Latest vehicle product & design news and analysis articles 
New and future vehicle product and related design and engineering aspects of their development
CHINA: BYD 6B debuts with in-dash speaking robot
24 May 2012
BYD has launched the 6B, the replacement for the F3. The Civic-sized sedan features several innovations, one of which is a speaking robot that rises out of the dashboard.
US: NA auto industry execs upbeat and optimistic in Booz survey
24 May 2012
A new wave of optimism is overtaking the US auto industry as it rebounds from the depths of the recession and a brutal restructuring, according to Booz & Company’s second annual US Automotive Industry Survey and Confidence Index.
SOUTH KOREA: Hyundai i40 flops at 'home'
24 May 2012
High prices appear to be killing Hyundai Motor's i40 mid-sized station wagon, which the automaker spent KRW230bn developing to compete with European rivals, in South Korea.
CHINA: Brilliance hires designer Dimitri Vicedomini
24 May 2012
Brilliance Automotive, BMW's partner in China, has recruited designer Dimitri Vicedomini who previously worked at Italian design house, Pininfarina.
Better luck with Japan this time round, Alfa
23 May 2012
Let's hope the cooperation between Fiat's Alfa Romeo and a Japanese automaker - Mazda now - is a bit more successful than last time with Nissan. Anyone remember the Arna? Thought not.
JAPAN: Mazda to share next MX-5 with Fiat's Alfa Romeo
23 May 2012
Mazda and Fiat are to jointly develop and make a new roadster based on the Japanese company's next generation MX-5. Fiat's roadster will be sold as an Alfa Romeo (Spider?) and the two automakers are talking more cooperation in Europe.
INDIA: Nissan's Datsun aiming at sub-$7,100 segment
23 May 2012
Nissan Motor plans to launch at least two cars in India's most competitive auto segment - below 'INR4 lakh' (INR400,000 or US$7,100) - through its recently revived Datsun brand by 2014.
US: Honda's Acura launches new entry-level sedan
23 May 2012
Honda's US premium brand Acura has begun selling a new Civic sedan-based entry level model called the ILX with a hybrid as one of three powertrain options.
CHINA: Jonway Wuxing undercuts top selling Wuling Sunshine
21 May 2012
Zhejiang Jonway Automobile has launched the Wuxing, a cut-price rival for the country's best selling vehicle, the Wuling Sunshine.
CASABLANCA SHOW: World premiere for Dacia Dokker K67
18 May 2012
The Dacia Dokker and Dokker Van have had their global debuts at the Casablanca motor show. Each will be built alongside the related Lodgy minivan at Renault's new Tangiers plant.
US: Ford starts selling C-Max hybrid
18 May 2012
Ford has begun taking orders for the C-Max hybrid in the US, claiming it is America's most affordable, fuel-efficient hybrid utility vehicle.
JAPAN: Alliance to increase parts standardisation
17 May 2012
Renault will adopt the cost-cutting measures of its alliance partner Nissan and standardise more components, industry sources told the Daily Yomiuri newspaper in Japan.
US: Chevrolet confirms Holden-built SS for MY2014
17 May 2012
Chevrolet has confirmed an open secret - return of an Australian-made V8 powered, rear-wheel-drive performance sedan to the US lineup, the Holden Commodore-based Chevrolet SS. It will also be Chevrolet’s next NASCAR Sprint Cup racecar and will debut in its race configuration at the 2013 Daytona 500.
US: Ford to lead in replacing lineup through 2016
17 May 2012
Ford will lead the industry in introducing new or refreshed vehicles in the US at the fastest rate for model years 2013 to the end of 2016, according to a Bank of America Merrill Lynch report.
UK: Audi A3 range adds sedan
17 May 2012
The redesigned Audi A3 will offer buyers greater choice than either of the previous two versions, including a four-door sedan for the first time.
US: Tributes flow for Ford's 1980s turnaround chief
16 May 2012
The words "Ford" and "turnaround" are today most likely to be used in the same sentence as "Alan" and "Mulally", the ex-Boeing chief recruited by Ford chairman Bill Ford who has transformed the fortunes of the company in recent years and helped it avoid a government bail-out. But tributes are being made this week to another top Ford man who help revive the troubled automaker in the 1980s - former chairman and CEO Harold 'Red' Poling.
JAPAN: Smaller Denso condenser boosts efficiency
15 May 2012
A condenser that is 30% smaller and 20% lighter than previous models has been developed by Denso and launched with Toyota’s new Corolla which went on sale earlier this month.
EXCLUSIVE: UK: Prodrive reports booming UK business
14 May 2012
UK-based automotive and motorsport engineering company Prodrive is reporting a surge in business from UK-based OEMs this year.
GERMANY: Porsche shelves plans for ‘small’ Boxster
14 May 2012
Porsche has dropped plans to build a two-seater vehicle which would have been smaller and cheaper than its Boxster model.
COMMENT: GM and PSA's plans to share plants and architectures
14 May 2012
The past few days have seen all sorts of rumours and supposed leaks from plant managers, union officials and senior executives at Opel and PSA. What should we believe?
JAPAN: Toyota launches all-new Corolla
11 May 2012
The eleventh generation Toyota Corolla has been launched in Japan. This all-new car is shorter, features lightweight materials and is being manufactured by a new TMC subsidiary.
THE WEEK THAT WAS: Autonomous motoring
11 May 2012
Most popular news article this week: an interview with Nady Boules, director of General Motors' electrical and control integration research skunkworks. He told how the automaker sees the pathway, timeframe and costs in moving through semi- to fully autonomous driving - the automaker has begun road testing prototype Cadillacs capable of semi-autonomous driving. GM calls the system ‘Super Cruise’.
just-auto's research round-up
10 May 2012
Here's a brief run-down of reports available in our research store that caught our eye over the past week or so...
BUSAN PREVIEW: World premiere for SsangYong Rexton
10 May 2012
SsangYong has released a teaser image of a replacement for the Rexton SUV which makes its global debut at the Busan motor show in South Korea on 24 May.
BRAZIL: From Beijing show to Brazilian market
9 May 2012
Two concept cars revealed at the recent Beijing show will eventually be made and marketed here in Brazil.
INTERVIEW: GM's autonomous car specialist
9 May 2012
GM has begun road testing prototype Cadillacs capable of semi-autonomous driving. GM calls the system ‘Super Cruise’. just-auto spoke with Dr Nady Boules, director of GM’s Electrical and Control Integration Research Lab. He outlined how GM sees the pathway, timeframe and costs in moving through semi- to fully autonomous driving.
US: Toyota launches RAV4 EV ahead of late summer sale start
9 May 2012
Toyota's US unit has launched the RAV4 EV, developed with Tesla, at an electric vehicle event in Los Angeles. The revived all-electric SUV - Toyota offered an electric first generation RAV4 in the US about a decade ago - has an estimated driving range of about 100 miles (160km) and charging time of about six hours on a 240V/40A charger.
UK: More boosted, downsized petrol engines coming - report
9 May 2012
Engine downsizing, a major trend in European diesel engines over the past decade, will now occur with petrol engines which will increasingly become smaller and turbocharged, a new report said.
GERMANY: BMW, Hyundai propose tie-up for engines - source
4 May 2012
BMW and Hyundai are discussing an alliance to develop engines and share other technology, a German report said.
GERMANY: Herr doctor to Audi A3: lose weight
4 May 2012
The next Audi A3 will be almost as light as the original model from 1996, despite having significantly more safety and luxury features.
