It's beginning to look like the Smart division of DaimlerChrysler AG will survive, at least long enough to launch a new model of the ForTwo two-seater in 2007, but not a four-seat model.
The German firm recently decided to integrate Smart into its Mercedes group and invest a billion euros to keep it going.
There had been talk that DCX might sell Smart, or even scrap it.
Smart has been a modest success in this country, selling a small but steady number of diesel-powered units every month.
Mercedes has declined to sell Smart in the U.S., but an importer in California has finally put the model on sale using units purchased from regular dealers around the world.
NISSAN AFTER SOCCER MOMS: With sales of its Euro-inspired Quest well below expectations, it's interesting to hear that Renault-controlled Nissan will make the next generation of its minivan more of a "soccer-mom" special.
Quest stumbled badly in the market when it launched a couple of years back (particularly in the U.S.), causing the Japanese brand to rush in a substantial makeover for the 2007 model year at considerable expense.
But the facelifted model that will be going on sale soon didn't go far enough to suit Quest's new product boss, an American woman who has made it plain that the next version of the minivan (the 2010 model) will be created to suit its primary buyers -- suburban families.
MASERATI QUATTROPORTE: The Italian firm says it will address the biggest complaint about its luxury four-door sedan by adding a real automatic transmission to its powertrain offerings in 2007.
The classic automatic will join the current semi-automatic shifter, which is essentially a six-speed manual without a clutch plate. It operates through paddles on the steering column and makes the $130,000-and-up car behave strangely. It doesn't slow the glorious 4.2-litre, 400-hp V-8 down or anything, but it feels strange and that's enough to put off potential buyers.
HYBRID COSTS: While hybrids may save a little more gasoline than a traditional internal-combustion engine, it turns out that they take more energy to build than a regular car.
A hybrid version of a car takes four times as much energy to build than a similarly-sized gasoline-powered non-hybrid, says a study by CNW Marketing Research, Inc, and more than 30 percent higher than the industry average.
CNW says it used public records, manufacturer and supplier data and other sources to create an Energy Index for producing each of more than 300 models sold in the U.S. in 2005, virtually all of which are also sold in Canada.
The car that needed the most energy to produce was the VW Maybach, at more than 500 percent of the industry average.
On the hybrid front, the Prius Energy Index (EI) rating is 132.38, while the Toyota Corolla is 29.83.
According to CNW, "the difference is attributed to the high energy requirements to produce the electrical systems that companion with the gasoline engine. Also, lighter weight materials such as aluminum and plastic, demand more energy to produce than even light-weight steel."
Directly comparable vehicles, such as the Accord and Accord Hybrid show the former EI at 88.82 while the hybrid version requires an EI of 134.24.
The German firm recently decided to integrate Smart into its Mercedes group and invest a billion euros to keep it going.
There had been talk that DCX might sell Smart, or even scrap it.
Smart has been a modest success in this country, selling a small but steady number of diesel-powered units every month.
Mercedes has declined to sell Smart in the U.S., but an importer in California has finally put the model on sale using units purchased from regular dealers around the world.
NISSAN AFTER SOCCER MOMS: With sales of its Euro-inspired Quest well below expectations, it's interesting to hear that Renault-controlled Nissan will make the next generation of its minivan more of a "soccer-mom" special.
Quest stumbled badly in the market when it launched a couple of years back (particularly in the U.S.), causing the Japanese brand to rush in a substantial makeover for the 2007 model year at considerable expense.
But the facelifted model that will be going on sale soon didn't go far enough to suit Quest's new product boss, an American woman who has made it plain that the next version of the minivan (the 2010 model) will be created to suit its primary buyers -- suburban families.
MASERATI QUATTROPORTE: The Italian firm says it will address the biggest complaint about its luxury four-door sedan by adding a real automatic transmission to its powertrain offerings in 2007.
The classic automatic will join the current semi-automatic shifter, which is essentially a six-speed manual without a clutch plate. It operates through paddles on the steering column and makes the $130,000-and-up car behave strangely. It doesn't slow the glorious 4.2-litre, 400-hp V-8 down or anything, but it feels strange and that's enough to put off potential buyers.
HYBRID COSTS: While hybrids may save a little more gasoline than a traditional internal-combustion engine, it turns out that they take more energy to build than a regular car.
A hybrid version of a car takes four times as much energy to build than a similarly-sized gasoline-powered non-hybrid, says a study by CNW Marketing Research, Inc, and more than 30 percent higher than the industry average.
CNW says it used public records, manufacturer and supplier data and other sources to create an Energy Index for producing each of more than 300 models sold in the U.S. in 2005, virtually all of which are also sold in Canada.
The car that needed the most energy to produce was the VW Maybach, at more than 500 percent of the industry average.
On the hybrid front, the Prius Energy Index (EI) rating is 132.38, while the Toyota Corolla is 29.83.
According to CNW, "the difference is attributed to the high energy requirements to produce the electrical systems that companion with the gasoline engine. Also, lighter weight materials such as aluminum and plastic, demand more energy to produce than even light-weight steel."
Directly comparable vehicles, such as the Accord and Accord Hybrid show the former EI at 88.82 while the hybrid version requires an EI of 134.24.