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Carlos Ghosn's automaker mantra: Go big or you'll go away

Size matters in auto company survival, Renault and Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn told an audience in Detroit on Tuesday. To cope with the escalating costs and scope of a global industry, successful automakers must complete a trifecta--be able to compete in every technology, every market and every segment, Ghosn said during a luncheon speech at the Detroit Economic Club “No 3 million-unit carmaker can make it,” Ghosn said, explaining why his Renault-Nissan alliance forged an alliance with Germany's Daimler AG. Competency in one or two of the three skills is not enough, and only very large companies can afford all three, he said.

BMW Classic Center opens to customers

Great news for vintage BMW owners: The German automaker has opened its Classic Center to customers. BMW says global demand for its vintage cars and motorcycles is growing. Its 200 clubs have about 200,000 members, and the company estimates there are 600,000 classic BMWs on the road--and those are just the ones the company knows about.

Spy photos: BMW's 3-series GT

The BMW 5-series GT has been a sales success for the German automaker, even though the AutoWeek staff is sharply divided over its looks. There's a redesigned 3-series coming for 2012, and a GT version is joining in the lineup. These spy photos give an early look at the 3-series GT ahead of its expected debut this September at the Frankfurt motor show.