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Crunch watch August 09: the auto industry

By Tim Pollard, Alex Michaelides, Ben Pulman and Freddie Fulton Motor Industry 31 August 2009 10:00 Welcome to CAR's news aggregator as we round up the seismic change in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hour  Monday 31 August 2009• Bank holiday today in UK; staff on a well earned break from Crunchwatch!Friday 28 August 2009• Toyota will stop producing vehicles at the New United Moor Manufacturing plant in California next March. Company officials and California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced the decision, which comes in the wake of factory partner GM’s announced that it would abandon the venture back in June (Detroit News)• Tengzhong may finalise its deal to buy Hummer from GM next week, well placed sources told AN (Automotive News, subscription required)• German economics minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg says it is 'hardly realistic' for GM to keep hold of its European outfit Opel and Vauxhall (Automotive News Europe, subscription required)• Ford's US cop car favourite, the Crown Victoria, is going to cease production in 2011 (Detroit News)Thursday 27 August 2009• Nissan and Chrysler have abandoned plans to build cars for each other in the wake of Chrysler’s alliance with Fiat.

Mitsubishi tease three new concepts for the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show

The three Mitsubishi Concepts heading for the Tokyo Motor Show The European Motor Shows may be over for 2013, but the Tokyo Motor Show is still to come (first public day 23rd November), and Mitsubishi are already teasing new concepts for their home show (above). All three concepts preview the future of Mitsubishi’s design language, and all three are SUVs/Crossovers of one kind or another. The biggest of the trio of concepts is the Mitsubishi Concept GC-PHEV, a proper full-size plug-in hybrid SUV, which Mitsubishi says offer dynamic driving and features MMC’s S-AWC (Super All Wheel Control) to deliver better handling and stability on-road and still be properly capable off-road.

MINI GP II on its way

MINI GP II on its way (MINI GP pictured) MINI has revealed that they are planning a MINI GP II – the most powerful MINI ever – to be launched at Mini United 2012 in La Castellet in May. When the first BMW MINI was close to its sell by date, MINI churned out the most powerful MINI ever in the guise of the MINI GP. And now, with the second generation MINI nearing the end of its life, they’re about to pull the same trick with the MINI GP II.