At the Detroit 2009 Chevrolet press conference, the company has confirmed that recent additions to its production line, the Spark and the Orlando, will debut on the European market in the course of 2010, according to an announcement from North America General Motors president, Troy Clarke.

After the Beat video teaser, the Spark was revealed at the auto show, demonstrating Chevrolet’s renewal of its range and brand to include the lower end of the market, of greater interest now in the US as well.

The Orlando dates back to the October show in Paris and is still in prototype stages at the moment. The MPV-crossover will enter the same segment as the Nissan Qashqai and the Peugeot 3008, and will be presented at an international motor show sometime this year.

Continue reading: Chevrolet confirms Orlando and Spark European production

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Porsche has apparently purchased a Tesla Roadster in order to study the secrets of the competition, comparing them to its own technology. The news comes from Edmunds Inside Line, and indicates that Porsche alternative fuels could be in development.

Porsche hybrid models, available on the Cayenne and Panamera for example, show that the company is moving towards more ecological vehicles, as seen also in the future four-cylinder Boxster. Is this a matter of survival in Kyoto times for Porsche?

The engineers should be able to have a good look at the American Roadster when one is actually in their possession - waiting lists for the Tesla Roadster mean that all 250 models on the European market will already be delivered in 2009 having previously been ordered as the Signature Edition at 99,000 euros. If not among the first exclusive clientele, Porsche may have to wait.

Source | Edmunds Inside Line

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Fiat had already decided to launch its low cost brand in emerging markets such as the South American market, but given the current economic crisis, the brand could be considered for the Eastern European market as well.

Sergio Marchionne has announced that three new models will be launched in 2010, which could offset sales problems in the current market. The Fiat low cost brand will be competition for products such as Dacia, which Renault successfully launched in Europe. Currently the new Fiat brand is without a name, with suggestions ranging between Innocenti and Autobianchi (neither in my opinion, would be a safe choice!), although something entirely new could come of the venture, including collaboration from tata.

Source | Automotive News

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In the current economic crisis the world over, that a car manufacturer is having difficulty in the North American market is hardly big news. But if that company is BMW, then you might take more notice: for 16 years straight BMW sales in this market have been consistently positive.

But it now appears evident that the change in the range’s options - vehicles having grown in both size and fuel consumption - no longer corresponds with the needs of local car owners who would perhaps prefer a few X6’s less and a couple of 1 Series sedan extra (which they don’t have anyway).

2008 sales figures leave no room for speculation: BMW has experienced a decrease of ten percent compared to the 2007 sales of 336,265 units, while the Mini brand has had increase of 12 percent, from 42,000 to 50,000.

Continue reading: BMW: negative sales in USA in 2008, pessimism for 2009

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Fisker, car manufacturer that designed the Karma, announced details regarding the production of this hybrid coupè-sedan: it will go into assembly line phase at the beginning of 2009 and construction will be undertaken by the Finnish at Valmet, after the Porsche contract will have finished.

Europe is becoming an important market for Fisker, which compared to Tesla (where we’ll see only a few examples of the Roadster), is counting on placing a few thousand units on the old continent: out of an annual production of 15,000, half will be destined for European markets.

Henrik Fisker is relying on the novelty effect, given that the Karma will be the first of its kind on the market. It should be available come the last quarter of next year.

Via | TheCarConnection

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In the first six months of 2008, more cars have been sold in Russia than in Germany, the “pillar” of the European car market. According to data revealed in a PricewaterhouseCoopers study, from January to June in Russia 1.645 million cars were sold: a huge 41 percent increase on the same period in 2007. This enables Russia to overtake Germany in the car market, the latter have stopped at a quota of 1.63 million and with a much more modest growth of 3.6 percent.

In Italy 1.259 million cars have been sold in the first semester of 2008, equal to a decline of 11.45 percent. If the trend continues, as is most likely, in the second half of the year, Russia will become number one in the European market, and much earlier than the previously anticipated 2011.

Russia seems to not be feeling the general economic crisis gripping other parts of the world. Large foreign manufacturers are reaping the most benefit with General Motors, Hyundai and Ford leading the field. Most sold models include the Focus, Chevrolet Lacetti and teh Dacia-Renault Logan. Luxury cars are also taking hold, such that BMW presented its new Series 7 in Moscow, enclosed in a giant hourglass. Audi has also for many years enjoyed success in the Russian market, while the Mercedes S is also appreciated.

Via | Quattroruote

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The European car market grew in the month of February: compared to the same month in 2007, growth was at 8.7%, mostly due the extra working day in 2008. Total cars sold was 1,180,842 units. Western Europe posted a 7.7% growth while the newer states, continuing a long-running trend, are growing at a much faster pace of 20.5%.

Germany virtually doubled its rate from January, posting a resounding 24.8%, or 228,623 cars. Spain remained stable at 0.7%, Italy was down 3.9% as was Great Britain at 5.4%, confirming the negative trend of the previous month and representing a quarter of Western Europe. On the whole in the first two months of the year sales grew by 2.7% in the Western countries and by 3.8% overall.

A glance at Eastern Europe shows growth in the four principal markets of 28.1% in Poland, 37.1% in Romania, 7.1% in Hungary and 15.8% in the Czech Republic. Figures show impressive growth across the board, apart from in Latvia where there was an overall fall of 18.6%.

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