BMW working on X5 facelift
Volvo output set to double
BMW working on X5 facelift
BMW is working on the next update and facelift for its X5 SUV.
Basically a nip and tuck for the current generation, it will include new front and rear bumpers and – for the first time – rumours from inside hint to a new single-format rear boot door.
BMW tends to introduce a new engine with each new model or facelift.
For the X5 all the possible choices form a very short list. The most likely addition will be the hybrid powertrain BMW is preparing to introduce in its X6 hybrid.
The new X5 is expected to make an official entrance before the end of the year, but it’s unlikely to make it into European markets for volume sales until next year.
Diesel is likely to remain the mainstay on the Irish market, despite the hybrid offering that is aimed more at the US customer base.
PSA in talks with Mitsubishi
Frances PSA Peugeot Citroen is discussing deeper ties with Mitsubishi, but the Japanese carmaker played down expectations of a capital alliance, such as Peugeot taking a stake in Mitsubishi.
Mitsubishi needs a strategic partner to survive, while PSA wants global scale to become less reliant on stagnating European markets, where government subsidies are running out. ( Reuters)
Toyota seeks 6% sales rise
Toyota, the worlds biggest car maker, aims to boost global group vehicle sales by 6 per cent this year as demand rises in China and the US. Sales – including those of affiliates Hino and Daihatsu – may rise to 8.27 million vehicles from 7.81 million last year, Toyota said this week. Sales may increase 13 per cent in China and 11 per cent in North America, while falling 5 per cent in Europe, said the company. The projected gain contrasts with a 13 per cent drop in Toyotas global sales in 2009 as the worldwide recession sapped demand.
VW, which aims to overtake the Japanese car maker in global sales by 2018, sold a record 6.29 million vehicles last year. (Reuters)
Volvo output set to double
Chinas Geely Zhejiang Holdings will nearly double Volvos annual global production with a new factory in Beijing as part of its plan to pull the Swedish automaker out of the red by 2011, according to sources within the company yesterday.
Zhejiang Geely, parent of Hong Kong-listed Geely Automobile, aims to complete the purchase of Fords Volvo unit for up to $2 billion by May, said an industry source who got a copy of the plan but wasnt authorised to talk about it publicly. ( Reuters)
Next Porsche 911 caught testing
Pictured above is the nextgeneration Porsche 911 coupe – internally called the 998 – that will replace the current model next year. Earlier reports in part of the media made believe this was the 911 Turbo, but the additional air-intakes in the rear wings on the test car were only decoys. Compared to the current model, the front lights stand more upright and the side mirrors have moved from the side window corner to the side of the door. The next-generation 911 will feature the same flat-six engine but with additional power output, along with the new PDK dual- clutch gearbox.