MG Rover Auctions Its Past
The vultures are circling, picking over the bones of what used to be Britain's last volume car manufacturer. MG Rover went to the wall last summer, and now all that remains - from the valuable to the trivial - is being split up.
The Heritage Motor Centre, one of the U.K.'s most prestigious auto museums and based in Warwickshire, has revealed it's done a deal with Nanjing Automobile, the new owner of MG Rover's Longbridge plant in Birmingham. The move will safeguard historically important artifacts, documents, and photographs. HMC already owns a wide range of archive material - including the last production car, a Rover 75 - which tells the story of the Longbridge site from its beginnings in 1905. The newly rescued items will complete the historic record and form part of a special display later this year.
Meanwhile, there's to be an auction of everything that belonged to MG Sport and Racing, the company's motorsport divisions. Taking place on March 25, there's more than 900 lots of cars, accessories, and workshop equipment. The sale includes race-prepared vehicles, support vans, and even an MGF concept car that's only ever been seen before at motor shows. There's also merchandise including clothing, mugs, keyrings, watches, slot-racing, and die cast model cars - even limited-edition bone china tea sets. Visit www.wyleshardy.com for details of the event. -Richard Yarrow
Polk:
About 3.8 million vehicles were registered in
Mexican Investments Worry
The Brazilian automakers' association, Anfavea, is watching and worrying over
announcements of new investments in
GM of Brazil's president, Ray Young, said that the company intends to import
parts to make good use of the Brazilian currency exchange rates. Components may
come from
Wagoner to Visit
General Motors Chief
Executive Richard Wagoner is to visit
During his low-profile visit, Wagoner is to visit GM Daewoo's Bupyong plant
near
Although he had met with reporters during his last visit in June 2004,
Wagoner doesn't have plans to meet with the press this time in
GM Daewoo,
China
The
Sales in 2005 of 3.1 million vehicles (mostly cars) vaulted
This year, 25 new models will be introduced to the Chinese market, adding to just as many entry-level compacts already on sale. A Business Week report (March 20) comments that "with so many first-time buyers, there's little brand awareness and almost no brand loyalty. The Chinese often spend more than a year's income for even a low-end car, and 89 percent pay in cash."
GM became the top-selling automaker in
DC Has New Latin Region HQ
DaimlerChrysler AG has created a new regional headquarters in
The new headquarters will have responsibility for 30 countries including
Chrysler Group sales in Latin
America increased 48 percent in 2005, and new small and mid-size vehicles
will reach the markets during 2006 and 2007 as part of the DaimlerChrysler's
ongoing effort to increase the group's sales outside the U.S. "Latin America is
a critical region for our operations, and the new organization in Mexico will
allow us to capitalize on existing synergies, increase efficiency, and improve
our reach and service to our customers," said Thomas Hausch, Executive Director
for International Sales and Marketing, Chrysler Group.
Klaus Maier, executive vice president Mercedes Car Group sales and marketing, also said the new structure of DaimlerChrysler Latina demonstrates the increasing collaboration between Mercedes Car Group and Chrysler Group. "It will help us to further enhance the presence of Mercedes-Benz, Maybach, and smart in the region," he added. -Joe Szczesny
Spy
Shots: '08 Chrysler Minivans by KGP Photography (3/6/2006)
More
upright and more international, by design.
Korean Brands See Sales Soar
The five automakers, including top automaker Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors, sold a total of 444,506 units in February. Of the total, domestic sales rose 22 percent to 88,119 units while exports jumped 42 percent to 356,387 units.
In February, Hyundai Motor sold 204,110 vehicles, up 23 percent from 165,688 units a year ago, thanks to rising sales of new premium models such as the TG Grandeur sedans and NF Sonata mid-sized cars.
Domestic sales rose 33 percent to 45,486 units in February while export rose 21 percent to 158,624 units.
The sales of Kia Motors last month rose 44 percent to 115,774 cars, led by a
49-percent increase in exports. During the first two months of 2006, Kia's
overseas sales have risen by 5.8 percent year-on-year, with
So far in 2006, the Sorento SUV has been Kia's top-selling model in overseas
markets, with 17,766 units delivered. The Sorento is followed by the Sportage
SUV, with 16,566 units sold in January and February. Passenger cars like the
A-segment Picanto, B-segment
Third-largest automaker GM Daewoo posted a 75-percent rise to 102,971 units in overall sales in February, boosted by the launch of its Tosca premium sedan in late January.
Renault Samsung Motors, a unit of French Renault SA, reported 38-percent growth in February sales to 12,192 cars. Domestic sales fell 1.2 percent while exports jumped more than 12-fold.
Sales of SUV maker Ssangyong Motor, which is owned by
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