Volvo Timing Belt 4 Cylinder on 2040-parts.com

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.

Maserati Gran Cabrio at 2009 Frankfurt motor show

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 24 August 2009 10:30 Maserati has unveiled a convertible version of its gorgeous Granturismo. Called the Grancabrio, it’s the first four-seat convertible from the Italian company and will make its debut at the Frankfurt motor show in September 2009. With the apt application of a can opener.

Nissan unveils a new commercial van, the NV, for North America

Sensing an opportunity to bring an all-new model to a sometimes stagnant segment, Nissan unveiled its first commercial vehicle for North America, the NV, on Wednesday at a work-truck show in St. Louis. The NV, or Nissan Van, will come with two engines: a 4.0-liter V6 or a 5.6-liter V8.