Japan quake threatens to delay U.S. output of Nissan Leaf EV

The March 11 earthquake in Japan could force Nissan to delay the start of U.S. production of its Leaf electric vehicle, now scheduled for late 2012. “The earthquake is putting us in a very difficult situation,” said Hideaki Watanabe, head of Nissan's Global Zero Emission Vehicle Business Unit.

Vauxhall Insignia CDTi 4×4 – the first diesel 4×4 in the Insignia range

The Vauxhall Insignia CDTi 4x4 gets launched in September The Insignia range is proving to be a big success for Vauxhall (and Opel, for that matter) with a strong range of models from the rep-special 1.8 petrol on up to the range-topping Insignia VXR Sports Tourer. And most models can be grabbed with a wide variety of trim and engine options to suit the buyer. Unless you want a diesel 4×4.

New Peugeot 208 production cut as sales disappoint

Peugeot is cutting back on production of the new 208 as its sales fail to reach expectations, just six months on from launch. It’s not enough when Europe is ion the midst of an economic crisis and car buyers are polarised between ‘budget’ cars that offer more for less than mainstream offerings and ‘Premium’ models that are bought on the back of a preconceived notion of more kudos. That leaves car makers like Peugeot (and Renault, Citroen, Vauxhall, Ford, Opel, Fiat…) between a rock and a hard place, unable – or unwilling – to compete with the offerings from Korea and saddled with a brand that doesn’t have the ‘class’ of an Audi or a BMW or a Mercedes or even a VW.