Daimler will invest another 600 million euros ($734.6 million) by the end of 2013 in its Rastatt, Germany, plant to add a third shift starting in October to meet demand for its lineup of compact Mercedes-Benz cars. The carmaker currently builds the A- and B-class models at the factory. A third model, a compact SUV, will also be built at the plant, Mercedes said in a statement on Monday to mark the production start of the new A class. The investment will fund a second phase of expansion for Rastatt, bringing total capital expenditure to 1.2 billion euros, the automaker added. "By 2020 at the latest we want Mercedes-Benz to be the No. 1 in the premium segment, also in terms of vehicle sales," CEO Dieter Zetsche said in a speech in Rastatt. "Our new compacts are among our best weapons in this product offensive. Over the next 10 years the global market for premium compacts will grow by almost 4 million vehicles." According to a Daimler spokeswoman, that would lead to a premium compact market of about 10 million vehicles in 2021. Running at full capacity Starting in October, a third shift will be added to the plant in Rastatt, which is about 100km west of Stuttgart, and 21 additional shifts are planned, mainly in the first half of next year, Daimler said. Mercedes production chief Wolfgang Bernhard said the plant would be running at full speed even after the second expansion phase is completed. "I read recently that 40 percent of the car plants in the EU are operating at a loss. I can't confirm that figure but I can confirm that Rastatt definitely is not one of them," Bernhard said. Mercedes plans a total of five compact models, including an SUV and coupe, which will be in built in Rastatt and at the automaker's plant in Kecskemet, Hungary. Last year, the Mercedes brand sold 1.26 million cars and SUVs, behind rivals Audi with 1.3 million and the BMW brand, which sold 1.38 million. Hire / rent your car in Marmaris or in Turkey with Marmaris Car Rental!
Sixt entered into marketing partnerships and business agreements with Preferred Hotel Group, airBaltic and Iberia to extend benefits and services to its customers.
It was just a few days ago that Mini unveiled its refreshed Countryman at the New York Auto Show, and now it has followed up with the revised version of that model's coupe counterpart,
As usual, the second press day of the New York Auto Show was kicked off by the World Car of the Year Awards. Rather than fluff things up, we'll cut right to the chase: top honors go to the brand-new Audi A3, which bested the Mazda3 and BMW 4 Series for the all-important award.
Look closely, kids – you're staring at the face of a refreshed Volkswagen Jetta. Yeah, it's hard to tell, what with the only noticeable changes consisting of slightly updated headlamps and taillamps, and some other aerodynamic tweaks. But the big news for the 2015 Jetta is what you can't see.
This is Kia’s new Ceed GT, the five-door sibling of the three-door Proceed GT that’s just joined our long-term fleet.
When we usually talk about capturing new markets, it could be a reference to a new compact crossover or four-door coupe. In the case of the new 301, Peugeot is literally looking to capitalize on new markets...
The latest GLK Class, which arrives as a 2013 model, adopts fresh new styling, more standard equipment and a revised engine lineup.
Since its introduction in 2002, the Mazda 6 its all its incarnations has shifted over a million units.
Range Rover has topped its new Evoque SUV, with the unveiling of the surprisingly handsome Evoque Cabriolet Concept.
The seventh generation of the iconic Volkswagen Golf has been unveiled at a ceremony in Berlin, 36 years and 29 million cars after the Mk. I was launched.
A new 335bhp Audi RS3 will lay claim to the title of Britain’s most powerful production hot-hatch when sales start next April.
Audi has revealed its latest generation S3 hatchback that will makes its debut at the Paris Auto Show that takes place toward the end of September.
Ahead of its official debut at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, Audi has revealed the images and details of its new RS4 Avant which may be as a result of images having been leaked to the public yesterday.
Skoda’s upward trajectory continues a pace as the company posts record results for 2010, with over 762,000 vehicles sold. The Czech carmaker also has ambitious plans to double annual sales to 1.5 million units by 2018, thanks to an expanded range of models.
Ford Otomotiv Sanayi, a joint venture between Ford Motor and Turkey’s Koç Holding, aims to increase its total sales 6 percent this year to 320,000 units from 303,000, the company said.
Hyundai has revealed the New Generation i30 wagon ahead of its global launch at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.
BMW says it will launch a new joint car-sharing service with the German car rental company, Sixt AG. Starting in Munich and Berlin in 2011, BMW says the venture is planned to expand internationally, offering premium vehicles and a range of supporting services that the companies say will be the first of a kind for the industry.
Fiat has increased the size of the Panda and added a wider engine range to help keep the model's eight-year lead at the top of Europe's minicar segment.
As this year's Frankfurt motor show gets under way, there are clear signs that the motor industry has come back fighting after a few difficult years.
The Subaru XV concept crossover was just unveiled at the Shanghai Motor Show. The design is claimed to be something that is completely new called Protren. Protren is defined on Auto Blog as “expressing the integration of authentic functionality as a professional tool and urban and stylish design.”
Yes you want to own it, but can you afford to?
British luxury car maker Jaguar has released photos of a two-seater sports car that it describes as "the spiritual successor to the E-type".
Small European cars have a history of not living up to the hype once they make the journey across the pond to North America. Car enthusiasts took delight when Saturn announced that it would be selling the Opel Astra as one of their own vehicles.
Ford Motor Co. is on track to recover its No. 2 sales ranking in the United States, supplanting Toyota Motor Corp. after achieving its biggest one-year gain in market share since the 1980s.
As Turkey’s economy recovers, automotive sales have risen from 557,126 units in 2009 to a record high of 750,000 units in 2010, according to a report from its Vatan newspaper.
Renault has just announced a new compact mid-size sedan called the Fluence for its Turkish, Russian, and Romanian markets.
South Korean automakers predicted rising 2011 sales on US and China growth, while France’s car market ended a negative 2010 on a high note, with drivers flocking to bag scrapping bonuses before they ran out.
BMW Group has officially come up with details on the upcoming MINI Coupe. MINI Cooper Coupe comes in four different engine variants including the range-topping John Cooper Works edition.
Ford vehicle sales in Turkey and Russia increased significantly in October, highlighting the improving customer confidence and strong demand for Ford products in these two countries.
BMW AG anticipates that as long as business conditions remain positive, the profit margin of its core segment for next year will surpass its 8% to 10% target, CFO Friedrich Eichiner said in an interview with German daily Boersen-Zeitung.
In February 2011, new car registrations in Britain dropped by 7.7% on the year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. New car registrations totaled 63,424 last month and are expected to decline by 8.3% in the first half of the year before picking up in the second half.
Having applied for protection from its creditors, Saab will now have to rebuild its finances.
Wikipedia describes futurism as "an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy in the early 20th Century [which] emphasised and glorified themes associated with contemporary concepts of the future, including speed, technology, youth and violence, and objects such as the car, the aeroplane and the industrial city".
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan tested Turkey's first electric car on Saturday.
Auto sales in the Turkish market hit record high in 2010 with 760,913 vehicles marking a 36.58% year-on-year increase.
The manufacturer of Turkey's second sports car, Etox, is preparing to release the vehicle's electric version prototype within three months, according to reports.
Renault Latitude, the new high-medium class sedan product by Renault, will be in the Turkish market starting next month.
Karsan Otomotiv, the Turkish van and bus maker shortlisted to make New York taxis, will increase sales 10 percent to 20 percent in 2011 from last year’s 600 million liras ($390 million), Chief Executive Officer Murat Selek said.
Holding a meeting with Alan Mullaly, the chief executive of Ford Motors, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan asks from the automotive giant to invest more in its Turkey production.
We've driven the new 2014 MINI Cooper and it's great. One of the most iconic cars in the world, the new MINI has a new look, new technology, new engines and more space - all for a modest £400 price increase over the old car.
The Ford Fiesta is one of the best cars Ford has ever produced. It’s a truly brilliant supermini, combining a class-leading driving experience with great mpg fuel economy and a stylish, modern design to eclipse rivals like the Vauxhall Corsa and Volkswagen Polo.
The facelifted Renault Megan range is available to order from today, priced from £16,745
Watch out VW Golf: this is the new Ford Focus that’s been unveiled by Ford ahead of the 2014 Geneva motor show.
The Ford B-MAX won Auto Express' Best Five-Seat MPV award at the New Car Awards in 2013. It's well deserved, too: it's innovative, offers great performance and a wide range of engines.
Toyota has been the No. 1 car brand in 7 of the 9 years the BrandZ Top 100 study has been conducted.
The Audi A1 is the worst nightmare of the MINI, with stylish design, impressive interior and attractive price . There are no signs of compromising Audi quality, either, as the Audi A1 has all the hallmarks that make the Audi A4, Audi A6, Audi A7 and Audi A8 so desirable. Despite its compact dimensions it has a genuine big-car feel - comfort and luxury are consistent throughout, making the A1 a strong rival for the likes of the Alfa Romeo Mito, MINI and Citroen DS3.
Set for a debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show next week, images of the Volvo Concept Estate have found their way onto the web courtesy of Jalopnik. If the Concept Coupe from Frankfurt were a modern P1800, the Concept Estate is a modern P1800ES.
Volvo was the first Western automaker to export a China-made premium car to the U.S. with the long-wheelbase S60 Inscription in 2015.