Cessna Arc Encoding Altimeter Ea-401a on 2040-parts.com

Chrysler to build an electric version of the Fiat 500 for the U.S. market

Chrysler will build an electric version of the Fiat 500 minicar for sale in the United States, starting in 2012, the automaker said on Monday. A prototype of the Fiat 500EV was shown at the Detroit auto show. The concept uses an electric motor, an advanced lithium-ion battery pack and an electric vehicle-control unit.

VW Touareg BlueMotion Hybrid for Detroit

VW are revealing the 2010 Touareg at the Detroit Motor Show including a BlueMotion Hybrid VW are taking the whole ‘Eco’ game seriously. They are rolling out ‘BlueMotion’ versions of cars across the range at regular intervals, the most recent being the sub 100g/km Golf BlueMotion. But most of these are tweaks to the suspension, aerodynamics and ECU of existing diesels to coax the best returns on emissions and economy.

Land Rover Defender to be built in Sri Lanka

The Land Rover Defender is to be built outside the UK in a new plant in Sri Lanka to produce Defenders for the region. Land Rover are assisting and training staff at a new assembly plant in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, run by Sathosa Motors PLC in a 50-50 deal with Land Rover distributors SML Frontier Automotive, with $1 million being invested to get the project up and running this year. It seems clear from the level of investment that this is simply an assembly operation using CKD kits from the UK for the Defender, but Sri Lank’s Daily News is reporting that there are plans to invest $500 million in the project.