BMW touts 2 series’ sporty looks

BMW released details of its new 2-series coupe, touting the car’s sporty looks, powerful engines and bigger size than the 1-series coupe it replaces

Renault third-quarter revenue falls 3% as currency shifts overcome pricing gains

Renault said third-quarter revenue fell 3 percent as Iran sanctions and weaker emerging market currencies more than offset gains in pricing and sales volumes.

Inchcape third-quarter sales rise 7% on strong demand for premium cars

UK-based dealer group Inchcape reported a 7 percent rise in third-quarter sales on robust demand for premium vehicles.

BYD plans European bus plant

BYD Co. plans a European assembly plant to build electric buses, following road tests in several markets. “We need to have around 100 sales in Europe to justify a plant and we believe that day is really near now,” Isbrand Ho, BYD Europe’s managing director, said in a statement. The company has not decided on a location for the assembly plant.

Autoliv raises sales outlook for 2013 as Q3 profit rises 1%

Auto safety specialist Autoliv posted a small rise of 1 percent in quarterly pre-tax earnings and raised its sales outlook for the full year

Daimler Q3 profit rises 16% as CLA boosts compact-car demand

Daimler reported earnings before interest and taxes rose 16 percent as a wider lineup of compact cars helped it gain ground on rivals.

Hyundai will launch Genesis sedan in Europe

Hyundai will launch its new Genesis large sedan in Europe where it is trying to shed its image as a value-for-money brand

GM may develop future Opel vehicles on its own

General Motors’ ability to reverse years of losses in Europe is coming down to products, not partners. GM appears to be gaining confidence that it doesn’t need the help of PSA/Peugeot-Citroen or any other partner to return its European operations to profitability.

GM to export Baojun sedans to North Africa

General Motors says its SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture in China will begin exporting a version of the Baojun 630 sedan to North Africa late this year. The car will be sold in Africa as the Chevrolet Optra. The joint venture already exports the Wuling Rong Guang minivan and the Hong Guang MPV to various markets.

GM, PSA to scale back alliance

General Motors and PSA/Peugeot-Citroen are scaling back their alliance as the French carmaker pursues an investment by China’s Dongfeng. A planned joint platform to replace the Peugeot 208, Citroen C3 and Opel Corsa

Volkswagen Group opens Skoda plant in China

Volkswagen has opened a plant in Ningbo in southeast China. The factory will build the Skoda Superb and later add VW and Skoda compact cars.

Dongfeng’s CEO: Chinese automakers’ global push is irreversible

Chinese automakers have resolved to expand worldwide despite various challenges they face entering overseas markets, said Zhu Fushou, general manager of Dongfeng Motor Corp. “Chinese automakers’ determination to go global is not reversible,” he said when addressing an industry forum last week in the central China city of Wuhan. But in their effort to become international companies, Chinese auto companies will meet steep hurdles, he added.

PSA wins union backing for cost cuts before possible stake sale

PSA Peugeot Citroen is close to a deal with unions to reduce operating costs, a key obstacle the automaker must cross before a possible capital increase, reports Bloomberg. Unions that represent over 50% of workers said they will support a proposal to reduce overtime pay and freeze salaries in exchange for investment guarantees and new models to boost production capacity utilization. That would allow the company to focus on studying a share sale of at least $4.1B to Dongfeng Motor Corp. and the French state, sources say.

Magneti Marelli plans new lighting JV in China

Italian supplier Magneti Marelli has formed a joint venture with a subsidiary of China South Industries Group Corp. to produce headlamps and taillights in a new plant in central China.

Tesla scores first buyer in mainland China

A young man in Dongyang city of east China’s Zhejiang province bought a Tesla Model S electric sedan last week, according to Chinese media. The 24-year-old, who runs a small luxury car rental business, is the first Model S owner in mainland China, reported Qianjiang Evening News, a Zhejiang-based daily newspaper.

Mercedes’ U.S. chief Cannon vows to take luxury-sales crown from BMW in 2013

Mercedes-Benz will snatch the U.S. luxury-sales crown from BMW in 2013, said Steve Cannon, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA.

Citroen C4 Cactus will have ‘Airbumps’ and sofa-style front seat

The C4 Cactus, which goes on sale next year, will be the first car in Citroen’s new C-Line range aimed at emphasizing practicality, fuel efficiency and low ownership costs.

Industry minister says PSA will remain a French company

PSA/Peugeot-Citroen will remain French, Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg said today, after sources said the automaker is in talks with China’s Dongfeng Motor and the French government over a capital increase.

Magna founder Stronach to quit Austrian politics

Frank Stronach, who founded supplier Magna International, will retire from Austrian politics after scoring just 6 percent in national elections with his party last month.

Ford targets 40,000 exports from N. America to China

Ford plans to boost exports to China from North America to at least 40,000 units annually, The Detroit News reported. Citing information from Auto Warehousing Co., a vehicle processing firm, the News said the automaker will use a port in Portland, Oregon, to begin shipping the Ford Explorer SUV this fall and boost exports of the Ford Edge crossover.

Toyota, PSA will likely cut output at their Czech plant

Toyota and PSA/Peugeot-Citroen are likely to build about 200,000 vehicles at their joint plant in the Czech Republic this year, down from from 215,000 in 2012. The factory builds the Toyota Aygo, Peugeot 107 and Citroen C1 minicars.

Continental to concentrate more on growth opportunities outside Europe

Continental is banking on growth outside Europe to help offset continued weakness in the region and is investing in adding tire production capacity in fast-growing markets.

Rolls-Royce says higher China prices are due to taxes

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars said higher taxes means it makes about the same profit on a car sold in China as in other countries, despite higher sticker prices in the market.

Geely will share r&d with Volvo

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co.’s two subsidiaries — Geely Automobile Co. and Volvo Car Corp. — will share r&d expenditures, said Li Shufu, who is chairman of both companies. Geely acquired Volvo from Ford Motor Co. in 2010. Last month, Geely and Volvo jointly opened an r&d center in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Shanghai considers traffic congestion fee to limit emissions

Municipal officials in Shanghai are studying whether to impost a traffic congestion charge as part of a broader plant to fight pollution. The congestion charge is one of several possible measures detailed in a white paper on transportation, said Gao Yiyi, an official with the Shanghai Municipal Transport and Port Authority, during a departmental briefing. The city also pledged to cut emissions of PM2.5 particulates by 20 percent by 2017 from last year’s levels, according to the environmental protection bureau.

BMW confirms that new i5 model is considered

It seems that the Germans at BMW are planning to expand the i lineup with a new electric or hybrid model. We talk about the BMW i5, a model which is now considered by the company.

Details are few at the moment but the confirmation comes from an insider from BMW. The new model could be a sedan or a crossover and will slot between the electric i3 and the i8 sports hybrid. The same source says that a plug-in hybrid model could be the choice, which would give a new possibility for the people considering the i3 but complaining about the range.