Euro

With the U.S. dollar's decline against the euro, the Wall Street Journal's crystal ball gazers have determined that the price of vehicles shipped over from the old world are set to rise in the next year. European manufacturers have been able to lock exchange rates by buying contracts that keep currency fluctuations at bay, but for some automakers abroad, that's about to change. Those contracts are set to expire soon, and that means either prices will rise or European automakers will hav

These rendered images of the next-generation Ford Focus for the European market are, to put it bluntly, painful to look at. That's not because the artist penned a dog, but rather because he or she gives us a glimpse of Ford's next-gen Focus in the form of a three-door coupe, not unlike the coupe version of the redesigned 2008 Focus that Ford will be se

From the too much time on his hands file, we bring you this unfortunately customized Renault Clio. The owner of this little French runabout has a serious sticker fetish, and a hankering for knicknacks, too. This car is just bristling with stuff and we're surpised that it passes any kind of safety inspection. The outside is covered in more logos than a race car with actual sponsors, and looking underhood reveals zip-tie mania. There's either a small nuclear plant providi

Please, let it be so. The current chromed snout on VWs offerings is not only beastly to look at, it doesn't help Audi's cars stand apart, either. We suppose that cuts both ways -- VW probably benefits by a familial resemblance to their cousins. However, the front end on the upcoming Sharan/Touran twins looks to hint at the future face of Volkswagen, we hope.

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After last week's flurry of news from Detroit, we're realizing that little was heard from Mercury. Parent Ford certainly had some introductions and unveilings, but nothing from across the corporate hall. It makes us wonder whether the Mercury brand is going to completely wither and die, or if Ford's got some surprises left. There really seems to be little point to the brand. There are no Mercury-specific models like there once were (Cougar, Villager, etc.) and really nothing particularly compell

Audi announced today that it plans to spend €11.8 billion on itself between this year and 2011, which in Yankee coin equates to around $15.6 billion USD. That's a hella lot of change for a luxury brand to invest over the course of five years, with yearly receipts totalling up to €2 billion once things get underway. Clearly Audi is serious about doing whatever it takes to ascend from the bronze medal podium in the German luxury car olympics. Being the perennial second runner-up behind e

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We spend so much time on this blog bemoaning the fact that Ford has yet to offer to the "Euro" Focus in the United States. So much time, in fact, that we fear the concept of a C1-based Focus on U.S. soil has been placed on a pedestal and is widely considered to be the smartest move Ford has never made.

Despite lowering expectations for its Euro-only BLS sedan all the way down to around 7,000 to 10,000 units annually, it appears Cadillac was still a bit too optimistic with the car's chances for success in the old country. The FWD sedan that's based on the Saab 9-3 and built alongside the Swede in the company's Trollhatan factory has sold a little over 400 units after being on sale since April

When the government taxes you, you know you got its attention.