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Automobiles

Shanghai: Dongfeng-Nissan surprises with Viwa Concept EV for Venucia

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By Jonathon Ramsey

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Nissan has a joint venture in China with Dongfeng to make passenger vehicles, and last year the two companies created a sub-brand called Venucia that aims to roll out five cars by 2015. With the gasoline-engined D50 and R50 and a pilot program for the E30 electric car already out, this little orange beast, the Viwa EV concept, could point the way to a future offering.

Looking like a Chevrolet Spark that spent the weekend raving in Ibiza, the Venucia Viwa EV aims to be reliable, practical, efficient and accessible all in one package. Beyond the practical bit, defined as, “packaged with a compact body for easy driving,” Venucia hasn’t said how any of those other qualities are achieved. In fact, it hasn’t even divulged the specifics of the electric powerplant. However, it does say that it will be developing more EVs under the guide of “China‘s new energy vehicle policy.”

You can get a little more info about it in the press release below, or discover the little peach in the high-res gallery above.

Continue reading Dongfeng-Nissan surprises with Viwa Concept EV for Venucia

Dongfeng-Nissan surprises with Viwa Concept EV for Venucia originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Apr 2013 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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From: http://feeds.autoblog.com/~r/weblogsinc/autoblog/~3/Jv1ORzmUQzM/

Automobiles

Official: Ward's 10 Best Interiors released, Asian automakers take 7 of 10 spots

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By Jeffrey N. Ross

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Step inside just about any new car these days and you’ll quickly see that vehicle interiors have become a pretty nice place to spend some time in. For the third consecutive year, WardsAuto sat in each and every new vehicle that had received redesigned or updated interiors, and it has now named its 10 Best Interiors.

Judges look at everything from design and fit-and-finish to comfort, safety and technology. Some of the standout selections include budget cars like the Chevrolet Spark and Kia Forte all the way up to more expensive sedans like the $60,000+ Cadillac XTS and Lexus GS450h. An interesting note here is that WardsAuto praises Cadillac for its CUE infotainment system while Consumer Reports generally lambasts the system. Asian automakers definitely won the contest for nicest interiors as the list is comprised of five Japanese automakers and two South Korean, with Toyota and General Motors in a dead heat with the most number of cars on the list with two each.

Scroll down for the full list (in alphabetical order) and press release from WardsAuto for its 10 Best Interiors of 2013.

Continue reading Ward’s 10 Best Interiors released, Asian automakers take 7 of 10 spots

Ward’s 10 Best Interiors released, Asian automakers take 7 of 10 spots originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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From: http://feeds.autoblog.com/~r/weblogsinc/autoblog/~3/bgKSJkGD4DM/

Automobiles

Video: GM's Akerson mulling South Korea exit options due to North Korean tensions [w/video]

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By Zach Bowman

Dan Akerson interview on CNBC's Squawk Box - video screencap

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Dan Akerson, CEO of General Motors, says his company is making contingency plans to move workers from South Korea should tensions escalate further between that country and North Korea. While speaking in an interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Akerson said, “We are making contingency plans for the safety of our employees to the extent that we can.”

The executive also touched on production. GM has over 17,000 workers across five plants in South Korea, which produce around 1.3 million vehicles per year for export. Those include the Chevrolet Spark subcompact sold in North America. The factories also produce 145,000 vehicles for the South Korean Market.

Akerson says that GM can’t shift production out of South Korea quickly, but that if the region continues to destabilize due to North Korean saber rattling, the company may have no choice but to consider shifting its operations out of the region as part of long-term planning. He also makes it clear that any issues in South Korea could have wide-ranging impacts on the global automotive industry as a whole. You can watch the interview for yourself below.

Continue reading GM’s Akerson mulling South Korea exit options due to North Korean tensions [w/video]

GM’s Akerson mulling South Korea exit options due to North Korean tensions [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Automobiles

Official: Mitsubishi Mirage bows in Montreal without a name, Canadian sales promised

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By Jeffrey N. Ross

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The Detroit Auto Show had plenty of major debuts for North American car buyers, but the Montreal Auto Show is being used for the North American debut of a new subcompact hatchback from Mitsubishi. Although this car is unnamed, it is almost identical to the redesigned Mirage we saw back at the 2011 Tokyo Auto Show (and has been on sale in Asian markets such as Thailand since last year), but it is unclear if the car will carry this name when it goes on sale for our neighbors to the north starting this fall.

Aside from a slightly less annoying shade the of green we saw the car painted in at the Tokyo show, there are a few changes made for the car’s Canadian debut. The biggest difference is that it is almost three inches longer, which is likely a result of the new rear fascia that is also visually different with some altered lines and small, circular reflectors. Other changes include a bigger three-cylinder engine (with a 1.2-liter displacement instead of the Tokyo car’s 1.0-liter engine) and headlights that have new amber lenses for side reflectors.

There is still no word as to whether or not we’ll see this new car in Mitsubishi’s US lineup anytime soon, but it does seem like a good competitor against cars like that Mazda2, Chevrolet Spark and Hyundai Accent.

Mitsubishi has provided a press release for this Canadian hatchback, which we’ve posted after the jump.

Continue reading Mitsubishi Mirage bows in Montreal without a name, Canadian sales promised

Mitsubishi Mirage bows in Montreal without a name, Canadian sales promised originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 20 Jan 2013 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Automobiles

Chevrolet Spark

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The Chevrolet Spark minicar is the smallest vehicle ever sold in the U.S. as a Chevy, and it’s something of an experiment for the bow-tie brand better known for full-size pickup trucks, sport-utility vehicles, and larger sedans. Launched as a 2013 model, Spark, Chevy’s littlest car ever, is smaller even than the subcompact Sonic. That puts in…
Source: The Car Connection