Automobile News

The Campro CPS engine is finally in the Proton Satria Neo, something that many have been eagerly waiting for. The CPS is essentially a Campro engine with a few updates and a variable valve lift system called CPS as well as a variable intake manifold (VIM) system. These additions help push up power to 125 PS at 6,500rpm and 150Nm of torque at 4,500rpm, figures which are up from the standard Campro’s 110hp and 148Nm.

The car’s front and rear track has also been updated. While the Proton Satria Neo had a front and rear track of 1,470mm for both, the Satria Neo CPS H-Line has a narrower front track at 1,467mm and a wider rear track 1,483mm.

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Honda Siel Cars today denied news reports that the company has put its new assembly plant operations on hold in Rajasthan.

Director, Marketing, Honda Siel Cars India Tatsuya Natsume told mediapersons that the plant is operative and the major parts of its new brand Honda Jazz are being produced there.

Launching the Honda Jazz in Hyderabad, Natsume said the company has sold 55,000 cars (all models) last year while its target for the current year is 60,000.
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Luxury car maker Honda Siel said today that it will commence exports of engine components like the crank shaft and connecting rod manufactured at its Rajasthan plant to its parent, Honda, in Japan, beginning from October this year.

The short-term export order arises from capacity constraints faced at Honda’s manufacturing facilities. Honda Siel President and CEO Masahiro Takedagawa said Japan has been witnessing a surge in demand for small cars arising from the Japanese government’s stimulus package for car manufacturers.
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Car sales in August grew a robust 25.5% as companies despatched more vehicles to dealerships to boost stocks ahead of the demand spurt in forthcoming festive season. Maruti, Hyundai, Tata and Mahindra led the growth in car and passenger vehicle sales after a 31% growth in July.

Total auto sales were up 24% at 10 lakh units in August against 8.1 lakh units in the same month last year, according to industry body Siam. Car sales in August stood at 1.2 lakh units against 96,082 units in the corresponding month last year. Demand for new models added to the festive rush and kept the momentum going for car sales that witnessed the seventh straight month of growth.

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“Our no-excuses car” is the revealing phrase Holden big boss Mark Reuss uses to describe the compact Cruze sedan.

It’s all about viability. In the current market small cars are rising in popularity and big ones - ahem, that’s you, Commodore - are falling.

So Cruze is a good second string, and one that potentially kept Holden sweet with General Motors when it had to determine, come the Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which brands would stay and which would go.

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For 2010, Chrysler is improving the Caliber’s worst feature, its interior. After we originally tested our first Caliber, one of our engineers likened it to sitting in an Igloo cooler.

The revised cabin has a new blue backlit instrument cluster, a center stack with a full-color music screen and brushed aluminum surround, and a new, less-angular console with lighted cupholders. While it is difficult to judge the extent of improvements by pictures, the much-improved interior in our tested 2009 Dodge Ram gives us hope.

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MINI is bringing a limited number of its electric MINI E to the UK and is offering everyone the chance to partake in the research project, with the monthly lease costing £330.

Just 20 examples of the 201bhp electric MINI will be available for lease, for a period of six months from this December, with a further 20 in a second round of applications later in 2010.

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Critics of Detroit’s carmakers could play a real game of gotcha with Chrysler. News reports say the company will build the Fiat 500 subcompact at Chrysler’s plant in Toluca, Mexico, which builds the Chrysler PT Cruiser and Dodge Journey. Since Fiat owns 20% of Chrysler, the Italians can call the shots. Critics of the auto industry bailout and the government’s 8% ownership stake in Chrysler might say that we spent a few billion dollars to save Chrysler and guarantee Mexican jobs. But build that car here and the same critics could say that the government and the United Auto Workers, which owns 55% of Chrysler, swayed management to keep the jobs in the U.S.

Forget all of that. Building the 500 in Mexico makes good business sense. First of all, it’s tough to make a buck on compacts and tiny cars like the 500. With the exception of BMW’s Mini brand, those cars just don’t fetch fat sticker prices. So margins are usually thin. Mexican wages can help.

There’s another good reason to build in Mexico, especially a car that has international appeal like the 500. Mexico has some nice trade agreements with the European Union, Brazil and Asian countries like Thailand that keep import taxes low for cars, says Michael Robinet, vice president of CSM Worldwide. If you want to build cars in one plant and have access to the U.S., Mexico, Brazil and some Asian markets, going south of the border is sensible. Fiat-Chrysler can sell more of those cars globally and stand a better chance of making money if they can max out the plant with sales around the globe.

If you are passionate about environmentally friendly driving, this sustainable electric bike called Zero DS saves the situation. Announced by Zero Motorcycles, this green bike seems to be an all-electric replica producing zero emissions. This electric bike is quite universal offering perfect riding performance whether you are on or off the road.

The Zero DS electric bike features more rugged 17 inches tires in front and 16 inches rear wheels making it possible for a bike to confidently drive even in those unfavorable conditions like dirt, grass or gravel. The bike’s power output is not yet known but taking into consideration it produces 62, 5lb/ft of torque it seems to live up to electric bike’s expectations.

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