1475-nn1a-003 Tachometer, 00041194-0g195e on 2040-parts.com

GM cancels Opel Vauxhall sale to Magna

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 03 November 2009 22:59 General Motors tonight surprised the world by pulling its proposed sale of its European division – Opel and Vauxhall – to Magna. In a dramatic U-turn, Detroit said 'an improving business environment for GM over the past few months' had made it reappraise its spin-off plans.The 11th hour switch means that GM will still retain full ownership of Opel and Vauxhall, which will now 'be restructured in earnest'. Canadian parts giant Magna had won the race to buy a controlling stake in GM Europe, as a newly relaunched Detroit sought to shore up its finances.

2011/2012 Kia Rio Revealed

2011 / 2012 Kia Rio With the inexorable move by Hyundai and Kia to higher quality, Euro-centric cars the Kia Rio is overdue to be Euro-fied. After all, it’s two years since the Hyundai Getz got brought in to the 21st century by morphing in to the i20. So after a tease for the new Kia Rio last month, the bland (albeit it cheap) Kia Rio makes way for the Kia version of the i20 – the 2012 Kia Rio – which will make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in a couple of weeks, with the five door Kia going on sale in September and the three door on sale in early 2012.

Driven: Fisker Karma

Even top-flight car designers are usually not known for their business acumen. So Henrik Fisker's announcement that he would build the "the world's first luxury plug-in hybrid" was met with some cynicism as he stood next to his Fisker Karma concept at the 2008 NAIAS in Detroit. Three years on and CDN is one of the first to get to drive Fisker Automotive's production Karma, a car so hot of the press this model is number three or four off Valmet Automotive's production line in Finland.