World Auto News & Reviews

BMW will give the go-ahead to a project that will see a super-luxury version of the MINI Cooper created by Rolls-Royce at the company’s Goodwood factory, a new report finds. Word of the MINI-Rolls tie-up first surfaced in June.
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At the season finale of the 2009 MotoGP in Valencia, BMW honored nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi with the ‘M Award’ for being the fastest man over the seventeen rounds of this year’s GP. The grand prize was a brand new BMW M3 Sedan, the fifth bimmer that Rossi has won in this competition over the past few years. Along with the award and the new car, BMW also gave Rossi the opportunity to get a taste of its new 450HP-strong M3 GTS Coupe, which made its first public debut at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit.
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Honda R&D Asia Pacific Co., Ltd. (HRAP) was officially launched with the Minister of Industry, Mr. Chanchai Chairungruang, presiding over the inaugural ceremony. The primary focus of this new centre is to address the rapidly changing consumer needs and market demands as well as strengthening Honda’s competitiveness in Asia and Oceania region.

Mr. Fumihiko Ike, President & Chief Executive Officer, Asian Honda Motor Co., Ltd. said, “Today’s opening of Honda R&D Asia Pacific Co., Ltd. represents an important step in Honda’s history and commitment to Thailand, which has become one of our core operation bases for motorcycles, automobiles and power products. We are currently producing 3.3 million units of Honda products annually for export to more than 80 countries around the world. We have steadily grown our Thailand functions into an important operation for Honda, not only in the Asia-Oceania region, but also for global markets.
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An official BMW document from BimmerFile shows that the pricing of the new 2010 BMW 550i Gran Turismo will start at $64,725, including an $825 destination fee. The 550i Gran Turismo will be the only variant of the BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo that will be offered in the U.S. when it goes on sale in spring of 2010.
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Kia Motors’ first US-built vehicle, a white all-new Sorento, has rolled off the production line at Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG), officially opening the company’s first US production plant.

KMMG is expected to produce 300,000 vehicles a year at full capacity and employ 2,500 people, with on-site and nearby suppliers creating 7,500 additional jobs in the region.“The start of production at our first manufacturing facility in the United States further demonstrates our commitment to growth in North America and we are proud to be adding 2,500 jobs to the local economy,” said B.M. Ahn, President and CEO, Kia Motors America (KMA) and KMMG.

Representing an investment of US$1 billion by Kia Motors, KMMG will establish new benchmarks for vehicle quality and productivity by utilizing some of the world’s most advanced manufacturing techniques.
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