Sticker Shock: U.S. Used Car Prices Soar as Nation Tackles Weak Economy and More

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Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. U.S. used car prices are up 30% over June 2010, in some cases besting Kelly Blue Book values by as much as 25%. Trade-ins are also up by 30% since this time last year.

A variety of factors, including an economy still reeling from the Global Financial Crisis, high gas prices and the Tōhoku earthquake, are thought to be responsible for the massive price rise.

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Post Title → Sticker Shock: U.S. Used Car Prices Soar as Nation Tackles Weak Economy and More

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Ferrari World Design Contest: 7 Schools move on to 2nd Stage

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Ferrari has announced the seven design schools that have been selected among 50 contestants from all over the world, to participate in the second stage of its World Design Contest that is organized in collaboration with Autodesk.

The schools that made it to the second round are: IED and IAAD from Turin (Italy), the London Royal College of Arts (UK) the European Design Institute Barcelona (Spain), Seoul’s Hong-ik College (Korea), the DSK Supinfocom from Pune (India) and the College For Creative Studies in Detroit (USA).

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Post Title → Ferrari World Design Contest: 7 Schools move on to 2nd Stage

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Ghosn Says Nissan will Sell Record Number of Leaf EVs in the US this June

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The battle for sales supremacy in the eco-friendly segment between Nissan’s pure electric Leaf and GM’s extended range Chevrolet Volt is really heating up lately, with the two models separated by only 17 cars in U.S. sales figures so far this year.

And while GM is betting on the introduction of a slightly lower priced base model as well as the extended availability of the Volt in all 50 states to win this battle, Nissan is counting on increasing output to ease customer delays after production was disrupted by the Japan’s earthquake and tsunami on March 11.

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Post Title → Ghosn Says Nissan will Sell Record Number of Leaf EVs in the US this June

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Zenvo Announces Special Edition ST-1 50 for North America with 1,250HP, Priced at…$1.8 Million

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If you have a couple million dollars lying around and do not know what to do about it give us a call , perhaps Zenvo can help. Denmark's first supercar manufacturer and its U.S. importer Red Sea Distribution have announced a special edition version of their ST-1 created exclusively for North America.

Named the ST-1 50, the North American special is offered in a choice of three colors (red, white and blue) and comes equipped with an upgraded version of Zenvo’s own 7-liter supercharged and turbocharged V8 engine pushing out a thundering 1,250 HP and 1,500 Nm (1,106 lb-ft), up from the standard ST-1’s 1,104 HP and 1,430 Nm.

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Post Title → Zenvo Announces Special Edition ST-1 50 for North America with 1,250HP, Priced at…$1.8 Million

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Volkswagen Sells a Record Two Million Vehicles Since January

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Global vehicle sales by the Volkswagen passenger car brand rose 12.2 percent to a record-high of 2.09 million units in the first five months of the year, compared to 1.86 million the same period in 2010.

More than a third of those vehicles were delivered in China, which has become the Volkswagen brand’s largest single market. In the period from January to the end of May, VW sold 714,200 cars in the country, recording a 15.3 percent increase.

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Post Title → Volkswagen Sells a Record Two Million Vehicles Since January

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BMW Rumored to Rename New 1- and 3-Series Coupes into 2- and 4-Series. What Do You Say?

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Citing unnamed sources from within the brand, Britain’s Car Magazine reported on Tuesday that BMW is seriously entertaining the idea of renaming the next generation of its two-door 1- and 3-Series models into the 2- and 4-Series respectively.

The new badges would be applied on the two-door coupe and convertible as well as the sportier GT fastback models of the future 1- and 3-Series lineup.

As some of you may recall, this is not the first time that BMW has toyed around with the thought of turning the 3-Series coupe and convertible into the 4-Series, with the Bavarian company coming very close to executing the idea in the beginning of the new millennium.

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Post Title → BMW Rumored to Rename New 1- and 3-Series Coupes into 2- and 4-Series. What Do You Say?

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Alfa Romeo 4C Sports Concept Heading to Goodwood Festival of Speed

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The new Alfa Romeo 4C Sports Concept will receive its UK public debut at the rapidly approaching 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed, which takes place from July 1 to 3.

Seen for the first time at the Geneva Salon in March, Italy’s answer to the Lotus Elise boasts a lightweight chassis with power coming from a mid-mounted 1.75-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivering 200 ponies to the rear wheels. It can complete the 0-62mph (100km/h) sprint in less than 5 seconds and reach a top speed of 155mph (250km/h). Production is set to start in 2012.

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Post Title → Alfa Romeo 4C Sports Concept Heading to Goodwood Festival of Speed

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Vladimir Antonov Withdraws Proposal to Buy and Leaseback Saab Property

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The ink has barely dried on Saab’s latest attempt to form a preliminary deal with China’s Pang Da Automobile and Youngman, and the Swedish company is faced with yet another problem as Russian investor Vladimir Antonov has withdrawn his proposal to buy and leaseback Saab property.

"The property sale is now being discussed with external investors," said Lars Carlstrom, Antonov's representative in Sweden. However, Carlstrom noted that the Russian banker was still interested in becoming a shareholder in Saab’s parent company Spyker Cars NV.

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Post Title → Vladimir Antonov Withdraws Proposal to Buy and Leaseback Saab Property

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VW Group Enters Production Deal with Russia’s GAZ

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In its never-ending quest for global domination, the VW Group signed an agreement with the GAZ Group to assemble Volkswagen and Skoda models under contract at the Russian automaker’s in Nizhny Novgorod. The two companies had already concluded a memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding joint automobile production in Russia in February 2011 with a planned production volume of 110,000 vehicles per year.

Under the deal, GAZ will build the Volkswagen Jetta compact sedan, Skoda Octavia and Skoda Yeti crossover models for the Russian market, with the first vehicles to start rolling off the production line by the end of 2012.

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Post Title → VW Group Enters Production Deal with Russia’s GAZ

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BMW Crafts Special 760Li Individual Limos for The Charles Hotel in Munich

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The guests at The Charles Hotel in Munich, Germany, can now savor the services of BMW’s finest as the Bavarian carmaker has just handed over to the hotel the keys to a pair of special limousines based on the flagship 760Li, which come equipped with a twin-turbocharged V12 engine churning out 544-horsepower. Read more »

Post Title → BMW Crafts Special 760Li Individual Limos for The Charles Hotel in Munich

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Mercedes-Benz’s Parent Company Nearing a Decision on the Fate of Maybach

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It’s no secret that for quite some time now, Mercedes-Benz’s parent company Daimler has just about had it with Maybach and is looking to either shut down the über luxury car brand and call it a day or partner up with British sports carmaker Aston Martin on the development of a new model.

According to a report from Autoweek, the time has come for the German carmaker to make a final decision with the fate of Maybach to be decided by July 1. At a recent press event in Stuttgart, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche told journalist that "there is a higher likelihood to come to a positive decision" for Maybach if the company can find a partner. Up until now, the only automaker that has showed interest in working with Daimler on Maybach is Aston Martin.

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Post Title → Mercedes-Benz’s Parent Company Nearing a Decision on the Fate of Maybach

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Volvo’s Pure Electric C30 Enters Production

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Volvo is starting production of the all electric version of its compact-size hatchback which, unsurprisingly, is named the C30 Electric. After testing about 50 cars since autumn 2010, mainly internally, the Swedish automaker plans to build about 250 cars by the end of 2012 (or more if there is enough interest), which will be leased in a number of European countries, including Sweden, Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands. Read more »

Post Title → Volvo’s Pure Electric C30 Enters Production

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Volkswagen Launches 2012 Beetle with Limited Run Black Edition

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The new 2012 Beetle isn’t scheduled to arrive in U.S. dealerships before the beginning of September, but Volkswagen is attempting to draw attention to its new Vehicle Pre-Order (VPO) program with the launch of a limited run version of the latest Bug called the Black Turbo Edition.

As the name suggests, the first 2012 Beetle available for pre-order is based on the 2.0L TSI model fitted with a turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine pumping out 200-horsepower and 207 lb-ft. of torque, coupled to a standard dual-clutch automatic transmission.

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Post Title → Volkswagen Launches 2012 Beetle with Limited Run Black Edition

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French Car Rental Firms Cry Foul Over Government-Funded EV Rental Scheme in Paris

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The Parisian government’s self-hire electric car program Autolib’ is staring down a legal challenge from the nation’s more traditional car rental agencies, among them Avis and Hertz. According to British daily newspaper The Independent, these “self serve” Bollore EVs cost as little as €5 (£4.40) for a 30 minute journey and are modeled on the French capital’s highly successful Vélib’ bike hire operation.

Some 700 four-seat Autolib’ vehicles will be rolled out from December of this year, offering green motoring for both residents and tourists alike. The Italian-built four seaters come with a 250 km battery range, radio and GPS navigation system.

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Post Title → French Car Rental Firms Cry Foul Over Government-Funded EV Rental Scheme in Paris

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One More Time: Volvo Recalls 2012MY S60 Sedans to Fix Fuel Pumps Again

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For the second time in a month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Volvo is recalling certain 2012 model year S60 sedans because of a potential problem with the fuel pump assembly. This time, the recall affects 448 S60 saloons built from January 18, 2011, through January 28, 2011.

The Swedish automaker informed the safety agency that the male part of the fuel line quick connector end shape was produced with dimensions out of specification and could detach from the engine. If this were to occur, the engine could stall while the driver may also notice a fuel smell and leakage, which could result in a fire.

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Post Title → One More Time: Volvo Recalls 2012MY S60 Sedans to Fix Fuel Pumps Again

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Saab Signs Three-Way Deal with China’s Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile

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Lately, it seems whenever there’s a problem with production at Saab’s Trollhattan plant, the Swedish automaker’s parent company Spyker Cars N.V. announces a new deal with a Chinese company.

Today, Spyker signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with two Chinese firms, Pang Da Automobile Trade Co., Ltd (Pang Da) and Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co., Ltd. (Youngman), which if approved by regulators, could see the company falling into the control of Chinese hands. We'll remind you that Saab had previously signed a deal Chinese firm Hawtai but it failed to go through Chinese regulators.

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Post Title → Saab Signs Three-Way Deal with China’s Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile

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GM Confirms 6-Speed Automatic for 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1

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On the occasion of the Canadian debut of the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and 45th Anniversary Special Edition at the Camaro Homecoming event at the Oshawa Assembly Plant, GM confirmed that a 6-speed automatic transmission will be offered alongside the previously announced 6-speed manual gearbox for the top-end ZL1 model.

The Detroit automaker said it will provide “further product and timing details” on the automatic model closer to the ZL1’s launch in the beginning of 2012.

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Post Title → GM Confirms 6-Speed Automatic for 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1

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Ford Calls Rally Fans to Vote on Their Favorite Roof Livery for the Fiesta WRC

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The Blue Oval’s rally team is reaching out to its fans through Facebook and asking them to choose a unique roof artwork the Fiesta RS WRCs driven by Jari-Matti Latvala, Mikko Hirvonen and Khalid Al Qassimi at next month’s Rally Finland, which runs from July 28-30, 2011.

“Up until now the Ford Abu Dhabi Team Fiesta RS WRCs have simply featured the Ford logo,” said Will May, Motorsport Marketing Manager for Ford of Europe. “So we’re inviting our Facebook followers to vote for one of several designs we’ve developed under one theme – which is ‘the food that fuels you’."

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Post Title → Ford Calls Rally Fans to Vote on Their Favorite Roof Livery for the Fiesta WRC

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Hyundai to Become a Member of ACEA in 2012

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Hyundai Motor Europe’s application for membership in the ACEA has been accepted by the General Assembly of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, and will begin in January 2012.

ACEA was established in 1991, is based in Brussels and its members include BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler, FIAT S.p.A., Ford of Europe, General Motors Europe, MAN Truck & Bus, Porsche, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault Group, Scania, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, Volvo Cars and Volvo Group.

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Post Title → Hyundai to Become a Member of ACEA in 2012

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Lotus to Kill Elise and Exige for North America in August

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If you’re a fan of the lightweight sports cars from Lotus, namely the Elise and its closed-top sibling, the Exige, and live in North America, then you’d better hurry up before the well dries up. That’s because production of the North American spec model will end in August according to a report from Autoblog.

The reasons behind this decision lie in the lack of “smart” airbags, which are now mandatory in the US, along with Toyota’s decision to stop production of its 2ZZ 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder engine that powers US-spec models. The Elise and the Exige will continue to be sold in Europe, as they’re equipped with a new 1.6-liter four-cylinder unit.

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Post Title → Lotus to Kill Elise and Exige for North America in August

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