Global sales to fall by 14%
NISSAN CHIEF executive Carlos Ghosn predicted annual global sales may total just 55 million units this year, and that it will take seven years to return to 2007's peak level of 69 million units.
He said he expected global vehicle sales to fall by up to 14 per cent in 2009. Speaking at the Global Competitiveness Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Ghosn said car firms are going to be in defensive mode for the next couple of years to cope with economic meltdown.
Opel collects Car of the Year prize, announces plug-in Ampera for 2011
Opel this week offered a glimpse of the European version of Chevrolet's electric plug-in Volt car, due to go on sale in 2011.
The car, likely to be sold here under the Ampera model name, will make its public debut as a concept car at the Geneva Motor Show.
Developed by Opel's parent company General Motors, it is based on the same platform as the next generation Astra and will be tailored to European tastes.
It will however, offer the same battery power range, offering 40 miles on the battery power and a total range of 300 miles if the small petrol engine is used to recharge the batteries directly.
The details of the revolutionary new model were released at a prize-giving ceremony on Monday at Opel's Russelheim production plant where the new Insignia was awarded the European Car of the Year prize. Before more than 500 employees, the award was presented by jury member Steve Cropley, editor-in-chief of Autocar (pictured below).
He said: "The standard set by this year's contenders was higher than ever, and the decision was one of the most difficult I can remember. We very much hope that buyers will recognise the Insignia's market-leading strengths, as we did."
The international jury, composed of 59 motoring journalists from 23 countries, voted for the Insignia in an open ballot, awarding it 321 points, one ahead of the new Ford Fiesta, on 320. The Irish Times motoring editor, Michael McAleer, is the Irish representative on the jury.
Japanese car workers to receive government-subsidised pay
Thousands of Japanese car workers will soon draw part of their pay from the government under a scheme to prevent redundancies at companies hit by production cuts.
Mazda and Mitsubishi Motors, respectively Japan’s fifth and sixth biggest carmakers, have applied for the employment adjustment grants, according to industry officials.
The grants are available to struggling manufacturers of all types but the particularly sharp downturn in the car sector, combined with a recent expansion of the programme, has made carmakers eligible for large levels of support.
Mitsubishi, for example, plans to build passenger cars at its main plant in Okayama prefecture on just seven days next month. On the other 14 weekdays, the plant’s 3,000 full-time workers will stay at home but receive 85 per cent of their wages, half of which will be paid by the government.