Fiat plans to make one million cars a year in Italy (22/12/09)

Fiat is hoping to increase its production levels in Italy to approximately one million units per year, it has been confirmed.

The Turin-based firm, which produced 650,000 vehicles in 2009, is devoting £7 billion to the project.

NREL Evaluates UPS Hybrid-Electric Van Performance (22/12/09)

The first-generation diesel hybrid vans belonging to delivery firm UPS can improve fuel economy by almost a third.

According to the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the technology increased efficiency by 28.9 per cent, thus reducing mile-per-gallon costs by 15 per cent.

Global Auto Makers to Unveil 10 New Models at Delhi Auto Expo (23/12/09)

Ten new models were unveiled by global automakers at the New Delhi Auto Expo show earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Toyota and Honda launched concept versions of their new small cars - which comprise almost two-thirds of annual sales in India - while local firm Maruti Suzuki India featured 17 vehicles.

India auto event in limelight as small cars get big (28/12/09)

Car sales in India continued to rise rapidly in 2009 on the back of strong economic growth and government incentives and one industry experts believes this is set to continue.

"The Indian auto industry and the Indian auto market have become internationally very important and therefore, no one can ignore this market," Mahindra & Mahindra's Automotive Chief, Pawan Goenka, who is also President of industry body the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, told Reuters.

Toyota's 2009 auto sales in Asia to top those in Japan for 1st time (30/12/09)

Meanwhile, Toyota revealed that its sales in Japan were on course to be outstripped by those in the rest of Asia in 2009.

According to Japan Today, the improvement in the non-domestic markets across the continent was led by China, where sales increased by 20.7 per cent to 622,000 units in the first 11 months of the year.

Toyota eyes 7.5 million global output for '10: reports (25/12/09)

Toyota is also expecting to see its global auto production increase by 17 per cent on a year-on-year basis to about 7.5 million vehicles in 2010, Nikkei reports.

This eventual figure could be even higher as the projection does not take into account the government's tax break scheme for buyers of fuel-efficient cars.

After landmark year, China automakers face tougher 2010 (04/01/10)

Auto sales in China surged by 44 per cent to 13.5 million units last year, according to the average forecasts of five analysts polled by Reuters.

However, Boni Sa, from industry consultancy CSM Worldwide, explained that the country - which overtook the US as the world's largest auto market last year - will find it tough to sustain the growth.

"This is really an extraordinary year for Chinese automakers, but they still have a long way to go to become a truly global player," he told the news provider.

China Auto Sales Growth to Slow to 15% This Year, Miao Says (09/01/10)

Those sentiments were backed up recently by Miao Wei, China's Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology.

He explained at a conference in Beijing that he expects auto sales growth to slow to roughly 15 per cent in 2010, Bloomberg reported.

Volkswagen says 2009 China, HK car sales up 37 pct (07/01/10)

Volkswagen has confirmed that it sold 1.4 million vehicles in China and Hong Kong last year, representing a 36.7 per cent rise from the previous 12-month period.

The largest automaker in Europe is planning to invest €4 billion in China until 2011 and has also revealed that it will launch seven new models this year.

U.S.A.: Strong diesel sales for German manufacturers (08/01/10)

Volkswagen and a number of other German automakers enjoyed strong sales of new diesel models in the US in December, despite Japanese firms focusing on hybrids.

TDI models accounted for 43 per cent of Audi Q7 sales and 53 per cent of A3 sales by the end of 2009, with BMW X5 diesel sale rising by 22.3 per cent.

Purchases of Volkswagen's clean-diesel TDI models accounted for 20 per cent of its overall sales in the country during the final month of the year.

Volkswagen aims to double U.S. sales by 2012/13 (10/01/10)

With this in mind, Stefan Jacoby, Head of Volkswagen's US business, revealed that it is planning to more than double its sales volumes in the country in the next three to four years.

The company sold 213,000 units in the US last year, but Mr Jacoby told Reuters at an event in Washington that "we will sell 400,000 to 450,000 vehicles in 2012-13".

Volkswagen Posts Record 2009 Sales, Targets Toyota (11/01/10)

In fact, Volkswagen has confirmed that it posted record global sales of 6.29 million cars and sport-utility vehicles in 2009, representing a year-on-year rise of 1.1 per cent.

The company has now confirmed that it is sticking to its previously-stated goal of surpassing Toyota, which is the world's largest automaker, by 2018.

Kia aims for 26 pct sales rise in 2010 (31/12/09)

Kia is aiming to increase its global sales volume by more than 26 per cent this year, it has been confirmed.

The second-largest automaker in South Korea is hoping to sell 1.93 million vehicles, compared with its 2009 figure of 1.53 million.

Detroit Auto Show Reveals New Cars (02/01/10)

Elsewhere, roughly 700,000 visitors turned out at the recent North American International Auto Show in Detroit to see 700 new cars on display, with a total of 30 vehicles making their global debuts.

Detroit motor show goes electric (11/01/10)

Electric cars took centre stage, with General Motors (GM) unveiling its Chevrolet Spark city offering, Ford launching its new Focus and Chrysler showing off its rebadged Fiat 500 vehicle.

Electric investment key to Detroit's revival (10/01/10)

In addition, BMW displayed the plug-in versions of its 1-Series at the Cobo Center and Volvo showcased its C30 design.

"This is truly the start of the electrification of the American auto industry and should finally put to rest any claims that GM is not serious about building the Volt or electrifying its line-up," said Aaron Bragman, an Automotive Analyst with IHS Global Insight.

Asian Automakers Topple Detroit in U.S. Market (06/01/10)

Asian automakers have taken a greater share of the US market than the 'Big Three' Detroit firms for the first time ever.

Toyota and Hyundai saw sales in the country surge by 32 per cent and 41 per cent respectively in December, with Honda posting a rise of 24 per cent and Nissan recording a gain of 18 per cent.

As a result, Asian manufacturers now possess 47.4 per cent of the market, compared with 44.9 per cent for GM, Chrysler and Ford, according to Autodata Corporation.

U.K.: Car sales near 2 million in 2009 (07/01/10)

In the UK, full-year auto sales fell by 6.4 per cent to 1,994,999 vehicles and new registrations were up by 38.9 per cent in December, new data has revealed.

Paul Everitt, Chief Executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, noted that the government's scrappage scheme played a valuable role in supporting 2009 transaction levels.

"Sustaining the progress made in the latter part of 2009 will require stronger demand from fleet and business buyers, alongside the greater availability and affordability of credit and finance," he said.

SA’s 2010 vehicle sales likely to rise after 25,9% drop in 2009 (08/01/10)

Finally, vehicle sales in South Africa are expected to grow by roughly seven per cent over the course of 2010, despite last year's record 25.9 per cent slump, according to one industry official.

Brand Pretorius, CEO of vehicle retailer McCarthy, told Engineering News that a total of 422,800 units will be sold during the year.

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