Car and Van News

The diversification that has now produced MINI’s seventh model is all about giving customers choice, according to the brand’s product chief.

Dave Tuckett believes that without new models such as the Paceman, the brand could have had a short history.

Reports that Honda is making a return to F1 by way of supplying engines to McLaren has come as news to The Japanese car company’s executives at the Geneva Show.

News filtered out from The F1 rumour mill but company insiders say there is nothing happening as far as they have heard.

Toyota ended 2012 with a profitable European automotive business for the first time in five years – despite selling fewer cars.

According to Toyota Europe president Didier Leroy, the brand sold 1.143 million cars in 2008 but lost “hundreds of millions of euros.” In 2012 a profit has resulted from selling 838,000 cars.

New Chinese brand Qoros is making its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, promising cars made in China but with distinctly European roots and styling.

Qoros is a joint venture between China’s Chery Automobile and Israel Corporation, an industrial investment company founded in 1968 to attract foreign investors to help develop Israel.

Kia is looking to a new direction for the next stage of its phenomental success story, debuting its first hot hatch at Geneva.

The pro_cee’d GT is expected on UK sale by summertime, and will soon be joined by a five-door version dubbed the cee’d GT.

General Motors will almost certainly build non-Vauxhall/Opel brand models in its European factories, including its UK plant at Ellesmere Port.

GM Europe (GME) president Steve Girsky believes that the company needs to use spare capacity at its existing plants.

The true level of Hyundai and Kia’s impact on the European car market has been revealed in a new study by a leading economics consultancy.

The two South Korean brands are the fastest growing in Europe, and the study shows they contribute almost £1.4bn in revenue to European governments.