Only in Japan! A leading...
Only in Japan! A leading car accessory manufacturer has launched this unusual gadget, the Thanks Tail. You fit it on the roof of your car - as on this Nissan Micra - and at the push of a button it wags from side to side, like a dog"s tail, to show your gratitude. It"s meant to be used when another driver lets you in ahead of them. The firm reckons it will be a big Christmas hit in Japan.
British Vauxhall workers...
British Vauxhall workers could be waving goodbye to the electric Ampera ň€“ before production has even started.
Industry experts have told Auto Express that GM Europeň€™s expected takeover by Canadian auto parts maker Magna may mean the plug is pulled on plans to build the new car at Vauxhallň€™s Ellesmere Port factory in Cheshire.
Dr Peter Wells, of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research in Cardiff, said that if Magna rates the car as a low-volume niche model, production could be better suited to a smaller European plant.
ň€śNo one doubts Ellesmere Portň€™s ability to build the Ampera, but whether it will actually get it is another question,ň€ť he explained.
ň€śMagna is likely to be an imaginative owner and could support greener cars, but its decisions will be ruled by economics ň€“ and making the Ampera at a smaller plant may be cheaper.ň€ť
A Vauxhall spokesman argued the takeover would not alter the plantň€™s chances of building the car, however, and that a decision would be made either way by the end of the year.
But good news as Astra SUV is go
Providing GM Europeň€™s future is assured, there are plenty of
exciting new models in the pipeline. And none more so than this ň€“ an
SUV variant of the forthcoming Astra.
Poised to take on Fordň€™s
Kuga, the 4x4 will feature the all-wheel-drive technology from
high-power variants of the Insignia. This is based on Saabň€™s XWD, which
diverts torque between the front and rear axles depending on where itň€™s
needed.
Engines will come from the standard Astra, and continue
Vauxhallň€™s commitment to small-capacity, forced-induction motors with a
new 138bhp 1.4-litre turbo.
A choice of three other petrol
units, giving between 99bhp and 178bhp, could be offered, while four
diesels deliver from 94bhp to 158bhp.
The SUV will arrive in
2011, after the three and five-door Astra hatch and Sports Tourer
estate, which are due in 2010. Also set for a 2011 debut is a smaller
Corsa SUV, designed to compete with the new Skoda Yeti and established
Fiat Panda 4x4.