06 Suzuki Ltr450 Subframe on 2040-parts.com

Selling cars with a French twist at the Artcurial auction

If you are one of those people who have trouble following the auctioneer when you are at an auction, I have news for you: Try following it in French. When you don't speak the language. The Artcurial auction, held on Friday night at Retromobile, has now happily concluded.

Mercedes G-Class by Vilner – fit for Cinderella

Mercedes G-Class by Vilner Bulgarian tuner Vilner has taken the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, re-trimmed it and made it in to an off-road carriage fit for Cinderella. It must be pantomime season when car makers (well, car tuners in the shape of Bulgaria’s Vilner) send out a press release for a product with half of it taken up with references to Cinderella. Yes, it seems the new Mercedes G-Class by Vilner is a carriage for for Cinderella.

Crunch watch Jan 09: the auto industry in crisis

By Tim Pollard, Ben Pulman and Gareth Evans Motor Industry 30 January 2009 12:39 Friday 30 January 2009• Honda is about to close the Swindon factory for four months when Friday's shifts are finished; the shutdown will affect 2500 of the 3700 staff, who will receive full pay for two months and then 60% pay for the next eight weeks (BBC News)• Porsche has announced a sharp drop in sales and likely profits. It forecasts a 27% drop in 911, Boxster, Cayman and Cayenne sales to around 34,000 units in the six months to the end of January 2009 (Financial Times, subscription required)• Ford wants Washington to do more to stimulate car sales, after posting a record loss of nearly $14.6 billion earlier this week (Detroit News)• Honda's quarterly profit has crashed by 90% – forcing the Japanese car maker to halve its annual profit target (Detroit Free Press)Thursday 29 January 2009• Ford of Europe is a bright spot in the Blue Oval's quarterly results today, making $1.06 billion pre-tax profit in 2008 (up from $997m in 2007). It's the first profit of more than $1bn since 1989 (Automotive News Europe, subscription required)• Volvo suffered a 'disastrous 2008' with a pre-tax loss of $1.46bn.