Chilton's Auto Repair Manual, 1998-2002 By Chilton Automotive Editorial Staff (2 on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes to build CLS Shooting Brake

Mercedes has announced that the CLS Shooting Brake, which was shown as a concept at the Beijing motor show in April 2010, will go into production in 2012.  Well, if you want a car that will turn heads around town – and find the E-class estate has a little too much room – then this is the car for you. Mercedes flatly refuses to admit that the CLS Shooting Brake is an estate, preferring to call it a ‘sporty four-door coupe with a sloping tail end based on the CLS’. In essence, this car is a hatchback version of the CLS, and despite a slightly raised roof, it still sits a full 10cm lower than its E-class sibling.

Fisker Automotive lays off some workers as government reworks loan

Work on the Fisker Nina family sedan has temporarily halted at the Fisker Automotive plant in Wilmington, Del., while the carmaker and the federal government hash out details of the company's $529 million Department of Energy loan. The interruption has resulted in the layoff of 26 people at its Delaware plant and a number of contract engineers at Fisker's Anaheim, Calif., headquarters. Fisker Automotive said some of the engineering-staff reductions in Anaheim were already planned to occur in between development of the Karma and the Nina.

New Vauxhall Astra (2010) – the Tease

The new Vauxhall Astra - teased ahead of a launch at the Frankfurt Motor Show [ad#ad-1] You’d think Vauxhall would have better things to do with the current GM mess than torment buyers with teaser shots of the new Vauxhall Astra. But, just like every other car maker lately, they seem to think that this is the way to lead-in to a launch. This time we’ve got a variation on a theme, with the New Astra being ‘Disguised’ by getting the car’s designers to drape themselves (and their paperwork) strategically over the car.