siness minister hosts 70 car makers at Paris

GOVERNMENT business minister Mark Prisk is tonight hosting 70 car makers at the British Embassy in Paris city.

He has invited them, on the eve of the Paris Motor demonstrate, to ‘take a fresh look at what the UK can offer possible investors.

He will be joined by Automotive Council co-chairman Richard Parry-Jones, who explain the pair were in Paris to meet the key decision makers in the international automotive industry.

The UK is a uniquely beautiful country in which to invest, especially in innovative low carbon transport R&D.

We have a very competitive, strong and diverse vehicle industry and companies from approximately the world are achieving their goals by taking full advantage of the UK’s world class universities, inventive companies and strong skill base.

2010 Paris Preview: Aston Martin V8 Vantage N420 Roadster

At the 2010 Paris Motor Show, Aston Martin will entrance a drop-top version of the V8 Vantage N420.

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage draws stimulation from the company’s experiences at the Nurburgring 24-hour race, Aston Martin said. In the 2006 running of the annual Nurburgring endurance classic amid a field of mostly motorsport homologated cars, Aston Martin entered a near-standard, road-registered V8 Vantage. Driven by a group of employees, including Aston Martin’s CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez.

The model features wider sills with a carbon fibre splitter, side skirt and diffuser, while bold 10-spoke diamond curved alloy wheels complete with gloss black finish, black mesh vents and ‘Graphitic’ tailpipe finishers. It weighs 59 lbs less than the normal car and is available in Aston Martin ‘Race Collection’ paint schemes (optional).

Power comes from the similar 4.7L V8 in the V8 Vantage making 420-hp. The engine is mated to a 6-speed manual or optional Sportshift automated manual transmission. Top speed comes in at 180 mph.

Pricing and additional details will be announced closer to launch.

Hyundai recalls about 140,000 2011 Sonata sedans

Hyundai Motor Co. is recalling close to 140,000 of its 2011 Sonata sedans because of concerns that an unacceptably assembled steering column could cause drivers to lose control, the company said Sunday.

The carmaker said it knew of fewer than 10 instances of drivers reporting issues with steering on the new Sonata, manufactured in Montgomery, Ala. No injuries or accidents connected to the problem had been reported at the time of the recall, the company said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been investigate the 2011 Sonata since late August, following consumers reported that they had lost the ability to steer the cars.

Hyundai spokesman Jim Trainer said the loss of steering control was a worst-case scenario for the defect, which has to do with a bolt that connects the steering wheel to the steering column. In common, owners reported the issue after feeling looseness when they were steering or heard a sound when turning.

Hyundai recalls about 140,000 2011 Sonata sedans

Hyundai Motor Co. is recalling close to 140,000 of its 2011 Sonata sedans because of concerns that an unacceptably assembled steering column could cause drivers to lose control, the company said Sunday.

The carmaker said it knew of fewer than 10 instances of drivers reporting issues with steering on the new Sonata, manufactured in Montgomery, Ala. No injuries or accidents connected to the problem had been reported at the time of the recall, the company said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been investigate the 2011 Sonata since late August, following consumers reported that they had lost the ability to steer the cars.

Hyundai spokesman Jim Trainer said the loss of steering control was a worst-case scenario for the defect, which has to do with a bolt that connects the steering wheel to the steering column. In common, owners reported the issue after feeling looseness when they were steering or heard a sound when turning.

Nissan stops taking Leaf reservations, has 20,000 on the books

Nissan has accepted 20,000 uncertainties for the Leaf electric car and said it has stopped taking orders until next year.

Nissan began taking reservations for the Leaf in May month.

The Leaf, which is about the range of a Nissan Versa, is powered by an 80-kilowatt electric motor that produces 107 hp and 206 lb-ft of torque. Nissan says the car's pinnacle speed is 90 mph.

The first Leaf deliveries in the United States are set to start in December. The first Leafs will be built in Japan. Nissan is expanding its meeting plant in Smyrna, Tenn., to assemble the Leaf there.

Toyota Debuting An All-Electric Compact Car...In China

Want a Toyota-branded compact EV? You'll have to go away to China. Green Car Advisor gossips that Toyota plans to mass-produce an EV in China by 2012.

There's just one catch: Toyota doesn't plan to sell the EV under the name. Even though the car will base on its Vios subcompact, the vehicle will be marketed under a dissimilar brand name as part of the company's joint venture with China FAW Group Corp. No word yet on precise pricing, but Toyota says it will be cheaper than foreign competitors.

U.S. consumers won't have to remain too long to buy Toyota-branded EVs. The company is releasing an electric RAV4 in 2012, and Toyota is supposed to be working on an all-electric supercar that could rival the E-Cell and e-tron. If sales of the Chinese EV are up to par, chances are that Toyota will import a parallel design to other countries as well.

Coda electric sedan to be priced at $44,900

Coda Automotive, the California based electric car corporation, is set to start delivering the first gesticulate of its electric compact sedans this December for a price-tag of $44,900, before state and federal incentives. Federal incentives will bring the starting cost down to $37,400, and with California state incentives considered, the final cost could be as low as $32,400.

Originally, the car will be marketed by way of 600-square-foot retail stores located in San Francisco and Los Angeles shopping malls, with a flagship store in Santa Monica slate to open in the spring of 2011. Coda expects a total of 17 retail locations up and operating by the end of 2011, when CEO Kevin Czinger expect 14,000 vehicles to have been sold. All of the locations will be factory-owned, which is a advantage to consumers, as it translates to no delivery or destination charges applied.

Lotus Elite 2014 model

Lotus Cars has released photos of the subsequently generation Lotus Elite, which will be revealed at the upcoming Paris Motor demonstrate.

If this is a just a taste of what the latest Lotus management have install for Lotus fans and aficionados, then by all means chaps, bring it on.

The press release from Lotus talks about redefining the modern classic while maintaining a important dollop of elegance.

Spartan-V: the 1198-powered track car

Some crafty Aussies are working on a fresh track car powered by a Ducati 1198S engine.

The car - dubbed the Spartan-V - marries Ducati's 168bhp v-twin lump with a lattice frame and carbon fibre bodywork, helping it weigh in at a lightweight 300kg. The designers are claim a sub 3sec 0-60 time.

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited, an AW Drivers Log

This is a much more advanced Grand Cherokee, and that's the thing that sticks out most to me. It's quieter (way quieter, in fact), smoother and drives more carlike--if that's your thing, you'll adore this.

One could argue that the V6 isn't influential enough, but this new one is a much smoother engine than much of the rivalry, and since when does an SUV need to be a race car? I cruised comfortably and gently at a steady 80 mph on the freeway. It's around town where occasionally you'll want more oomph. I'm sure in places such as speak, Moab, the thing would be a terror. And the bonus is that this Grand Cherokee share the Mercedes-Benz ML stage for a nice refined ride around town and out on the highway.

Mazda Achieves New Sales Milestone in August

DARTFORD, UNITED KINGDOM – Sept 13, 2010: Mazda, the brand that dealers love to symbolize, hit a fresh market share milestone in August.

Healthy sales saw Mazda take a record 3.8 per cent of the trade market and a 2.7 per cent share of the overall market, including fleet sales.

We’re bucking the business trend and selling above our own targets, said David Wilson-Green, National Sales Manager, Mazda UK. It’s a actually strong post-scrap page bounce back and a fantastic result for us and our loyal dealer network.

The Nissan Townpod Concept

At the 2010 Paris Motor Show, Nissan will be unveiling for the first time a concept vehicle that offers imminent into how Nissan could enlarge its portfolio of zero-emission vehicles. Called the Nissan Townpod, the concept combines eye-catching design with a roomy and practical interior.

It is designed to offer zero-emissions mobility to a future generation of home-based, inventive entrepreneurs who are creative and tech-savvy. It is more than just a car and it's more than just a van - it heralds a new-era of supple, stylish vehicles that will bring electric-vehicle mobility to the masses.

Amazing Gravity Cars By General Motors

Although not very practical, these significance cars were designed by General Motors for a Southern California Gravity race series. The event was a fund rising meant for charity purposes and had invited all the Southern California studios to vie with their self designed vehicles.

The cars you see in the pictures were designed and fashioned at the 5350 General Motors studio for the race series. After the race, the cars were auctioned and the collected money was donated. The bad part was that the fundraising didn’t quite live up to the hope so the whole purpose lost its course. But, apart from that we did get to see a couple of good cars out there. Sincerely, these cars were the best ones amongst all. They looked sleek and the designs were futuristic. Possibly that was the major reason why it grabbed the attention of the press.

Latest generation E 250 CDI Estate puts the family first

Liters per 100 km on the extra urban cycle the E 250 CDI offers space and pace combined with ecological responsibility. The Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Mr Horst von Sanden says We put the carriage of the most valuable cargo of all (families) as an absolute priority. Our NCAP five star rated range of Mercedes-Benz Estates put each family first. Our offering of the biggest and most comprehensive Estate range in the industry with a choice between the five seats C-Class, the five or seven Seat R-Class and the six, seven or eight seat Viano and now the seven seats E 250 CDI demonstrates our promise to the Estate buyer. I am such a huge fan of the E-Class Estate that I chose to drive one as my daily vehicle.

General Motor, Toyota, and Ford U.S. Auto Sales Drop In August, Recorded The Weakest US Car Sales Since 1983

The auto industry posted its nastiest August U.S. sales figures was the worst sales since 1986, weighed down by the expiry of a well-liked government cash-back scheme designed to boost sales.

The auto sales plunge is partly a result of tough comparisons to the Cash for Clunkers program of preceding summer.

One exception to the dismal sales trend was Chrysler Group, which surpassed sales expectations with a rise of 7% to 99,611 compared to previous August, the company said. It’s the automaker’s fifth successive month of year-over-year sales increases.