Honda 350x Engine on 2040-parts.com

Volkswagen creates R division for sporty cars

Volkswagen is officially creating a company to develop sporty cars; it will be called Volkswagen R GmbH. This may sound familiar--VW already calls some of its specialty cars Rs--and now it's bundling sales and development all into one unit. VW has the Scirocco R and the Golf R for cars, as well as the dynamic R Line of design trims.

GM to launch Chevrolet van in global markets

Chevrolet plans to launch a family van soon in several global regions, GM Vice Chairman Tom Stephens said Tuesday in showing analysts GM's future product plans. General Motors will base the van on its global compact-car architecture, said Stephens, who heads product development. He showed a picture of the van to analysts at a company presentation Tuesday, but his slides were not made available to members of the media.

Cash for clunkers plan revives trade fight

Import brand automakers and dealers warned on Thursday that a vehicle scrappage proposal before the Senate would violate trade agreements and could weaken the economy. The Senate could vote on the plan on Thursday, which would offer $10,000 to any moderate- or low-income consumer who trades in a car or truck that is at least 10 years old and buys a new one that is more fuel-efficient and "assembled in the United States." The trade-ins would be scrapped rather than resold. The U.S.-made mandate "smacks of the protectionism that led to the Great Depression," said Barbara Nocera, the top Washington lobbyist for Mazda North American Operations.