Autoblog

Some automakers might be concerned over California's fight for an EPA waver, but Lamborghini isn't one of them. Regardless of government-imposed regulations, the Italian exotic car maker knows that the luxury market will continue to demand high-powered vehicles available in every color found in a Skittles bag. That is why Lamborghini has chosen the Los Angeles area, Santa Monica specifically, to house its brand new headquarters for North American sales operations. It is the company's first business venture outside of Italy, and it happened in this country mainly because the continent comprises a 41-percent market share of all Lamborghini's sold in the world. The sunshine state alone accounts for more Lambo sales than most entire nations, hence the reason it won out in the race for office location.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Alfa Romeo is returning to the US market in about a year, offering the zooty 8C Competizione and 8C Spider atop a range of less spectacular offerings. While the top-end 8Cs will probably be Italian emigres, the 149 and 169 sedans could be put together in Mexico. Alfa doesn't have a hard and fast decision yet, and could pick another site, even one in North America. Moving the labor to Mexico for the volume sellers might prove to be a wise move on Alfa's part. The dollar continues to take a beating, pushing up the cost of European items on US sales markets, and building somewhere else would sidestep some of those increased costs. Alfa is trying this idea in China, too, where Chery will assemble automobiles for that market. We're all for it if it gets the keys to some stylish Italians in our hands while holding the prices down. The quality can't be any worse than it was in the bad old days that led to the notorious reputation for unreliability that afflicted Italian marques. Besides, those shop queens were so joyous to drive, they made suckers out of all of us, and we'd do it again, given the chance.

[Source: Inside Line]

The Mini is so 2006. VW's new Polo has yet to launch. Neither of those cars matter once you set eyes on the forthcoming hotness from Alfa Romeo. Alfa is coming back to the U.S. market, and while everyone's been ga-ga about the 8C Competizione, supercars just don't support the type of sales volume that Alfa is looking for. Dubbed the MiTo, Alfa's B-car might be the starter kit for the more aspirational supercars that the brand has to offer, but it's no less kickass when taken on its own. Alfa's styling will be new and fresh in the U.S., the brand having been absent from North American shores since the 1990s. There's a little retro in the nose as seen in these renderings from Winding Road, but it's not anywhere near the total homage to the 1960s that the Mini is.

What's underneath the sheetmetal that's alternately voluptuous and crisply creased is a versatile chassis developed before GM took their wad of cash home from Fiat. The MiTo actually shares its platform with the Opel Corsa and the Fiat Grande Punto, both of which have left favorable impressions with reviewers. Power units could run the gamut from a fire breathing turbocharged 1.4-liter gas unit to a 1.9-liter diesel, and a 2.0-liter that kicks out 280 horsepower is also a possibility if a Delta version comes to fruition. As excited as this news makes us, it's going to be a long wait until 2010.

[Source: Winding Road]

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]

Recently, Honda has had issues with keeping supply and demand in check with its newest products. Waiting lists for everything from the Civic Si to the Honda Fit have become bones of contention with consumers, and the recently redesigned Honda CR-V was among them earlier this year. Sales of Honda's cute 'ute have been on an upwards trajectory during 2007, with over 167,000 units sold thus far -- a 44-percent jump over the previous year. Analysts contend that buyers who used to flock to the Ford Explorer are now looking at smaller, more fuel-efficient offerings, bolstering sales of the CR-V along with Toyota's RAV4.

Honda is constantly trying to keep a balance between imported and domestically made products, so it's considering doubling the North American production of the CR-V. The move would come at a perfect time, as CR-V sales have officially eclipsed sales of the Explorer, the U.S.'s best selling SUV for 14 years.

[Source: Detroit News]

Perhaps sensing impending doom, Volkswagen's David Goggins is cleaning out his desk as director of product and marketing strategy. There's been a good amount of turnover in VW's marketing ranks in the last year and a half, and Goggins had only served for 14 months before deciding to return to Bentley where he was previously in charge of marketing. Former Ferrari spokesman Toscan Bennett will take up the reins of the wares-shilling department.

The writing may have been on the wall for Goggins, as the marketing department will reportedly undergo a nip and tuck concurrent with Volkswagen USA's relocation to northern Virginia. Apparently, not too many members of the marketing team were invited to join the exodus from Auburn Hills, so that may have motivated Goggins stepping down. As nice as VWs are, it'd be an easy choice for us to go with Bentley, too. The flip-flopping in VW's come-on office has played a role in defocusing the marketing effort – VW is running the risk of confusing, or worse, boring buyers with indifferent advertising and a paucity of new stuff to sell. Next year, however, looks good from a product standpoint, and we'll likely be inundated by a more concerted effort to plant backsides in seats, and signatures on dotted lines.

[Source: Brandweek]

What you're looking at is a right-hand-drive Mitsubishi i spotted in Toronto, as in Toronto, Canada... as in on the North American continent. Mitsubishi's initial line was that the i would be for the Japan Domestic Market only. Then they exported it to Hong Kong, Singapore and Brunei. Then New Zealand. Then Britain. And Australian cities are next in the crosshairs. Wherever it has shown up, it's been a sales sensation, which is handy for Mitsubishi as sales in Japan have slumped to 1,200 cars per month from almost 8,000 per month in March 2006.

So will North America be getting its first 660cc kei car? Not a chance say sources within Mitsubishi's Tokyo HQ. Then the i spied in Toronto is almost certainly a plug-in electric i MiEV undergoing testing. Everyone will have to wait until 2009 or even 2010 to get their hands on one of those, but when they hit markets worldwide they'll have sticker prices under 2million Yen - that's about $17,500 today.

Well spotted Allan!

There have been periodic rumors of a United States assembly plant for Volvo cars since at least the early 1980s. There was a North American construction arm of the Swedish carmaker, situated in Nova Scotia, but that plant has been shuttered for several years now. Volvo CEO Fredrik Arp has told Automotive News that an American plant would take an unacceptably long time to pay for itself, according to the automaker's studies. A weak dollar doesn't help the economic argument for a plant in the States, either. Volvo can currently handle its goal of 600,000 units worldwide, which they have yet to meet. Current plant capacity is good for 590,000 vehicles, so it goes building any new plants, Volvo would be wise to fully utilize its current capacity. The automaker is looking to markets other than North America to drive growth in the coming years -- China, India and Russia all look to be emerging soon as major Volvo buyers.

Arp would not be pressed regarding rumors of Volvo being put up for sale by parent Ford, but he did comment that the historically green-minded automaker has its finger on the pulse of viable alternative powertrains for the US market. Diesels and alternative fuels are big in Europe, but Volvo's not going to just forge ahead in the US with those technologies. Rather, what they intend to do is watch and see what green platform takes off here, and follow on quickly with their own version of whatever that turns out to be. Volvo is too much of a niche player in the US market to risk developing something that may be met with a yawn by the US consumer. Up for sale or not, it looks like Gothenburg's Rollers have their eyes on the brass ring.

[Source: Automotive News - sub req]


http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070626/ANE01/70626009/1116/rss03&rssfeed=rss03

The first Modern Gentleman has come off Nanjing's reconstituted assembly line in China, but we're getting conflicting reports about whether or not a rumored factory in Oklahoma will happen. Nanjing has been offered $20 million in incentives to come and build the MG TF where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain, but according to a recent report, the Ardmore, OK plant plans have been scrapped.

Nanjing hasn't made any formal response, but it appears that officials in Oklahoma are still working toward bringing the Chinese carmaker stateside and the Ardmore Development Authority is continuing to make efforts to bring the plant, as well as a parts distribution center, to Oklahoma.

Nanjing is China's oldest automaker, so it's not like they're neophytes; but, there's likely a learning curve about our emissions and safety regulations. Judging from how quickly the MG tooling was up and running after being shipped to China, we have no doubt that there will be a determined Chinese automaker offering cars for sale in the US in the near future.

Work continues on developing the airport and corralling the details among companies on three different continents, and supposedly they're currently completing due diligence before finalizing agreements. At least that's the rhetoric. We'll see how it all shakes out.

Thanks for the tip, Luis!

[Source: KOTV]

They may live below a country run by a husky dictator who has a thing for BluBlockers and nuclear weapons, but South Koreans can take heart knowing that Infiniti has bestowed upon them the honor of being the first market to receive the new G35 sedan. Infiniti announced the G35's arrival in South Korea yesterday at the Seoul Trade Exhibition and Convention Center in Hagnyeoul, Seoul. Nissan's luxury division is keenly interested in presenting itself as a global brand (see Related posts below), which accounts for the decision to give South Korea's market the nod before selling the sedan in North America. The car's new generation VQ35HR 3.5-liter V6 now develops 315 horsepower, though the South Korean model will apparently only pair it with a 5-speed automatic and not the 6-speed manual that will also be offered in North America. There's also no mention of an all-wheel drive model. Instead, South Koreans can choose from a "premium" or "sports" version of the G35 sedan, the former offering a bit more luxury and the latter offering a bit more sport. Prices start at 47.5 million won ($49,780USD) for the "premium" model and 49.8 million won ($52,190USD) for the "sport" model.

[Source: Nissan]

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• Infiniti launches in Russia
• Infiniti sales up 183 percent in UAE
• Nissan to launch Infiniti brand in Western Europe