The Auto Writer, Part II

Nissan to Market Infiniti Cars in China The Chinese luxury automobile market is booming and Nissan plans to enter the market in 2007 with its Infiniti brand of automobiles. Nissan is planning on setting up dealerships across China, particularly in major cities. China's auto market is exploding with year to year sales growth of 20% being recorded. Luxury cars are also in demand as sales of this all important and lucrative category is increasing at a 10% annual rate according to Xinhua. GM Pulls Plug on GTO General Motors has announced that the automaker will no longer be producing and importing the Australian built Pontiac GTO to the US market opting to discontinue production altogether. Derived from the discontinued Holden Morano, the GTO hearkened back to GM's muscle car era with its 400 h.p. V8. Still, the car was a disappointment to some as they complained about its bland styling. GM cited the Morano's earlier termination and the GTO's lackluster sales as reasons for killing the model. Instead, the automaker is expected to soon announce the return of the popular Chevrolet Camaro as well as its Pontiac sibling, the Firebird. Toyota and Simple Slim Toyota is incorporating an important engineering method in its quest to cut costs. The Camry, Toyota's most popular vehicle and the number one selling car model in America, uses "simple slim" to reduce engine costs. According to company news reports, Simple Slim is... "...a new technology for pouring molten aluminum into moulds to create engine parts. The new equipment, part of a larger Toyota cost-cutting program called Simple Slim, allows Toyota to use smaller and cheaper moulds." So, what does this all translate to? Big cost savings up to 50% on Toyota Camry engines. Instead of an engine costing $2000 to build, it now costs the company $1000. This same engine is also available in various other Toyota and Lexus models. A Scion Fighter For Dodge? Dodge's newest and smallest model is the Caliper, its replacement for the compact Neon. As the current entry level car in the Dodge line up, the Caliper is actually too big and too expensive for many new car owners. With that in mind, Dodge is toying with building a Scion-like vehicle, the Hornet to compete effectively against Toyota's Generation "Y" vehicle as well as against the Honda Fit. Dodge will be showing the Hornet at the upcoming Geneva Car Show in March. The car to be displayed is a full two feet shorter than the Caliper. According to a published report in Newsday, Dodge is looking for an offshore partner to build the vehicle for them.