http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1146
President Nicolas Sarkozy grilled top managers of carmaker Renault on Saturday but failed to win pledges from them to centre production of their new small car at a factory in France rather than in Turkey.
French Industry Minister Christian Estrosi has heaped pressure on Renault to make cars destined for the French market at home, even suggesting the state could raise its 15.01% stake in the group to get a bigger say.
At stake is where the new Clio 4, expected in 2013, will be produced. Renault is looking at sharing production out between a plant in Bursa, Turkey and Flins near Paris, with most of the work expected to go to the Turkish factory.
Renault executive chairman Carlos Ghosn and chief operating officer Patrick Pelata talked for over an hour with Sarkozy and Estrosi. They left shortly after 1700 GMT without making a comment to reporters waiting outside the Elysee palace.
But a statement from the president's office suggested Sarkozy had been unsuccessful in convincing Renault's management to locate the lion's share of the new Clio work in France.
It said Ghosn had agreed to keep jobs at the Flins plant and make both electrical and fossil-fuel cars there in the future.
In a separate statement, Ghosn said he had confirmed to the president that the Clio 4 would be made in Flins and Bursa.
He added the future of the Flins plant was guaranteed and employment would be maintained.
"My responsibility and my motivation is to make Renault an innovative winner in an industry undergoing deep transformation," he said.
Renault was privatised in 1996. In addition to the French government's stake, Japanese ally Nissan Motor Co has 15 percent of the company. It is the country's second-largest carmaker behind PSA Peugeot Citroen.
In February last year, France provided $4.33bn each to the carmakers in five year bonds, at a rate of 6%, to finance investments into clean vehicle production and the makers agreed to avoid slashing jobs in 2009. European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said on Thursday that she would study again whether there were hidden conditions attached to these loans that limited the companies' freedom to conduct their business.
Work on the current Clio, launched in 1990, is shared between Flins, Bursa, Novo Mesto in Slovenia and Valladolid in Spain. The Turkish plant is a joint venture with Oyak Group and Renault owns a 51 percent stake
Renault makes 180,000 Clio cars per year in Turkey and some 125 000 in Flins. In 2008, Renault was No. 11 on the world car production ranking and its 44-percent subsidiary and ally Nissan was No. 6. Combined they made more cars than Ford and fewer than Toyota, Volkswagen and General Motors.
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Speedsters welcome in Eastern Cape
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1147
Speedsters need not beware in the Nelson Mandela Bay area - their traffic officers issued fewer than a fine a day in the last financial year, reported The Herald Online on Wednesday.
This is compared to the national standard of 10 fines a day.
Metro police task team leader Trish Armstrong revealed in a briefing to the budget and treasury committee on Tuesday that the 93 traffic officers in the city issued fewer than one fine a day.
Traffic wardens issued fewer than two fines a day - the second lowest in the country, said Armstrong.
This while traffic officers seemed to clock overtime full-time - several had claimed that they worked 18 hours a day for 30 consecutive days.
Armstrong told the committee this was "biologically impossible".
Only 28% of speed cameras were operational, she added.
The municipality was also grappling with R99 million in outstanding traffic fines.
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All-New 2011 Mazda5 Revealed
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1148
Set to go on sale in Europe this fall, the redesigned Mazda5 features Mazda's "Nagare Flow" design language, dual-sliding rear doors, and seating for up to seven. According to Hideki Matsuoka, Mazda5 Program Manager, "Our main goal with the all-new Mazda5, was to develop a new C-MAV (C-segment Multi Activity Vehicle) that combines the superior environmental performance these times demand with a new expression in stylish design."
Under the hood, power comes from a new 2.0-liter DISI1 petrol engine that has been outfitted with an engine start/start system (called i-stop). While official fuel economy ratings weren't released, Mazda says the engine will make the Mazda5 "one of the most frugal and clean C-MAVs on the market, achieving approximately 15 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to the 2.0-liter petrol it replaces." If that doesn't float your boat, the company will also offer a 1.8-liter petrol engine. It will likely produce 85 kW and 165 Nm of torque.
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2011 MINI Countryman Official Details Released
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1149
Information about a new MINI crossover vehicle has been distributed by the company confirming that the car will be called the MINI Countryman in most markets. The BMW-owned manufacturer officially sent out the detailed press release (see below) )and over 50 photos just one day after news broke with a leak of three of the pictures.
MINI's 4,097 mm long SAV comes with five different 1.6-liter four-cylinder engines, including three petrols and two turbodiesels. The MINI One D Countryman is tuned to 66 kW and up to 214 Nm of torque. It hits 100 km/h in 13.2 seconds, and runs up to 170 km/h. The Mini One kicks out 72 kW and 153 Nm of torque, sprinting to 100 km/h in 12.7 seconds before hitting a 175 km/h top speed. The Cooper D Countryman gets to 100 km/h in 10.9 seconds thanks to its 82 kW, 270 Nm engine. Top speed is 180 km/h, but the Cooper Countryman tops out at 190 km/h. That vehicle also shaves nearly a half-second off the 100 km/h sprint thanks to the 90 kW, 160 Nm produced by the engine.
At the top of the line, the Mini Cooper S Countryman reaches 100 km/h in a much quicker 7.6 seconds thanks in part to the direct injection, twin-scroll turbocharged engine. Performance is boosted to 135 kW and 240 Nm of torque, but 260 Nm can be achieved with the overboost function. Top speed reaches 214 km/h.
Start/stop, brake energy recovery, on-demand engine management, and a shift point light help the driver manage fuel consumption. The range uses between 4.3 and 6.3 liters of fuel to get the car across a distance of 100 km. This translates to 6.3 to 4.3 l/100km. Emissions are kept impressively low to between 113 and 146 grams of CO2 per kilometer. Choosing the six-speed semiautomatic over the standard six-speed manual will slightly change these figures.
Suspension on the car was stepped up from that available on company's other vehicles, with a 10mm lowered sport suspension also on offer. Optionally available is the All4 all-wheel-drive, which works off of an electrohydraulic center differential, and is fully integrated with the stability control. Under certain circumstances, 100% of the power can be sent to the rear.
The automaker is giving standard 16-inch wheels with the car (17-inches on the Cooper S Countryman), all of which will look ridiculously small. Several sets of optional wheels, up to 19-inches, will also be available.
The five-door vehicle comes standard with four individual seats, also seen on the Crossover Concept and the Beachcomber Concept, but a three-seat bench is available for no extra charge. However, it is hard to imagine the car with both the bench and the Center Rail. The rail runs the length of the passenger compartment, and is meant to provide storage flexibility with a set of "clip-in elements." The cargo area holds 350 liters, but can be expanded up to 1,170 liters with the seats folded down.
Some of the options available include an "extra-large" panoramic roof, adaptive headlights, towbar, heated windshield, Bluetooth, sat-nav, and upgraded stereo.
As we reported earlier, the car comes with newly-designed chrome-ringed headlights, three windows on each side, a new radiator grille, and larger wheel arches. The black framing around the vehicle's bottom is standard, and does not appear to be available in body color.
You can read a great deal more about the MINI Countryman in the press release below. Pricing has not yet been revealed. The MINI Countryman will be officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
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2011 BMW 3-Series Facelift M Sport Package
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1150
The Sport Edition includes the M Sports Suspension, M Aerodynamic Package and 18-inch light alloy wheels in a star-spoked, Dark Chrome design. Window shaft covers in High-Gloss Satin Chrome from BMW Individual (specialty options division) also adorn the Sport Edition. The exhaust pipes come in Black Chrome and customers have a choice of special colors such as Blue Water Metallic for the car.
On the inside are sport seats, an M steering wheel in leather with multifunctional buttons, sports gearshifter, stainless steel pedals and an Anthracite roof line. Seat upholstery comes in a Blue Shadow which combines Alcantara and cloth or Dakota leather and black, all stitched in Royal Blue. The seam color is matched by the same blue in the floormats. The rest of the cabin comes with aluminum touches in Glacier Silver.
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9ff GTurbo Conversions Up to 735kW
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1151
First off, let's get to the core goodies. A bi-turbo conversion kit that can boost power up to 735 kW. This allows for the creation of 3 seperately named models : the 9ff GTurbo750, GTurbo850 and GTurbo1000. The numbers, of course, denoting the horsepower figures. The torque figures, respectively, being 850 Nm, 910 Nm and 940 Nm.
Performance times for the GTurbo1000 are 2.9 seconds for the 0 to 100 km/h sprint and a mere 8.2 seconds to reach 200 km/h. The 300 km/h mark is reache in 16.5 seconds. A top speed of 392 km/h is also possible, dependent on gearing selection.
An aerodynamic kit is also available, which includes air intakes on the quarter panel for the intercooler and air outlets at the front to help reduce pressure in the wheel wells at high speeds.
There are also new front (with LED indicators) and rear aprons, side skirts and options for side exhausts.
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TechArt GT Street RS Sets New Lap Record
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1152
When German tuners TechArt modified the Porsche GT2 little did their engineers know that the car would shatter the Sachsenring lap record set last year. The TechArt GT Street RS slashed over four seconds off the old time, finishing the 3,671 meter circuit in 1:31.94.
The car embarassed the previous record-holding Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce, which finished the same lap in 1:36.29.
The test run was recorded by AutoBild, who arranged for a comparison between the TechArt and several other cars. Amongst the tests was a 0-100 km/h sprint, that the GT Street RS finished in 3.5 seconds.
With 507 kW and up to 860 Nm of torque, the TechArt GT Street RS shows improvements over the 997 GT2 by 118 kW and nearly 176 Nm.
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GM to close Opel plant
http://www.maxauto.co.za/CntView.aspx?CatID=26&CntID=1153
US carmaker General Motors will close its Opel plant in the Belgian port city of Antwerp, sources said on Wednesday, slamming the door on hopes to save the jobs of the site's 2 300 staff.
GM has warned for weeks that the plant's future was in jeopardy as it moves to chop more than 8 000 jobs and cut European capacity by a fifth, but it had refrained until now from making a final decision.
"They did not back down from the decision to close Antwerp. Now (Opel Chief Executive Nick) Reilly has announced that this would be implemented," a company source said.
Reilly has long stated his preference that the group's planned subcompact SUV would be manufactured not in Antwerp as originally planned but in South Korea by Daewoo, the GM unit where both he and Opel's new chief financial officer previously served in top management.
Daewoo is already in charge of developing GM's global subcompact "Gamma" platform that will underpin the future Corsa hatchback and Meriva small van.
A spokesman for the Flemish government said there was nothing new to report and said the regional authority remained committed to securing a future for the plant.
Opel and its British sister brand Vauxhall - rescued by a German government bailout last year when GM briefly dipped into US bankruptcy - are pushing through a radical shrinking programme amid weak car markets.
The company is counting on around 2.7 billion euros ($3.8 billion) in European taxpayer aid for the scheme, details of which are supposed to emerge this month.
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