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Shanghai, October 28, 2008: (Gasgoo.com) Sichuan FAW Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. (SFTM), a joint venture between Toyota Motor and China FAW Group, held a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday for its new, 4 billion yuan ($584 million) plant in Changchun city, Jilin Province, Reuters reported.

Approximately 200 people, including Changchun municipal government officials, FAW President Xu Jianyi and SFTM President Haruaki Hoshino, attended the ceremony in the Development Zone of the Automobile Industry in Changchun.

(Read the full post about ‘FAW Toyota breaks ground for new Changchun plant’…)

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SEOUL, ROK October 28, 2008: Kia Motors has leaped into the top ten of the 2008 Consumer Reports ‘Car Reliability Study’ in the US for the first time.

Jumping 12 places to 10th position overall - the biggest improvement of any manufacturer in the survey - Kia Motors is seeing the results of its investments aimed at improving the quality and reliability of its vehicles.

The Kia Optima (known as ‘Magentis’ in many markets) was scored as one of the ‘Most Reliable Family Cars’ in the survey.

The annual report is used as a benchmark by millions of US consumers to predict the reliability, improving or otherwise, of the top automakers.

(Read the full post about ‘Kia Motors posts biggest gain in US Consumer Reports reliability study’…)

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Posted Oct 28th 2008 11:57AM by John NeffFiled under: Economy, Sedans/Saloons, Chrysler, LLC., Dodge, Nissan, Misc. Auto Shows Click above for high-res gallery of the Dodge Trazo C1.8 Early this year Chrysler and Nissan formed a partnership to share products. The big news at the time was that Nissan would be replacing its Titan pickup with a version of the Dodge Ram. But before that deal went down, the two automakers from different continents had already agreed on a partnership that would see the Nissan Versa sold in some South American markets as a Dodge. Today Dodge unveiled that vehicle at the Sao Paulo Auto Show in Brazil as the Trazo C1.8 sedan. It is a direct port of the Nissan Versa we know in the U.S. (Read the full post about ‘Chrysler/Nissan partnership bears fruit in South America: the Dodge Trazo C1.8′…)

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Posted Oct 28th 2008 4:31PM by Jonathon RamseyFiled under: Etc., EuroThe British have been known to “take the piss” out of their German counterparts for several decades now, and that goes well back before World War II. Time to score one for the sceptered isle again: somebody in a right-hand-drive vehicle in Germany has been foiling German speed cameras with a Muppet. German cameras are aimed to get clear pictures of the driver in a left-hand-drive car, but not a shot of the passenger — who is, in this case, the driver. All they can get is this googly-eyed fellow. Jim Henson must be pleased. (Read the full post about ‘German police mocked by Muppet-driven Audi’…)

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Auto Express Car Reviews By James Disdale28th October 2008 Audi ace Timo Scheider took the DTM championship in style last weekend with victory in the season finale at Hockenheim, Germany. The young German held off a strong challenge from the Mercedes of arch-rival Paul di Resta in the middle stint of the race, before pulling out a three-second gap at the flag. Di Resta’s charge was initially delayed by 2007 champion Mattias Ekstrom, who held up the Scot on the opening lap by running his Audi A4 wide in turns two and three. The Swede was later given a stop-go penalty for lining up outside his grid lines at the start. (Read the full post about ‘Scheider seals DTM success’…)

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Washington DC October 28, 2008; The AIADA newsletter reported that with credit drying up and new-vehicle sales slumping to a 25-year low, car dealerships from New Jersey to California are going out of business at an accelerating pace, threatening greater economic pain for communities around the country.

The Wall Street Journal reports that 700 new-car dealerships will close this year, up from 430 last year, and taking with them an estimated 37,100 jobs. That is a heavy blow to a key piece of the U.S. economy.

The country’s 20,700 dealerships accounted for $693 billion in sales last year, or 18 percent of all retail sales. Dealership wages and salaries make up 13 percent of the nation’s retail payroll.

(Read the full post about ‘More New Car Dealers Shut Down’…)

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AACHEN/INGOLSTADT – October 28, 2008: In its third appearance in the “Excellence in Production “ competition, the Toolmaking Division of AUDI AG has once again received a renowned award. Voted as “Toolmaker of the Year” in 2004 and 2006, Audi Toolmaking beat 30 other contestants to win first place in the “Internal Toolmaking over 100 Employees” category again this year.

“This award is proof that our division continues to lead the way. In addition to clear strategic alignment, our success is based on efficient processes and above all else the technical competence of our employees,” says Frank Dreves, Member of the Board of Management for Production of AUDI AG.

(Read the full post about ‘Audi Toolmaking Division Honored Again’…)

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RUSSELSHEIM – October 28, 2008: More than 14,000 readers from the automobile magazine “auto motor und sport” (ams) can’t be wrong: The newest Opel Zafira is not only the most flexible van in the compact class, but the most attractive as well.

With this latest poll, the Zafira firmly cements its leading position among compact vans: This is the fifth time the German trendsetter has been honored with the highly coveted design prize, “Autonis” from ams magazine.

Mark Adams, Vice President Design for GM Europe, knows what it is about the Zafira that excited the Autonis voters.

(Read the full post about ‘People’s Choice: Opel Zafira Voted Most Attractive Compact Van’…)

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Posted Oct 28th 2008 8:27AM by Jeremy KorzeniewskiFiled under: Convertibles, Coupes, Sedans/Saloons, Pontiac, Rumormill Click above for hi-res gallery of the Pontiac G8 GXP Pontiac hopes to clear things up with a post on Pontiac blog regarding the future of its current products, namely the G8 and Solstice. It was just the other day that rumors of the brand’s two rear-wheel drive vehicles possible being canceled hit the interwebs, and we dutifully reported on the story as we always do. According to Pontiac, though, those rumors are nothing more than speculation and should not be taken as gospel unless you hear it from the horse’s (or Mr. Lutz’s) mouth, which we have not. (Read the full post about ‘Pontiac: G8 and Solstice not being canceled’…)

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GOTHENBURG – October 28, 2008: Volvo Cars and toy manufacturer Viking Toys have launched a playful collaboration - Volvo cars for the youngest members of the family. The XC90, Volvo XC70 and Volvo C30 will be produced in soft, safe and durable plastic in the classic colours yellow, red, green and blue.

Nowadays, it is standard procedure that each time Volvo Cars introduces a new model, model cars in various sizes are also produced. However, they are collectors’ items, not toys. There have never been toy versions of Volvo cars for the youngest children before.

Pontus Berger, who is in charge of licensing model cars at VCC, got in touch with Viking Toys to change that situation.

Viking Toys’ CEO, Gösta Kjellme, liked the idea and initiated development work.

(Read the full post about ‘Playful Collaboration Creates Volvo Cars For The Youngest Children’…)

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