2010 BMW X1 Picture

2010 BMW X1 Picture

Volvo to Build New Car Plant in China

At a press conference held earlier today in Beijing, Chinese-owned Volvo Cars announced plans to build a new plant in the city of Chengdu and continuing investigations for a second factory in Daqing, in north-eastern China. Volvo said that the deal is still pending approval from the Chinese government.  

"We regard the Chinese market as the second home market for Volvo Car Corporation and a very important part of the plan to build a successful future for the company," said Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation.
The Chengdu assembly plant will only build Volvo cars and have an initial output of around 100,000 cars annually, with production estimated to start during 2013. Volvo said that the decision to expand in China will not affect operations and employment in Europe.
"We will build an entirely new plant in Chengdu and further investigate the opportunities for establishing an additional factory in Daqing," said Jacoby. "Our production in China will, however, not have any impact on decisions affecting capacity utilization of our plants in Sweden and Belgium" says Stefan Jacoby.
The Swedish automaker, which was acquired from Ford by China's Geely in 2010, also announced that Shanghai will serve as Volvo Car China's headquarters and centre for product development, design and sourcing. "Among other priorities, Volvo Car China will also support Volvo Corporation R&D in Sweden regarding the development of electric vehicles and hybrids," the company said in a statement.
"The Volvo Car China Technology Centre in Shanghai will develop into a complete product development organization on an international level," said Freeman Shen, Volvo Car Corporation SVP & China Operations Chairman. "It will have the competence and capacity to work together with the HQ in Sweden, participating in Volvo Car Corporation's work process for developing entirely new models."
Volvo said that it plans to increase its business presence in the China and aims to reach a sales volume of about 200,000 cars a year in the country by 2015. The company's global retail sales during 2010 reached 373,525 (an increase of 11.2 per cent compared to 2009), with only 30,000 of those sold in China.

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Tesla Losses Soar to $154.3 million in 2010

Tesla Motors has just released a preliminary, unaudited financial report concerning the year than ended on Dec. 31, 2010. The company reported losses of US$51.4 million in Q4 2010 and US$154.3 million for 2010, which was almost triple the US$55.74 million loss for the year ending Dec. 31, 2009.
The EV automaker's revenue, however, rose approximately 5 percent in 2010 to $116.7 million. Revenues for the fourth quarter of 2010 were US$36.3 million, a 16% increase from the US$31.2 million reported in the prior quarter. Tesla added that gross margin improved to 26% for the full year 2010, up from 9% for 2009.
The company 's future plans include the launch of the Model S, which is scheduled to go on sale in the middle of next year. Scroll down to read Tesla CEO Elon Musk's statement.

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New Smart ForSpeed Concept

At next week's Geneva Motor Show, Smart will reveal a new concept model called the ForSpeed that signals a new design direction and hints at future products from Daimler's small car brand. The ForSpeed is a zero-emissions roadster model with a unique look that is powered by an electric motor.

In a similar fashion to Smart's 2001 Crossblade that was produced in a limited run of 2,000 units, the ForSpeed has no roof or side windows and it features a low wind deflector instead of a windscreen. However, unlike the Crossblade, the ForSpeed does get a pair of doors as well a fabric tonneau cover for weather protection.
While Smart has no immediate plans to produce the ForSpeed, key styling elements such as the headlamp and tail lamp designs with the outer rings illuminated by a LEDs as well as the more prominent front grille, will be carried over to future products including the next ForTwo series and the new five-door ForFour as the company plans to create a more distinct look for its cars to better compete with the Fiat 500 and the Mini.
On the inside, Smart's designers opted for a minimalistic look with separate round turbine-like instrument clusters for the driver and passenger. Whilst the driver gets a speedometer, the passenger's side features a smartphone that can be swiveled by up to 90 degrees in its holder and towards the driver so that the driver can also take a look at the display, which include a navigation system.
The open two-seater is motivated by a 40HP / 30kW electric motor installed at the rear. A button in the centre console activates a boost function which provides an extra 7HP /5 kW of power for a short time.
The electric motor is fed by a 16.5 kWh lithium-ion battery that can be charged at any conventional 220 Volt socket. The charging device is located in the third brake light behind the Smart logo. According to Smart, quick charging from 0 to 80 percent takes 45 minutes, while a fully charged battery offers a driving range of 84 miles or 134 kilometers
The ForSpeed concept accelerates from 0 to 37 mph (60 km/h) in 5.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 75 mph or 120 km/h.
We'll bring you more photos and details on the ForSpeed from the Geneva Show floors next week. 
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Transformers 3 "Dark of the Moon"

Get ready for the third installment of Michael Bay's Transformers franchise as the first trailer of the upcoming new movie called Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon, has hit the air. Being that Megan Fox abandoned the series, we're somewhat less excited about this one, and the new trailer, which gives a fictional twist to Neil Armstrong's 1969 moon landing, ain't helping much either. In any case, you can watch the clip right after the break.



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Skoda's Fabia Monte Carlo Anniversary Model

VW Group subsidiary Skoda is celebrating the 100 years of the Monte Carlo Rally as well as its own 110 year-long involvement in motorsports with the presentation of the Fabia Monte Carlo, a special edition version of the five-door hatchback model with bespoke exterior and interior styling cues.
On the outside, the Czech special gets extensive piano-black trim covering the front grille and spoiler lip, wheel arch add-ons, side skirts and mirror housings. Furthermore, the Fabia Monte Carlo boasts a black roof, tinted windows and headlights, complemented by 17-inch Trinity alloys for the UK or 16-inch Comet rims for the rest of Europe.
Inside, customers can choose between all black or red and black sport seats which provide additional side support. In tone with the exterior’s color scheme, designers opted for black roof lining and leather steering wheel with red stitching, accompanied by leather handbrake and shifter knob. Silver footrests and steel pedals round off the interior upgrades.
Based on the Ambiente (SE in the UK) trim level, the special edition model will be available with an extensive, market-differentiated engine line-up, including the 86/105 hp 1.2-liter TSI petrol and 75/105 hp 1.6-liter TDI diesel engines, all coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission.
The Fabia Monte Carlo will make its first public appearance at this year’s Monte Carlo Rally (January 19-22), while its show premiere is planned for the Geneva Salon in March. Depending on the market, orders will be taken from January 24 (UK) or beginning from February.

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Suzuki With Hot Hatchback in Geneva with Swift S-Concept

Ever since Suzuki presented the latest generation of the Swift in the summer of 2010, we were wondering if the Japanese automaker had any plans to add a sportier version to its supermini's range. Well, it appears that Suzuki does have something in mind as the company will be exhibiting a new concept car named the SWIFT S-CONCEPT at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
All we get for now is a teaser rendering showing the latest Swift sub-compact dressed in a new and more aggressive outfit with blistered front wheel arches, a new front bumper and grille design, unique headlamps and exterior mirrors plus a large roof wing.
According to Suzuki, the overall development concept was to create "a stylish sport compact with premium performance." Apparently we'll have to wait until the Geneva Salon to find out what the Japanese automaker has up its sleeve.

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Subaru Rear-Wheel Drive Coupe Concept

Subaru has released the first-ever teaser picture of its eagerly anticipated rear-wheel drive sports car concept ahead of its debut at the 2011 Geneva motor show on March 1. Even though Subaru's original ghost sketch of the car shows only a darkened outline of the front end, we managed to significantly brighten up the photo through some photoshop trickery and reveal the coupe's shape in full detail. At least from this picture, the Subaru study appears to differ in styling from its Toyota FT-86 sibling sporting a more curvy and less angular design.  

The Subaru variant will keep the same front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout as the FT-86, which will also be revealed in a more production ready form at the Geneva Salon. Power of course will be provided by Subaru's horizontally opposed boxer engine, but we'll have to wait until the Geneva Salon for more specific details.
On a side note, a couple of weeks ago the car was initially referred to as “Subaru Rear-Wheel Drive Sports Car Technology Concept”, but now, the Japanese automaker says it has changed the name to "BOXER Sports Car Architecture”.
The coupe concept will be joined in Geneva by the Impreza study that was first shown in LA last November and the Trezio, which is a re-badged version of the Toyota Verso-S mini MPV and will be offered in Europe with a 1.3-liter gasoline and 1.4-liter turbo diesel engine.

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