Volkswagen Routan pricing announced (U.S)

Volkswagen USA have announced pricing of the new Routan. The Routan is based on the Chrysler Grand Voyager/Town & Country and rivals the like of the Dodge Caravan, Chrysler Town & Country, KIA Sedona, Hyundai Entourage, Toyota Sienna and the Nissan Quest.

Prices start from $24,700 for the entry level S grade, $29,600 for the SE grade and $33,200 for the flagship SEL grade. As an added incentive VW is partnering with Upromise, the country's largest private source of college funding, to offer Routan customers $1500 towards customers kids college education.

"We know parents are concerned about saving for their kid’s future. To help families tackle this challenge of saving for college, we’re excited that we are able to partner with Upromise,” said Tim Ellis, Vice President of Marketing, Volkswagen of America, Inc. “We’re aware that the cost of college continues to rise exponentially, far outpacing inflation, and our hope is to help our customer’s off-set that cost, while getting a great new vehicle.”

The minivan will go on sale in the U.S this September.

Prius sales exceed 1,000,000 units

Despite the credit crunch and rising fuel prices, the successful Toyota Prius hybrid has sold in excess of a million units worldwide ever since its launch back in 1997, 1,028,000 to be precise.

Although the Prius only ventured beyond Japan in 2000, over 100,000 units have been sold in Europe since then with the UK market taking 23,893 Priuses

The Prius continues to perform strongly despite being an old model in a struggling new-car market. UK sales are up 7.1% in April this year compared to last years sale in the same period. In the U.S, sales rose by a staggering 67% last month.

It’s claimed that since the car’s launch, Prius vehicles have contributed to reducing CO2 emissions of approximately 4.5 million tonnes when compared with conventional vehicles of the same class.

Infiniti gains 10,000+ potential customers

Nissan's luxury marque, Infiniti has launched an exclusive digital reservation list for potential customers ahead of its European launch. The site, http://www.infiniti.eu/ gives those who sign up top priority in purchasing a new Infiniti before pre-orders begins.

After signing up and receiving your own personal reservation number, you will be invited by your nearest Infiniti centre to specify your desired car before pre-ordering is opened to the public.

According to Infiniti Europe’s marketing director, Bastien Schupp, 10,000 + people have signed up to be an “Infiniti Insider”. Schupp said, “We are pleased to see that excitement and anticipation are building even faster than we expected”.

Infiniti is to launch across Europe over the next two years; first countries to open it doors are France, Spain and Italy in October 2008, followed by Germany and the UK in April 2009 and Sweden in January 2010.

The European line-up will consist of the EX-Series, G-Series sedan, coupe & convertible, and the flagship FX-Series SUV and a series of V6 and V8 petrol engines but in 2010, in conjunction with Renault, a V6 diesel will arrive which is expected to be the most popular engine.

2008 Renault Megane uncovered!!

Updated: 22/06/08:

Renault is readying one of their most important models in the line-up. With the Peugeot 308, KIA Cee'd, FIAT Bravo, Ford Focus and Nissan Qashqai selling in excess of 100,000 units, Renault is losing money fast. The Megane is expected to be revealed at the upcoming Paris motorshow but you won't have to wait that long because images of the new model have surfaced onto the net.

Spied undisguised in both 3dr and 5dr form, the new Megane's head turning style is influenced by the latest Laguna. Detailing from the Mégane Coupé concept displayed at the Geneva motorshow in March is clearly seen on the hatchbacks. The five-door has a more conventional front, plus a larger glass area and bigger tailgate to improve practicality. The tail-lights are different as is the rear bumper. The addition of a pair of back doors has altered the roofline to provide greater headroom for rear seat passengers. 5dr variants will have a distinctive panoramic glass roof. Inside, flagship versions of both models get an upmarket interior which includes silver trimmed instruments, keyless go and satellite navigation. The three-door will have an even sportier appearance, with a sharply rising window line and a sloping roofline. Renault promises class-leading levels of equipment and refinement too.

An advanced airbag system is expected to complement a range of safety features that includes traction and stability control. The engine line-up will be slightly tweaked compared to the current model with all the diesel engines emitting less than 120g/km. A 230bhp turbocharged Renaultsport version is on thw way, which is designed to replace the performance oriented R26.

Prices for the newcomer are yet to be announced by the company. However, as both models will mark a major step forward in both design and engineering, a small increase is likely. Entry level models should start from around £13,000.

The launch of the Mégane will not affect the recently revised Scenic and Grand Scenic compact MPVs, both of which will continue until at least 2010.

The new Mégane will debut at the Paris Motor Show in October with UK sales starting in 2009, however, Renault has hinted that a convertible Mégane could be on the cards to replace the current metal roofed CC. An estate, saloon and possible SUV variants are also due to join the line-up at a later date.

Related link:

2010 Renault SportMegane?

Via: Autoexpress > Renault Megane scooped

Vauxhall/Opel Corsa heads for the hills

In the latest craze to produce low-emitting SUV's, Vauxhall/Opel doesn't want to be left out. Rivalling the likes of the upcoming Toyota Urban Crusier, Dacia Sandero SUV, Mazda2 SUV/Ford Fiesta SUV, Honda Jazz SUV, Peugeot 207 SUV and wannabe mini-SUV's; Volkswagen Polo Dune and Ford Fusion Pursuit, the new model will follow in the footsteps of the Antara and will go on sale by 2010.

More expensive grades will be using part-time 4WD while cheaper variants will be given 2WD. The newcomer is expect to use rugged bumpers, body armour, under-body protection along with a unique alloy wheel design. Vauxhall/Opels insiders have revealed that engineers and designers want the car to deliver genuine off-road ability with a proper 4x4 gearbox.

First prototypes have been spied in Spain on a transporter in prepearation of hot-weather testing in coming months. The mules have higher ride height, visable testing equipment and are slight wider than the normal Corsa's to ensure greater off-road ability without ruining the standard car’s nimble, secure road manners.

Don't expect it to be cheap, the new vehicle will sit alongside the current flagship trim levels. Like Toyota, bosses are willingly to point out that this is a low-emitting and fragul SUV. Powering this will be the 1.3 and 1.7 CDTi diesels which will be tuned for low-down torque and refinement. If you're a fan of petrol, a range of low-capacity, high-economy turbo engines will be available. Whats more, a potential hybrid could be in the works using stop-start facility with regenerative braking and a small electric engine but a spokesperson hinted that sister brand, Chevrolet will also use the set-up, in a 4x4 model based on the T2X concept.

Meanwhile, GM bosses have revealed that both the Corsa and Chevrolet could be built in the manufacturer’s state-of-the-art factory in Antwerp, Belgium. They have also said that buyers should expect a glimpse of the Vauxhall model at a major motor show in 2009, before sales start 12 months later. The vehicle should soon become a familiar sight on UK roads, as it is thought GM would like to sell 120,000 units annually.

Via: Autoexpress > Vauxhall Corsa 4x4 shapes up

Nissan GT-R orders reach more than 1,500 units

Talk about being popular, although its not surprising that the GT-R orders have now reached 1,500 units in Europe. It follows in the footsteps of the Japanese market where 2,200 GT-R's were ordered and the U.S market selling out until mid 2009. Leading the way is the UK market with 970 orders taken.

56 Nissan High Performance Centres across Europe will be supplying the necessary specialist attention to the GT-R but before the 1,500 future GT-R owner receive their keys, they will be invited to a series of events where they get to see the car up-close and personal and have the chance to experience their new car's performance.

Nissan's Chief vehicle engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno said that the Euro-spec GT-R will receive a few tweaks that further improve the already impressive performance figures. The global GT-R has already undergone some minor tweaks like slightly stiffer springs and harder engine mounts, while the Euro GT-R will most likely be featured with new rubber bushes in the steering system and possibly a recalibrated rear differential.

Related links:

Nissan GT-R debuts at Geneva

Nissan dealers rip off potential GT-R buyers

Nissan GT-R in high demand

New Car: 2009 Nissan GT-R

Mercedes SLK reaches 500,000 milestone

Mercedes' most popular premium roadster has reached a 500,000 milestone after 12 years. With the creation of the SLK, Mercedes-Benz carved out a new niche in the market for the premium compact roadsters segment with innovative features such as the vario-roof and the neck-level heating system AIRSCARF. This first generation went on to sell 310,00 units until it was replaced by an all new model in 2004.

The second generation (2004 +) so far was just treated to a mid-life facelift featuring a re-designed front and rear with some slight interior modifications resulting in a much sportier appearance. This model sold in excess of 190,000 units with the UK market taking 40,000 SLK's. The engine range for the SLK also received some mid-life tuning from the Mercedes engineers, the manual transmission SLK now consumes 1.1 litres/100km less than its predecessor whilst power has gained 33 hp bringing the grand total up to 305hp.

Related link:

New Car: 2008 Mercedes SLK facelift