Audi to reach China unit sales target earlier (19/09/09)

Audi has revealed that it expects to be selling about 200,000 cars per year in China by 2013 - two years faster than its original estimate, Automobilwoche reports.

Volkswagen's premium unit is also hoping to sell 136,000 cars in the country this year, up from the 2008 total of 119,600 vehicles.

European carmakers rev up the electro-diesel concept (18/09/09)

A number of European automakers unveiled electro-diesel models at the recent Frankfurt Motor Show, designed to rival Japan's signature hybrid offerings.

According to the LA Times, the jewel in the crown was BMW's Vision sport coupe, which can reach 60mph from still in under 4.8 seconds and has a top speed of 155mph.

The vehicle, which is described by the news provider as "the Usain Bolt of hybrid cars", also boasts 356 brake horse power and a fuel economy of 75 miles per gallon.

GM to Add Shifts at Three Plants, Restore 2,400 Jobs (22/09/09)

General Motors (GM) has announced that it will add a third shift at its Fairfax, Fort Wayne and Delta Township facilities in the US, which are all increasing production capacity.

The move will restore 2,400 jobs at the relevant sites, while a further 800 positions will be created at stamping and powertrain facilities, Vice-President of Global Manufacturing Tim Lee told Bloomberg.

Pickup Sales Fall in Another Blow to Automakers (29/09/09)

GM has also confirmed that it is shutting down its 3.4 million-square-foot pickup truck plant in Pontiac in response to fading US demand for the vehicles.

Part of the production at the facility - which has been in operation for 37 years - will be transferred to an assembly plant in Indiana, which will take on a third shift.

GM Helps India Unit Raise $200 Million for Engine Plant (12/10/09)

Detroit giant GM's Indian unit has managed to generate $200 million (£120.7 million) in order to build a new engine and transmission plant in the country, the Wall Street Journal reports.

"A part of it [the money] has come from the parent company and the rest has been sourced locally," Ankush Arora, Vice-President of Sales and Marketing at GM India, told the news provider.

Ford Makes Push to Boost Asian Presence (23/09/09)

Ford is planning to unveil a new small, fuel-efficient car called the Figo in India in 2010 as it attempts to ramp up its presence in Asia.

The US automaker has doubled production at a plant near Chennai to over 200,000 units per year as part of a $500 million investment announced in January 2008.

In addition, it is intending to open a third assembly plant in China, which will take its production capacity in the country to more than 600,000 vehicles per year.

Ford Hopes New Figo Will Help It Win Asian Buyers (24/09/09)

The new vehicle, which is a four-door hatchback, has been welcomed by Ford Chief Executive Alan Mulally.

"Asia-Pacific is a really important market for us. We will accelerate our presence [in the region]," he told the New York Times.

'Cash for Clunkers' Depletes Auto Inventories, According to Scotia Economics (23/09/09)

US automaker inventories fell to a record low of just 1.41 million vehicles in August as a result of the 'Cash for Clunkers' programme, according to a report by Scotiabank.

"This increase is now filtering through the economy, helping overall activity transition from recession to recovery," said Carlos Gomes, Senior Economist and Auto Industry Specialist at Scotia Economics.

Modest US car market improvement in 2010-GM CEO (24/09/09)

GM Chief Executive Fritz Henderson has suggested that the US auto market will see a "modest improvement" next year, with sales hitting between 11.5 million and 12 million units, Reuters reports.

Toyota raises world '09/10 sales forecast 3 percent: report (26/09/09)

Meanwhile, Toyota, which is the world's largest automaker, has revealed that it is set to increase its global production by eight per cent to 6.45 million vehicles for 2009-10.

The company has also raised its global sales forecast for the year to March 2010 by three per cent to 6.7 million units, according to a report by the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper.

Chinese demand eases fall in Japanese car production (28/09/09)

Toyota has credited increased Asian output as the main factor in posting its first year-on-year rise in overseas production for 13 months during August.

The total of 309,589 vehicles was 4.7 per cent higher than 12 months earlier, although global production slumped by 8.7 per cent.

In China, the company recorded all-time-high production of 58,592 units, which represents a 53.4 per cent improvement from the figure for August 2008.

Honda and Nissan also enjoyed their best-ever production performances in China but the former saw Japanese output down by 36.8 per cent and global production fall by 16.6 per cent.

Nissan China jv lifts 2009 car sales target 29 pct (29/09/09)

Nissan believes that its 50-50 joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Company in China will yield almost 300,000 sales in 2009, almost 30 per cent higher than initial estimates.

"We will meet that [original] target in October," said Dongfeng Motor Co President Kimiyasu Nakamura, according to Reuters.

Ford posts record Q3 China vehicle sales (13/10/09)

Ford announced that its sales in China during the third quarter of 2009 increased by 79 per cent on a year-on-year to a record 119,338 units.

Transactions for the first nine months of the year were up 32 per cent to 316,639 units, while the company's sales with partner Changan Ford Mazda rose by 43 per cent to 227,839 units during the same period.

Volkswagen 9-Month China Sales Rise 37% on Stimulus (12/10/09)

Volkswagen is also enjoying a prosperous period in China, with government stimulus measures helping it to boost sales by 37 per cent in the first nine months of 2009.

The company has invested about €4 billion (£3.6 billion) in order to expand its production capacity in the country over the next two years.

China Auto Sales Growth May Slow in 2010, Tong Says (08/10/09)

Finally, Shiping Tong, Chief Executive of China Auto Logistics, believes that the growth of the country's auto industry will slow in 2010, Bloomberg reports.

He described 2009 - during which it has grown by 40 per cent to surpass the US as the world's largest auto market - as a "very one-time event".

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