Fiat And Chrysler Will Completely Merge
Chrysler and Fiat Group’s auto division might really merge and become one company which based in the United States. This is according to the statement from Chrysler and Fiat’s CEO Sergio Marchionne to an industry conference. However, it won’t happen until Chrysler pay their loans to the government that have prevent them from being profitable and holds the initial public offering, which Marchionne wishes to happen this year.
“From a corporate governance standpoint, there is a point in which two separate companies are no sense. Once we get there, why do I need two separate companies? I’m not Carlos Ghosn,” he said to J.D. Power International Automotive Roundtable. This Ghosn that he talked about is the joint CEO of Nissan and Renault.
Chrysler dealers have currently spent around $ 304 million to construct and renovate building starting when Fiat take control of Chrysler in June 2009. Beside that, Marchionne also talk about some other issues such as regarding the interest that shown by Volkswagen’s Ferdinand Piech to acquire Alfa Romeo. Marchionne said that as long as he is the CEO of Fiat and Chrysler, Volkswagen will got no Alfa.
Fiat And Chrysler Will Completely Merge is a post from: Automotive News and Review
F1 Drivers Loathe Technology Creep
Do you think that Formula One (F1) cars are getting too sophisticated? Some handful drivers might think so, and they are beginning to talk about any of the technology creep which is invading their vehicles. A modern F1 car today will utilizes an adjustable aerodynamics on the fly, completed with a steering wheel that fitted with a lot of buttons.
Mark Webber from Red Bull Racing feel that it feels like jailbreaking a phone when driving his car. The drivers will need to stay 100% focus on the race, and pushing a button only to adjust their rear spoiler might take away from that. In fact, Webber is not the only one with these feelings. The other drivers such as Nico Rosberg and Rubens Barrichello have also expressed their similar sentiments.
Actually, driving a Formula One car is one of the most challenging jobs in this planet. It will require a certain level of concentration of the driver, which is far above what the average person might have when they are playing Angry Birds. It adds a greater level of sophistication and complexity sounds like it makes this kind of difficult task of keeping the machine on the road is much harder.
F1 Drivers Loathe Technology Creep is a post from: Automotive News and Review
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan Ready For Ordering In Europe
Even if it wont make its official debut until Geneva Motor Show which will be held on March, the European customers already may begin ordering the compact SUV 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan today. VW has made the announcement and release some set of official photos yesterday. Another picture has previously made the rounds earlier in the week. The Tiguan lines of vehicle has long been one of the famous Volkswagen vehicle in the world.
The base price for this new Volkswagen Tiguan is set at €24,175 for the Trend and Fun trim which features around 120 horsepower with 1.4 Liter four cylinder TSI engine. The vehicle’s styling reflects the manufacturer’s new corporate design language. Volkswagen claims that they are opening up the ordering because the old version of Tiguan has been sold out due to the popularity. VW also point out that the refreshed Tiguan’s base MSRP is remain unchanged from the predecessor.
There is still no word about any other specs at this time, and we are still know nothing about the new Tiguan’s U.S. launch time and pricing. But I think it is likely to be at New York Auto Show in April. The other infos will likely to come along as we get closer to Geneva Motor Show.
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan Ready For Ordering In Europe is a post from: Automotive News and Review
Mitsuoka Himiko From TGMY Goes Electric
Mitsuoka Himiko from TGMY roadster has received its electric makeover that adds the green cred to the retro style allure. TGMY, as the company that responsible for this conversion, has debuted the car at the 2011 Japan EV show, and this two seater car is getting at least as much attention about how far it could go as it did for the looks. The range is stated as 341.8 miles.
Typically, a Himiko car comes with the same running gear as in the Mazda Miata that it is based on. But instead of having a 2.0 liter DOHC gas engine and the 6 speed manual, this version of TGMY will feature an AC induction motor and controller from Azure Dynamics planted to the 2 speed gearbox that come from Shigehara Inc. The lithium polymer battery will make the electric Himiko as the industry leader.
The car is said to be ready to order in the second half of 2011. Hopefully at that moment, we will already have something more details about the specification, performance, as well as the pricing. You can see the video of the car here. This video was presented by Takashi Ashida as the company’s president. For your information, TGMY was firstly manufactured this car about 13 years ago.
Mitsuoka Himiko From TGMY Goes Electric is a post from: Automotive News and Review
Mitsubishi Will Sell The Rebadged Infiniti M
There is a report said that Mitsubishi is considering to sell the rebadged version of the Infiniti M sedan to fill the void of the premium offerings in the home market of Japan. However, the page at Automotive News notes that the president of Mitsubishi, Osamu Masuko, has stated that they will not leverage manufacturing deals with any other companies to expand their lineup in the United States.
The last endeavor for the luxury sedan market from Mitsubishi was the Diamante. It is a car that suffered because lackluster sales numbers during the year of 1990s and 2000s. Because of the Mitsubishi’s financial problem during the mid 2000s, the luxury car development was sadly put on hold. But now, by selling the rebadged version of Infiniti M, it would insulate Mitsubishi from research and development costs and making it easier for the manufacturer to launch back to the luxury market.
Automotive News said that this Mitsubishi badged Infiniti will be on sale in Japan maybe this year. You may expect standard gas version to be the first to wear the triple diamond badge. However, Mitsubishi may sell their own version of the M hybrid as well.
Mitsubishi Will Sell The Rebadged Infiniti M is a post from: Automotive News and Review