Autoblog

According to a report by Reuters, the Chinese government has suspended the importation of Hyundai and Kia products from South Korea. The importation ban allegedly stems from complaints filed by dealers that the automaker violated anti-trust laws in China by throwing more support behind its own dealers and thus limiting the support offered to independent retailers.

A Hyundai spokesperson confirmed that the automaker has not received import permits since mid-September, but that the Chinese government and Hyundai are working to resolve the matter.

While any ban imposed on Hyundai would temporarily hurt the company in China, only about 50,000 units are imported from South Korea each year, with the majority of Hyundai and Kia's combined 520,000 annual sales in China coming from vehicles produced locally in a joint venture between the automaker and Chinese companies.

[Source: Reuters]

Click image for a hi-res gallery of VW Polos

"Do you need the Polo?" That's going to be Volkswagen chief Martin Winterkorn's query to US dealers when he meets with them this week. The answer could determine whether or not we see a sub-Golf sized VeeDub here in the United States. Rising fuel prices have made small cars big again, and VW's taking a hard look at capitalizing on that. The inrush of Volkswagen's competitors to smaller models also makes the segment hard to ignore. BMW's got the hotly anticipated 1-series, Daimler's trend-tastic Smart has been foisted upon us, Saturn's slick Astra is nearly here, and Ford's threatening to give us the Fiesta in a couple of years, too. If we were a VW dealer, our answer to Winterkorn would be a resounding "YES!"

[Source: Auto News - sub req]

Click on the images to view our high-resolution gallery

Some will say for better, others will say for worse, but one way or another, the Mercedes SLR McLaren is the supercar that refuses to go quietly into the night. It was previewed by the Vision SLR concept way back in 1999, and since entering limited production in 2003, the Anglo-Saxon supercar has performed disappointingly both on the road and in the market. But rather than allowing it to slip away, Mercedes has repeatedly given it new transfusions with the Roadster, 722 and most recently the 722 GT derivatives. The SLR, in all its incarnations, is about due for retirement, so where has it gone? To Florida, of course!

RENNtech, the Sunshine State-based Mercedes tuner par excellence, has been given the exclusive contract to import and distribute the long-named and long-nosed Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 GT in North America. RENNtech, which, as we reported earlier, tuned the SLR road car to actually produce 722 hp, will offer an allotment of 21 examples of the factory SLR 722 GT track-day special, each available at about $1.2 million.

To sweeten the deal, RENNtech is setting up a full track-day program for the SLR 722 GT owners, including set-up and maintenance by specialized technicians, opportunity to learn the track behind the wheel of its special SLR karts (pictured, right) and instruction from professional drivers (David Coulthard, although no longer affiliated with McLaren, is claimed to be on board).

To celebrate the arrival of the sharpest (and potentially last) version of the SLR to American shores, we've got a whole mess of new photos for you... just click on the gallery below. (Full press release after the jump.)

[Source: RENNtech]

We wonder if this thing tells you "Now go away, or I shall taunt you a second time!" whenever you shut it off. Hilarity aside, this long-wheelbase CX Prestige looks like it's made out of the same material that fashioned Darth Vader's mask. Maybe the hydro-pneumatic suspension even makes the same kinds of breathy noises. Probably not, as the seller claims the spheres are in good shape. Citroëns are pretty rare in the US, and the CX's are funk-tastic executive expresses.

This series-II car is a fine example of the last Citroën design before Peugeot purchased the brand. The long, tapered body dressed in black gives this thing an evil presence we think absolutely rocks. This is the car that replaced the space-capsule DS, and there's definitely a familial resemblance (though the CX looks more like Gumby's SAAB 900 than anything alse, if you ask us).

Underhood, there's a 2.5L four-cylinder that smokes Gauloises and is powered by croque monsieur. The price is up to $2650, which is actually pretty reasonable for a CX Prestige in good shape. 1988 was the second-to-last year for this smooth-riding teardrop that was first introduced in 1974, so any teething pains were long gone by then. Of course, the joys of maintaining a luxed-up European car with a very small support base are part of the thrill of ownership. We'd wear a Vader suit wherever we went. And limo-tint the windows. That'd make pulling up to the curb, any curb, the Best. Arrival. Evar.

more photos after the jump