Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[REPORT: Russian conglomorate plans merger of top three automotive brands]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/26/report-russian-conglomorate-plans-merger-of-top-three-automotiv/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/26/report-russian-conglomorate-plans-merger-of-top-three-automotiv/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/26/report-russian-conglomorate-plans-merger-of-top-three-automotiv/#commentsFiled under: ,

Kamaz Dakar rally team in Moscow's Red Square

While competition between local automakers may have worked in individual markets in the past, that same fragmentation is one of the chief elements hampering the global competitiveness of carmakers hailing from emerging markets. China's automakers have been learning that lesson for some time now, and Russia could be next if national conglomerate Russian Technologies has anything to say about it.

The industrial giant holds major interest in three of the country's biggest automotive companies - including 37.8% of truckmaker Kamaz, 25% of automaker Avtovaz (Lada's parent company) and 30% of engine manufacturer Avtodizel - and it just recently announced preliminary plans to merge the three into a single holding firm called Rosavto.

Critics are already arguing that the limited synergies between the three will be outweighed by the increased bureaucracy. But while Russians may be resistant to conglomeration after decades of oppressively centrally-planned industry, it may be the one thing that could turn Russia's local auto industry around against the backdrop of plummeting sales and suspended production.

[Source: AFP | Image: NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP/Getty]

REPORT: Russian conglomorate plans merger of top three automotive brands originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>autovazavtodizelavtovazfalseladarosautorosavtorussiarussianrussian technologiesRussianTechnologiesWed, 26 Aug 2009 18:20:00 EST<![CDATA[Spyker's owner shot in apparent assassination attempt]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/18/spyker-owner-shot-in-apparent-assassination-attempt/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/18/spyker-owner-shot-in-apparent-assassination-attempt/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/18/spyker-owner-shot-in-apparent-assassination-attempt/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

2010 Spyker C8 in Geneva

Reuters is reporting that Alexander Antonov, the owner of flamboyant Dutch supercar company Spyker, has been seriously wounded in an apparent assassination attempt while leaving his Moscow residence. The Russian billionaire, who is also the chairman of the board of the Konvers Group (a banking concern), was shot along with a bodyguard.

According to the news agency, Antonov has survived the attack and his injuries have been identified as non life-threatening, although he remains in intensive care after being shot five times in the stomach and losing a finger to another bullet. The security guard, shot in the leg, is also in intensive care but is expected to survive.

Moscow police are now investigating the crime, and though they have yet to make any arrests, they apparently suspect that the shooting is related to Antonov's business dealings.

Sources: Reuters; Autocar]

Spyker's owner shot in apparent assassination attempt originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BreakingBreaking NewsBreakingNewsDutchRussiaRussianSpykerWed, 18 Mar 2009 13:57:00 EST<![CDATA[Moscow under seige of auto arsonist]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/04/moscow-under-seige-of-auto-arsonist/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/04/moscow-under-seige-of-auto-arsonist/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/04/moscow-under-seige-of-auto-arsonist/#commentsFiled under:


click above for gallery of hot, hot heat

Since last Thursday, more than 20 cars and trucks in the Russian capital of Moscow have been torched by an elusive car arsonist. Each of the fires is started the same way: flammable materials are pulled from a dumpster, stacked under the vehicle's wheel, doused with lighter fluid and then set ablaze. While the arsonist has hit vehicles in five different towns, all are thought to be the work of one individual. According to police, the culprit seems to be drawn towards gray cars (yes, the color), and has completely avoided Russian Ladas, perhaps as a demonstration of national pride. Instead, more expensive luxury imports are the hot targets. Authorities believe the misfit may be a schizophrenic registered at a psychiatric hospital. It sure sounds like a good place to start looking. Thanks for the tip, Andrew V!

Gallery: Moscow Vehicle Arsons


[Source: RAI Novosti, Photos from English Russia]

Moscow under seige of auto arsonist originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ArsonBurnedFireMoscowRussiaRussianTorchWed, 04 Jun 2008 18:57:00 EST<![CDATA[No surprise: GAZ has no interest in buying Jaguar/Land Rover]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/31/no-surprise-gaz-has-no-interest-in-buying-jaguar-land-rover/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/31/no-surprise-gaz-has-no-interest-in-buying-jaguar-land-rover/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/31/no-surprise-gaz-has-no-interest-in-buying-jaguar-land-rover/#commentsFiled under: ,



Contrary to the reports that surfaced yesterday asserting that Russian automaker GAZ was interested in purchasing Land Rover and Jaguar, a spokesman for the company has officially denied the rumors. Reuters quoted Oleg Deripaska, the billionaire behind Russian Machines, the umbrella corporation that owns GAZ, as saying that, "There is no interest from my company or from our subsidiary Gaz in any of these brands." 'Nuff said? Good, we're moving on.

[Source: Reuters]

No surprise: GAZ has no interest in buying Jaguar/Land Rover originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Jul 2007 07:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gazjaguarland roverLandRoveroleg deripaskaOlegDeripaskarussiarussianTue, 31 Jul 2007 07:28:00 EST<![CDATA[That is one sharp Maserati]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/19/that-is-one-sharp-maserati/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/19/that-is-one-sharp-maserati/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/19/that-is-one-sharp-maserati/#commentsFiled under: ,


click above pic to view additional images of this one-of-a-kind "Shattered Glass" Maserati Quattroporte

They say that the beauty of art is in the eye of the beholder, and we're torn between thinking the work of Italian artist Luca Pancrazzi shown here is jaw-dropping cool or tear-shedding sad. C'mon, it's a Maserati Quattroporte covered with 1,763 lbs. of shattered glass - truly a sight one does not see every day. But it's also an exquisite Italian luxury sedan sacrificed at the alter of modern art. The piece currently sits outside the Moscow Museum of Modern Art and welcomes guests to the second Moscow Art Biennale that runs from March 1st through April 1st.

[Source: Domusweb via CarScoop]

Gallery: Luca Pancrazzi "Shattered Glass" Maserati Quattroporte

That is one sharp Maserati originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Mar 2007 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>artluca pancrazziLucaPancrazzimoscowquattroporterussiarussiansculptureMon, 19 Mar 2007 12:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Vervolf: the mysterious Russian limo]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/05/vervolf-the-mysterious-russian-limo/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/05/vervolf-the-mysterious-russian-limo/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/05/vervolf-the-mysterious-russian-limo/#commentsFiled under: ,

UPDATE: Concept sketches added after jump, which actually don't look half bad.

A Mini, a Chrysler 300 and a Ferrari 612 once spent a crazy night partying in Moscow, and nine months later, this was the result: a hideously ugly, yet strangely intriguing luxury limousine.

We don't know much about it, but here's what we do know. It's called the Vervolf, which we can only assume is Russian for Werewolf, which would strike us as a particularly fitting name for such a beastly abomination. It seems to be built by a private coachbuilder in St. Petersburg, and sells for ?60,000. What it's based on, what's under the hood, how it performs... these all remain question marks. We could find out, but we wouldn't want an intimate encounter with Polonium 210, an obvious component to this mutant car's creation. (Just kidding, Vlad.) But seriously, we wouldn't be surprised to find out it were driven by surplus Soviet-era nuclear power.

More pics of the mystery-mobile after the jump.

[Source: Fishki.net via Motorpasion]

Continue reading Vervolf: the mysterious Russian limo

Vervolf: the mysterious Russian limo originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Dec 2006 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>limolimousinerussiansaloonsedanvervolfwerewolfwerwolfTue, 05 Dec 2006 11:25:00 EST<![CDATA[From Russia with Love: GAZ Tiger-2 debuts at Moscow Motor Show]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/08/from-russia-with-love-gaz-tiger-2-debuts-at-moscow-motor-show/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/08/from-russia-with-love-gaz-tiger-2-debuts-at-moscow-motor-show/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/08/from-russia-with-love-gaz-tiger-2-debuts-at-moscow-motor-show/#commentsFiled under: ,




Gregory from CarDesign.ru tipped us off that Russian automaker GAZ unveiled a preproduction version of its Tiger-2 SUV at the Moscow Motor Show recently. The Tiger-2 looks very HUMMER-esque in profile, but has a face only a Russian drunk on vodka could love. And, are those... plastic wheel covers? The tigger is powered by a 190-hp diesel motor, which can actually get this mountain going 100 mph, but no more. The interior resembles the original HUMMER H1 with its obnoxiously wide central tunnel, but passengers will supposedly be treated to a smooth ride and plenty of comfort and convenience features.

With all the talk about when the Chinese will be flooding the U.S. market with inexpensive vehicles, one wonders if Russia's economy will ever be able to support the global aspirations of a native automaker like GAZ. Kinda makes you go... hmmm.

(More pictures after the jump)

[Source: CarDesign.ru]

Continue reading From Russia with Love: GAZ Tiger-2 debuts at Moscow Motor Show

From Russia with Love: GAZ Tiger-2 debuts at Moscow Motor Show originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Sep 2006 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>GAZmoscowrussiarussianFri, 08 Sep 2006 20:00:00 EST