Auto News

Mazda2 for America, with diesels?

Filed under: Economy, Sedans/Saloons, Euro, Mazda

Click above for more high-res shots of the Mazda2 sedan

As Mazda watches the North American auto market become more like the European market, we just may see the Mazda2 itself on our shores, in addition to the Ford Fiesta. And there is a good chance it may arrive with a diesel powerplant. These revelations spilled from the mouth of Jim O'Sullivan, president of Mazda North American, while sharing sandwiches with reporters over lunch in Detroit.

The Mazda2 four-door, introduced in Geneva last year, has been a hot seller overseas. The three-door Mazda2, set to debut at the 2008 Geneva Auto Show tomorrow, is expected to be just as well received. O'Sullivan rightfully pointed out that the passenger car market in the United States is showing signs of evolving. Smaller cars are becoming more widespread and accepted (witness the 20,000 pre-orders for the Smart fortwo), and the compact Mazda3 has historically sold very well. While we welcome a Mazda2 in gas or diesel trim, bring us a Mazdaspeed2 like this, and if it is anything like the Mazdaspeed3, we'll be first in line.

Gallery: 2008 Mazda2 Sedan

Gallery: 2008 Mazda2 3-Door (EU)

[Source: The Car Connection]

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Bourdais calls Indy merger "horrible"

Filed under: Motorsports

While everyone seems to be in agreement that the recently-concluded merger between the two erstwhile divorced series of American open-wheel racing is a step forward, Sebastien Bourdais thinks otherwise. Referring to the inherent disadvantage for Champ Car teams joining the IRL just 30 days before the start of the 2008 season, the four-time champ called the merger "the death of Champ Car".

Bourdais, who departed US oval-track racing for F1 this season, points to the enormous advantage which established IRL teams will have over the newcomer Champ Car teams as a sign of troubled times ahead for all migrating teams, even Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing with whom Bourdais took four back-to-back titles in Champ Cars. He may be right, if the unfortunate departure of Forsythe Racing is any indication. Sebastien's proposed solution would be for the new combined series to introduce entirely new cars for all the teams in order to level the playing field.

Meanwhile, in related news, the head of A1GP Team USA expressed hope that the series might take advantage of the IRL/Champ Car merger by picking up some of the venues which were dropped for the new combined calendar. Only three Champ Car races are being adopted into the new IRL schedule, while the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport has not competed on American soil since racing at Laguna Seca in its innagural 2005 season.

[Source: Autosport, Photo by JEFF HAYNES/AFP/Getty]

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Scion sales have hit the wall, proving bigger is not better

Filed under: Car Buying, Economy, Hatchbacks, Scion

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Scion xB from our own review

Apparently, bigger is not necessarily better for Toyota's youth division Scion. The two original Scion models that launched with the brand were replaced by new models last year - the xD and xB - that are larger, heavier and less efficient. The buyers who made Scion a success in its first few years of existence have not been impressed, as sales have taken a dump over the last year and a half. A long gap between the end of production of the previous models and availability of new models certainly didn't help, but the new models have gotten decidedly mixed reviews including our own drive of the new xB. Even with the new models having been available now for six months or more, sales compared to the previous year have dropped for 16 months in a row. More Toyota dealers are selling Scions now, but sales per dealer have dropped from 11.9 in January 2006 to 8.1 in 2007. The Scions now have a bunch of new competitors in the subcompact class that they didn't have in 2003 when the brand launched, including the Honda Fit and Nissan Versa. Worse news still for Toyota is that more new competition is coming, like the Ford Fiesta transplant from Europe. Perhaps Scion's initial success was less a factor of offering attractive products than the fact it was the only game in town for small, efficient and hip econocars.

[Source: AutoWeek]

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Fiat launching 5Hundred Cup racing series in Europe

Filed under: Motorsports, Euro, Hatchbacks, FIAT

Things are getting a little racy for the Fiat 500. With just days to go before the race-inspired 500 Abarth is unveiled in Geneva, and just weeks to go before the 500 makes its racing debut in Melbourne, comes news of a new 500 racing series to take place in Europe. Called the 5Hundred Cup, the one-make series is being organized by Speedway Communications, and looks to consist of two parallel schedules: one pan-European and one just in Italy.

An official announcement was set to take place this past Friday, but details remain sketchy, even on the series' website. What we do know is that the 5Hundred Cup won't be using actual racing versions of the 500 Abarth. (At least, not yet.) The cars will be based on the 100-hp 1.4-liter 500, tuned to produce 120 hp and stripped of 50kg of extra weight down to 880kg. Upgraded brakes and a competition roll cage will also likely form part of the package, but we'll have to get back to you when more information becomes available.

[Source: Italiaspeed]

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Ford shuffling production at four plants

Filed under: Hirings/Firings, Plants/Manufacturing, Ford

Not that we're cutting Ford any slack, but the automaker's plan to shrink itself both in sales and size is a smart move. It will mean lower sales and lots of layoffs, but right now the market isn't buying a big Ford. So news today of the automaker shuffling some shifts and delaying the restart of a plant, while not welcome news for the 2,500 employees affected, is the right thing to do. The reorganization involves the Chicago and Louisville assembly plants, which will both reduce production to one shift starting in the summer. The Ford Taurus, Taurus X, Mercury Sable and upcoming Lincoln MKS are all built in Chicago, while the Louisville plant assembles the Explorer, Sport Trac and Mercury Mountaineer. Curiously, the reduction of shifts will not affect the number of each model produced. It will basically allow Ford to build the same number of vehicles with less resources, i.e. labor.

The other plants involved are Cleveland Engine Plant #1 and #2, which produce the 3.5L Duratec V6 and 3.0L, respectively. Engine Plant #2 will also switch to one shift this April, while Plant #1, which has been idle since May 2007, will not resume production this spring as intended, but rather sometime in Q4 of 2008. Fans of the 3.5L should not fret, however, as Ford's Lima, OH plant continues to churn out the big V6.

As for the 2,500 affected employees, Ford is reminding them that retirement and buyout packages are still on the table if they don't want to deal with all this down time anymore.

[Source: Ford, Photo by Scott Olson/Getty]

Continue reading Ford shuffling production at four plants

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Porsche resumes production of 911 after plant explosion

Filed under: Euro, Plants/Manufacturing, Porsche

Porsche announced today that production of the iconic 911 has resumed at its plant in Zuffenhausen, Germany after an explosion in the spray-painting unit brought things to a halt last week. No one was injured, but the external combustion caused several hundred thousand euros worth of damage and cost the German automaker 800 units of production. Porsche said the cause for the explosion was a technical defect, and the aforementioned damage would mostly be covered by insurance. As for the missing 800 units, Zuffenhausen workers can expect some additional overtime hours this year as the plant works to make them up.

[Source: Automotive News Europe]

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BREAKING: Lamborghini LP560-4 first official pics!

Filed under: Sports/GTs, Geneva Motor Show, Euro, Supercars, Lamborghini

Click image for a hi-res gallery of the Lamborghini LP560-4

We just detailed the changes made to the Lamborghini Gallardo as it evolves into the spectacular LP560-4. And while the name might not be exciting, the car sure is. New front and rear fascias, as detailed here, give the "baby" Lambo a menacing new look that's backed up by an upgraded 5.2L V10 that reportedly dishes out 560 PS/ 552 HP while tipping the scales at 44 lbs. less than the Gallardo. That's what fast is made of. We'll update the photo gallery (more pics coming as we type) and post the official specs as soon as they're released.

Gallery: Lamborghini LP560-4