Reactions to story from Leftlane - news, reviews, and info for the auto-industry

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  Spyshot : Porsche Roxster

  http://www.petrol-head.com/2008/05/spyshot-porsche.html
  4 days ago in Petrol-head · Authority: 34

  The Porsche Roxster that doesn't officially exist was spotted during testing at Nurburgring. When asked about the rumour of a smaller Cayenne, Porsche executive didn't hesitate to rule out the rumoured vehicle, but new pictures raise questions concerning about the future SUV. Is Porsche currently developing a small SUV which will take on the established rivals such as the BMW X3 on the small SUV market segment? According to insiders, the Roxster will share its inner structure with the Audi Q5, but will be powered by in-house petrol engines. Power output is rumoured to go from 280 to 500bhp. The entry level will be powered by a V6 engine, while the topping engine will likely be a turbocharged V8 unit. Thanks to the reduced weight, the Roxster will shuttle from 0-60mph in just 4.5 seconds and will reach a top speed of 180mph. Click here to see the pictures
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  Porsche Roxster small SUV [Spied again]

  http://www.intocars.net/?p=5123
  7 days ago in IntoCars.net - Car news about new cars · Authority: 1

  Porsche Roxster small SUV [Spied again] May 9th, 2008 Spy photographers have spotted what appears to be a prototype for an upcoming Porsche "baby" Cayenne near Germany's famed Nurburgring. It has long been rumored that Porsche is developing a smaller SUV based on the Audi Q5 platform, and this could be the first hard evidence that such a program is underway. As previously reported, […] Original post by dejz28 and software by Elliott Back Filed under: Performance, Porsche News, SUV | Comment (0)
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  Product News

  http://todaysautonews.com/?p=194
  8 days ago in Today’s Auto News · No authority yet

  Product News May 8, 2008 – 4:47 pm BMW Wins Engine Competition BMW’s 3.0-liter twin-turbo engine won the top prize in the 2008 International Engine Of The Year Competition on Wednesday, besting such rivals as the Porsche turbocharged 3.6liter engine that powers the 911 Turbo. CEO Says Its Strategically Important For BMW To Be In U.S. BMW’s chief executive told shareholders Thursday that maintaining the automaker’s presence in the United States was not a knee-jerk reaction to the strong euro, but a long-term strategy. Chrysler Unleashes Dodge Challenger Into An Uncertain Market The 2008 Dodge Challenger began rolling off the assembly line Thursday into an uncertain market that could embrace the nostalgic muscle car or reject it for its gas-guzzling excess. A Change In Tone For Ford Shareholders It would have been difficult a year ago to find many satisfied shareholders of the Ford Motor Company, much less to assemble them in one room. A New Kind Of Crash Test Dummy Is Born At Ford Ford Motor has redesigned the midsection of child-size crash-test dummies to help carmakers invent seat belts that could protect children against abdominal injuries. Treacherous Treads Still Taking Lives It’s been eight years since more than eight million Firestone AT, ATX and Wilderness tires were recalled but the tires are still claiming victims, an investigation by Miami’s CBS4 News has found. Ford Boosting Fuel Efficiency Ford Motor Co. said it plans to double the number of six-speed automatic transmissions in its models by the end of next year, increasing fuel efficiency to the point where it is equal to or better than that achieved by manual gearboxes. GM May Break Up SUV-Truck Marriage to Cut Fuel Use, Emissions  General Motors Corp. may be forced to break up a seven-decade marriage of pickups and large sport- utility vehicles as Americans restrict the fossil-fuel diet of their transportation. Interview: Jim Taylor, General Manager Cadillac Cadillac’s Back-from the-Dead Campaign continues to show progress. Actually at General Motors, they call it the Cadillac Renaissance, but what do you say about a line of cars that hasn’t had a really good year since Elvis was driving one? GM To Pay Up To $200 Million To Help End American Axle Strike General Motors Corp. says it will pay up to $200 million to help bring an end to a crippling labor dispute at parts supplier American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc. No El Camino Revival For The G8 Sport Truck The Pontiac G8 sport truck has yet to receive its official nameplate, but it looks as though ‘El Camino’ will almost certainly not adorn the truck’s tailgate, a new report finds. Honda May Lift Output In China Facing slowing sales in the United States, a stronger yen and rising material costs, Honda may seek a boost by expanding in one of the few countries with consistently strong growth prospects. Honda Invests In R&D Center In Thailand Giant Japanese automaker Honda is to build a vehicle research and development centre for Asia and Oceania in Thailand, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Industry Minister Suwit Khunkitti. Change Of Plan: No Hyundai Or Kia Pickup For U.S. Neither Hyundai nor Kia will sell a pickup in the United States in the near future.  Hyundai Motor Co. CEO Kim Dong-Jin said the board in “a recent decision” scrapped plans for a unibody pickup in the United States. Nissan Taking An Unconventional Approach To Transmissions Nissan is developing a transmission strategy that’s unique among major automakers. Spy Photos: Porsche Small SUV Spy photographers have spotted what appears to be a prototype for an upcoming Porsche “baby” Cayenne near Germany’s famed Nurburgring. Rolls Royce Targets China’s Really Rich For most of the world’s automakers, China is all about big numbers. The Chinese market is the biggest in Asia and the second-largest in the world, behind only the U.S. Last year the Chinese purchased 8.3 million vehicles, including 5.2 million cars, sport-utility vehicles, and mini vans. With solid growth this year, the number of cars, trucks, and other vehicles sold in China is likely to hit 9.5 million, according to J.D. Power & Associates Toyota Feels Slowdown In U.S. Toyota Motor said Thursday that the slowdown in the United States economy would probably cause its first annual profit drop in nine years, accelerating a shift by it and other Asian car manufacturers into emerging markets like China, Latin America and the Middle East. Toyota’s So-Called Tumble Flag-waving American loyalists were heartened to see the announcement that Toyota’s January-to-March profit sank 28%. It provided evidence that even mighty Toyota can’t escape the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - the deadly combination of high fuel prices, surging raw material costs, the global credit crunch and a strong yen. VW Offers College Savings Plan As Routan Incentive There is definitely no shortage of incentives to buy Chrysler-built minivans these days. If you buy one of Chrysler’s two minivans — the Chrysler Town & Country or Dodge Grand Caravan — you get a credit card that locks in gas prices for three years. If you buy a Volkswagen-badged Chrysler minivan — the VW Routan – you get $1,500 towards a college savings plan, per the German automaker’s newest incentive program. Thin Times For Lean Car Production Presenting its annual earnings in Tokyo on Thursday, the world’s most profitable carmaker also briefed investors on some new wrinkles in its much-studied manufacturing process. Death Of The SUV As energy prices soar, frustrated owners try to unload their guzzlers. German Carmakers Compete To Share Profits With Staff German carmakers are competing with each other in a new field – how much they pay their workers in profit-sharing bonuses. CAW Confident Ahead Of GM, Chrysler Talks The Canadian Auto Workers and General Motors Corp. today began negotiating toward a new contract, months ahead of the September expiration date of the current pact. Hybrids Paying Off More Quickly As gasoline prices go higher, many hybrid-electric vehicles currently on sale are proving to be even wiser investments, say new data from Edmunds.com. Start Up Claims To Convert Any Car Into A Hybrid Would you be interested in converting your existing car into a plug-in hybrid?  A Connecticut start-up claims it is developing a system that will do just that — for a little under $4,000. Does Fuel Efficiency Drive The Auto Industry On Monday, the Energy Information Association released its latest gas price data; the U.S. price at the pump (all grades) stood at $3.51 at the end of April, the highest price on record. The conversation surrounding oil prices and the economy has made the price of gas a hot topic across political debates and fuel economy a component of recent automotive campaigns. Obama’s Rip On Auto Infamy Is A Clunker Barack Obama’s auto ignorance rolls on. The Democratic senator from Illinois, who is running for president on a platform seemingly based on bashing Michigan’s leading industry, told an Indianapolis radio station recently that the 1970s Ford Granada he drove was perhaps “the worst car that Detroit ever built. More Static For Sirius-XM Deal Sirius Satellite Radio Chief Executive Mel Karmazin is willing to play ball with the government on possible conditions placed on his planned merger with XM Satellite Radio. He has said he’ll hold prices steady, for example, to allay concerns the deal would hurt consumers in the pocketbook. Posted in Product News | No Comments »
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  Sped: Porsche Roxster small SUV?

  http://www.intocars.net/?p=5103
  8 days ago in IntoCars.net - Car news about new cars · Authority: 1

  Sped: Porsche Roxster small SUV? May 8th, 2008 Spy photographers have spotted what appears to be a prototype for an upcoming Porsche "baby" Cayenne near Germany's famed Nurburgring. It has long been rumored that Porsche is developing a smaller SUV based on the Audi Q5 platform, and this could be the first hard evidence that such a program is underway. As previously reported, […] Original post by dejz28 and software by Elliott Back Filed under: Performance, Porsche News, SUV | Comment (0)

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