Recently added articles from Automotive News Europe:

Russians make their mark; Four Russian dealers rank among Europe's top-25 retailing groups.(News)

Jun 09, 2008 ... Byline: John Revill Automotive News Europe Underscoring the explosive growth of new-car sales in the former Soviet bloc, four Russian companies last year ranked among Europe's 25 biggest dealer groups. And Ukraine's biggest automaker and ...

News.(Briefs)

Jun 09, 2008 ... Renault targets 2009 launch for Logan SUV PITESTI, Romania a Renault will add an SUV to its Logan range in 2009. The car "will offer customers the driving pleasure they expect from an SUV," at a much lower price, Arnaud Deboeuf, Renault's deputy head of the Logan ...

Seat considers building in Brazil; Spanish brand looks at production in Latin America, China and Russia.(News)

Jun 09, 2008 ... Byline: Jason Stein & Felix Bauer Automotive News Europe BARCELONA * Seat could soon build cars in Brazil, Mexico or Argentina. The Volkswagen-owned brand also is considering production in Russia and China. Seat President Erich Schmitt told Automotive News ...

Lithium-ion race picks up; Technology holds key to growth of hybrid vehicles.(News)

Jun 09, 2008 ... Byline: Bettina Mayer Automotive News Europe STUTTGART * Global suppliers are stepping up efforts to deliver advanced lithium-ion batteries to automakers as fast as possible. "European and Asian suppliers will fight a head-to-head battle in lithium-ion ...

Corrections.(Correction notice)

Jun 09, 2008 ... In 2007, the Opel/Vauxhall Corsa made the biggest gain in Europe's small-car segment with a sales increase of 41.1 percent to 416,527 units. A caption on Page 22 of the May 26 issue did not include the Corsa. Last year, the Honda CR-V's European sales increased 78 percent to 78,970 units ...

Audi, Mercedes target X3; BMW spokesman says Mercedes presents bigger threat than Audi.(News)

Jun 09, 2008 ... Byline: James Franey Automotive News Europe MUNICH * In the fight to sell premium SUVs, BMW fears Mercedes-Benz's models more than Audi's. Both the Mercedes GLK class and Audi's Q5 will challenge BMW's leadership in the segment, which grew 7 percent last ...

Volt sparks dilemma for GM in Europe; Chevrolet high-tech electric car could create brand confusion.(News)

Jun 09, 2008 ... Byline: Rebecca Wright Automotive News Europe TURIN * General Motors' decision to sell its Volt plug-in electric car as a Chevrolet in Europe could create confusion for GM's brand strategists. Selling the Volt as a Chevrolet in Europe conflicts with ...

Renault, AvtoVAZ look for synergies; Deeper integration is planned, but only after 2 companies agree on future products.(News)

Jun 09, 2008 ... Byline: Lawrence J. Speer Automotive News Europe PARIS * Renault is looking for some quick synergies with Russia's AvtoVAZ, but deeper integration efforts will have to wait until a recovery plan for the Russian car company is finalized later this year. In ...

Lancia develops a smaller Delta.(News)

Jun 09, 2008 ... Byline: Luca Ciferri Automotive News Europe TURIN * Lancia is developing a smaller version of its new Delta lower-medium hatchback. "We feel there is space for another model in between the Ypsilon and the Delta," Lancia CEO Olivier Francois said on the ...

ANE's Snyder returns to US.(News)

Jun 09, 2008 ... Automotive News Europe Executive Editor Jesse Snyder has moved to Detroit to become a senior writer at Automotive News. Snyder, 59, worked at ANE for seven years, first in London and then in Germany after the publication relocated its editorial offices to Oberpfaffenhofen, near ...

Mercedes on track to be No. 1 in CSI; Sales chief Maier expects more improvement in J.D. Power satisfaction scores.(News)

Jun 09, 2008 ... Byline: James Franey Automotive News Europe STUTTGART * Mercedes-Benz is on track to be Europe's leading brand on customer satisfaction within the next two years, says its head of sales and marketing, Klaus Maier. "We are approaching our target of being ...

Renault ramps up Sandero production.(News)

Jun 09, 2008 ... Byline: Lawrence J. Speer Automotive News Europe PITESTI, Romania * Renault's Dacia subsidiary is ramping up production here to meet expected demand for its new low-cost Sandero hatchback. The French carmaker is now producing 400 units daily of the ...

A class and B class will get advanced stop-start.(News)

Jun 09, 2008 ... Byline: James Franey Automotive News Europe BERLIN * Mercedes-Benz, which will have stop-start technology on its A- and B-class models later this year, is already working on a more sophisticated system for the next generation of the cars. The A class and B ...

New Golf will get stop-start.(News)

Jun 09, 2008 ... Byline: Bettina Mayer Automotive News Europe MUNICH * Volkswagen will introduce stop-start on the new Golf. A VW source said that start-stop will be standard in the BlueMotion version of the sixth-generation Golf, which is scheduled to go on sale by the ...

VW targets big boost in Ukraine.(News)

Jun 09, 2008 ... Byline: Bettina Mayer Automotive News Europe Munich * Volkswagen group has appointed Porsche Holding as its new distributor and retailer in the booming Ukraine market. The Ukrainian market for new cars is growing rapidly and it is now the same size as the ...

Personnel.(Briefs)

Jun 09, 2008 ... Thammer is Audi's new China boss Johannes Thammer is the new head of Audi's sales division in China. Thammer, 52, succeeds Werner Eichhorn who has returned to Germany to head Volkswagen's German sales. With over 100,000 cars sold there last year, China is ...

Euro will give Slovakia a boost; Kia, VW and PSA say admission to European currency will help investment and cut costs.(News)

Jun 09, 2008 ... Byline: Lyle Frink Automotive News Europe PRAGUE * Slovakia's thriving, export-based auto industry likely will be a big winner when the country converts to the euro in January 2009, analysts and executives say. Executives of the three automakers that ...

News Digest.(News)

Jun 09, 2008 ... Conti buys stake in Japanese battery maker MUNICH * German supplier Continental has bought 16 percent of battery specialist Enax. Enax is a Japanese company developing lithium-ion batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles. Continental and Enax will ...

Vel Satis successor will be greener; Renault engineers, designers told to reduce weight, cut CO2 emissions for next flagship.(News)

Jun 09, 2008 ... Byline: Lawrence J. Speer Automotive News Europe PARIS * Renault has told its designers and engineers to limit the environmental impact of the cars it is developing to replace the Vel Satis. "This is turning into a very interesting issue for designers ...

At Renault, logistics costs are targeted; Lawrence J. Speer.(News)

Jun 09, 2008 ... Automotive News Europe PARIS * Rising fuel prices are slowing Renault's bid to reduce logistics costs, Michel Faivre-Duboz, the carmaker's senior vice president for supply chain management said. Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn has set an ambitious goal of cutting Renault's ...