Geely to Drop Namesake Brand

Hangzhou-based Geely Automotive Holdings Co. says it will phase out its Geely brand by 2012 and may discontinue the Maple brand even sooner as it builds up its three new Chinese sub-brands. The company says it plans to retain Geely as its corporate name.
The Gleagle brand, short for Global Eagle, was launched this year as [...]

GM’s OnStar to Add Features to Compete with Ford

General Motors Co.’s OnStar telematics unit plans to offer customers the ability to dictate text messages and make voice-activated connections to Facebook. Bloomberg News reports. The news service says the new features, which debut later this month, are intended to help OnStar compete with Ford Motor Co.’s Sync system.
Bloomberg, which cites anonymous sources, also says [...]

Coskata Raises Funds for New Ethanol Plant

Warrenville, Ill.-based biofuels producer Coskata Inc. says it has raised $29 million to help develop its first commercial-size ethanol plant.
The privately held company wants to erect a $200 million facility that would produce 50 million gallons of ethanol per year from biomass and agricultural and municipal waste. Coskata began testing its processes at a 40,000 [...]

French Workers Plan to Protest Korean-Made Renault

Members of France’s GTC union say they plan to stage demonstrations at the Paris auto show in October to protest Renault SA’s European debut of the Latitude, a large sedan made by its Renault Samsung Motor Co. affiliate in South Korea. The car goes on sale in Europe at the end of the year.
The “international” [...]

Porsche Will Overhaul Its Lineup by 2014

Porsche AG plans an extensive update to its lineup that will include at least three all-new models between 2011 and 2014, Autocar reports.
Next year the company will add a hybrid version of its Panamera sedan for the American market and a diesel option for Europe. The hybrid system will use the same powertrain used in [...]

China Group Raises 2010 Sales Forecast

Sales of new passenger car and commercial vehicles in China are expected to total 16 million units this year on the strength of soaring first half sales, according to the latest projections by the China Assn. of Automobile Manufacturers. The group previously forecast sales of 15 million units.
Vehicle sales in China climbed to a record [...]

Russia’s Car Sales Soar 48%

Automakers in Russia sold 173,200 passenger and light-duty commercial vehicles in July, up 48% from July 2009, according to the Assn. of European Businesses. It was the fourth straight year-over-year monthly improvement.
The gain is attributed to the Russia’s strengthening economy and a corresponding improvement in consumer confidence. Other positive trends include the continuation of a [...]

Tata Targets Global Growth

Tata Motors Ltd., which already controls about two-thirds of India’s truck market, says it is in talks with partner Fiat SpA about selling commercial trucks in international markets.
Tata currently makes Fiat’s Grande Punto, Linea and Palio cars at a joint venture plant in India. The companies also plan to open a factory in India to [...]

GM May File for IPO Tomorrow

General Motors Co. is expected to file a registration statement tomorrow with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public stock offering, according to press reports.
The move, which was first reported by CNBC, will allow GM to go public in the fourth quarter of this year, reportedly in November. The SEC usually takes [...]

Economists Lower U.S. GDP Forecasts

A spate of bleak news has prompted many economists to trim their predictions for U.S. economic growth, according to a number of news organizations.
A survey of 67 economists by Bloomberg News found a median forecast of 2.6% expansion in gross domestic product in the second half of 2010, down from 2.4% a month ago. The [...]

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