BYD M6 launched in China (CN)

BYD has launched it M6 large MPV in China. The M6 will rival the popular Honda Odyssey and Buick GL8.

The rebadged Toyota Previa M6, which has been extensively criticised in the Chinese media for looking like a Toyota Previa/Estima, will undercut its rivals. The BYD M6 will start at CNY ¥146,071 (£13,791), rising to CNY ¥240,118 (£22,671).

2009 Japanese-market Toyota Estima

The seven seater M6 comes with Toyota’s 4-cylinder, 2.0 litre VVT-i and 2.4 litre VVT-i petrol engines. Standard equipment includes a satellite navigation system, climate control, keyless entry and DVD multi-media system.



Honda revises 2011 Civic range (UK)

Honda UK has reworked the Civic range for 2011 with a series of subtle cosmetic styling changes, with the most obvious change of the Type R’s front grille fitted to the rest of the range.

With the radiator grille aside, new alloy wheel designs come as standard, including 16” alloy wheels for entry-level 1.4 Type S models. Body-coloured side skirts are also standard. The 1.8 i-VTEC Si 5dr wears 17” alloy wheels.

New colour options are available, while SE and ES models get half Alcantara interior. Si models obtain half leather/half Alcantara interior with heated front seats.

Production of the revised Civic range will start at the Swindon plant next month. Prices for the 2011 Civic range are unchanged, starting from £13,995 for the 1.4 Type S.

Ford Transit production safe (UK)

Ford has claimed the production of the Transit commercial van in Southampton is “unaffected” by new investment in Ford’s manufacturing plant in Turkey, where the Transit is also built.

Ford announced that it is investing $630m (£400m) in its factory at Kocaeli, where the long-wheelbase Transit and Transit Connect are produced. It says the investment is designed “to support future manufacturing initiatives for the Ford Transit”.

The outlook of the Southampton factory has been the subject matter of strong speculation for the past couple of years, as Ford has wanted to lower the costs of its iconic commercial van.
 

2010 Ford Transit Sapphire

A Ford spokesman said, “Southampton’s future hasn’t changed. It’ll still be making chassis cabs in 2011, as planned.”

Approximately half of the Southampton factory’s 500-strong workers were made redundant last year, but Ford said this summer that the plant would “directly benefit” from its £1.5bn investment in more environmentally friendly technology.

Fiat Panda postponed until 2012

The overdue Fiat Panda city-car will not be launched until 2012, following CEO Sergio Marchionne's latest investment stop. The new Panda will now not be launched until 2012.

Initially, the third-generation Panda would have arrived this Summer, after been delayed twice. It was first put back to September 2011 after Marchionne kicked off a 15 month expenditure freeze.

The first freeze ran from October 2008 to December 2009 and saw the setback of the new Panda, Alfa Romeo Giulietta and the next-generation Lancia Ypsilon.

In a telephone meeting with financial analysts, Marchionne said introducing any major new models last year in the middle of the global downturn would have been a “waste”.

“That's the reason why I think we intelligently postponed a number of our programmes to make sure that it coincided with what I consider to be a structural recovery in demand in 2011 and later years,” he said.

The new-generation Lancia Ypsilon supermini will launch in 2012, however, the refresh for the Fiat Idea/Lancia Musa and Multipla MPVs have been delayed further.

No more Lexus CT200h variants

Lexus isn’t planning additional CT200h variants, according to Lexus insiders.

The all-new compact hybrid model will not be sold in adequate numbers to validate a coupé or estate model, according to Toyota Europe chairman Didier Leroy.

Although, engineers are currently considering a high performance CT200h and could be a plug-in hybrid version coming out after 2012.

Lexus is currently developing a compact luxury SUV, intended to rival the BMW X3 and Audi Q5.

Toyota verifies four new eco-models

Toyota has confirmed four new eco-models within the next three years, one plug-in hybrid, one hybrid and two EVs. The models in question are the advanced 'plug-in' Prius, hybrid version of the forthcoming Yaris supermini, iQ city-car and RAV4 compact SUV EVs.

The plug-in Prius will be Toyota's initial lithium-ion powered hybrid, landing in 2012. Toyota said it will drink petrol at the rate of 2.6l/100km and emit a mere 59g/km of CO2 per kilometre.

The plug-in Prius won’t be advertised as a “range extender” because, like the current Prius, it won’t be a strict EV supported up by a generator. Though, it will be able to travel 12 miles on electric power alone.

In the same year, a nickel-metal-hydride hybrid Yaris will arrive on the market. It will be made in Valenciennes, France, alongside the regular Yaris, and is expected to use a smaller petrol engine – like the 1.0 VVT-i or 1.33 VVT-i – than the current Prius with CO2 emissions of 80g/km.

Toyota is also working to commercialise two low-volume EVs for 2012. The first will be a electric variant of the iQ city-car, competent of roughly maximum of 60mph and 60 miles of range. The car will be built in Japan, and Toyota GB has yet to decide if it will be obtainable in the UK.

The second EV is more likely to be sold in the UK; a RAV4 compact SUV EV built principally for the U.S market, and powered by a Tesla lithium-ion battery. It’s expected in the UK by 2013.

Hydrogen fuel cell models are still a out of off vision for Toyota, but its latest guess is that Toyota will be ready to make one by 2015, provided the refuelling infrastructure is in place to support it.

Next-generation Maserati Quattroporte sedan won't get any bigger

The forthcoming Maserati Quattroporte sedan bigger, Lorenzo Ramaciotti, - head of Fiat design – said.

“Even though our rivals – such as the new Audi A8 – are getting longer, we have to keep it as a sporty alternative,” he said.

Ramaciotti also declared that the current grille would stay. Maserati’s CEO, Harald Wester, said the car will be offered with four-wheel drive and stop/start technology.

The Quattroporte, scheduled for 2012, will be 15% lighter than the current model, with fuel economy improving and CO2 emissions dropping by 25%. In addition to stop/start, four-wheel drive, downsized V6 and V8 engines and 8 speed ZF automatic gearbox will be offered.

Wester said the addition of four-wheel drive will help the Quattroporte compete with German rivals.

However, the Quattroporte will have a younger brother. Expected to debut in Autumn 2011, the four-door coupe will take on the BMW M5, Mercedes CLS AMG, Jaguar XF-R and the forthcoming Audi RS7.

The car will be designed in-house by Fiat Centro Stile under the control of Lorenzo Ramaciotti.

Maserati is still deciding where it will produce this model. Maserati’s Modena factory has no capacity, however, coachbuilder Bertone's Turin factory is a favorite.