Vauxhall Vectra. If this new Cadillac is successful, this would be GM’s first single premium car that would benefit from the cost savings of global appeal.
We will update as more details become available.
Mercedes calls it the “one second nap”. That brief moment where you almost fall asleep behind the wheel but catch yourself in time. Now Mercedes says it has the technology to detect this state of tiredness, and will warn the driver before he/she has can cause an accident.
Studies show that overtired drivers are a contributing factor in 25 percent of serious accidents. According to Mercedes, after four hours of continuous driving, it takes a driver double the time to react to a situation. After six hours, this fatigue rate raises to eight times higher than normal.
To combat this Mercedes will begin to make a system called Attention Assist available on its cars in spring of 2009. Attention Assist compiles information about the driver in the first few minutes of a journey using acceleration, steering and external environment data. This profile is used as a constant comparison for the rest of the trip. At any point if the electric system detects fatigue, it may use warring noises and also display advise such as, "Attention Assist. Break!"
Did someone just do a burnout or did a potpourri truck crash? That may be what Australians will be thinking soon as Kumho has just introduced scented tires to the country. The perfume is releases as the tires warm up from the friction in the road. Kumho says the perfume - predominantly lavender with hints of mint, iris and white musk - can be smelt within about a 33 ft radius of the vehicle. There also seems to be a practical side to the new tires because the oils used in the perfume also improve the bonding on the rubber. Kumho says this allows for above average traction and braking performance as well as a more comfortable and quieter ride.
Don’t worry if you find the scent unbearable, it should only last for a year of regular use. Personally, after being used to the smell of burning rubber, I can’t think of a sweeter scent. Oh wait, there is race fuel…
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