FIAT announce's 500 cabrio

Watch out Mini Cooper, Fiat is on a roll. Following the successful launch of the 500 hatchback which outsold the Mini Cooper, Fiat has announced that a cabriolet will be joining the line-up next year.

This information comes from the manufactures styling director, Roberto Giolito, who revealed at a recent conference in Turin, Italy, that the car will feature a traditional fabric soft-top.

Giolito explained that the car will remain simple and affordable and that recent advances in fabric roof design will remove some off the perceived drawbacks. “They’re now tougher and more resilient through the use of new materials,” he told journalists.

Lower cost is not the only benefit of a fabric roof. The design also weighs less and takes up less room than a complicated folding hard-top which in the end should also improve fuel economy, performance and carbon-dioxide emissions.

Engine will also likely stay the same as the coupe, which means the new 70bhp 1.2 and 100bhp 1.4 petrol engines and the fuel efficient 75bhp 1.3 Multijet diesel will be carried over.

Also planned for production is a new wagon called ‘Giardinetta’ which translates to "garden" in Italian and is expected to be launched late next year.

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Toyota to export U.S built vehicles to emerging markets

Sales of large SUV's and pick-up trucks have been pummeting in the U.S for a few months thanks to rising fuel prices and growing environmental concerns have forced customers demand towards smaller and more economical vehicles.

Fast-growing car markets like the Middle-East, Russia and China, where gas-guzzling SUVs still sell in massive numbers, could allow Toyota to ramp up production at one of its under-utilised U.S. factories. According to a Japanese newspaper, Toyota will begin shipping the large Sequoia SUV to the Middle East later this year and the Sienna MPV as early as 2010 to China and other markets.

Both models are built at a plant in Indiana but extra capacity could be utilised at Toyota’s Texas light truck facility.

Toyota currently sells all vehicles built in the U.S within North America except for the Avalon sedan, which it already exports to the Middle East in limited numbers.

Ford to import Kuga SUV and C-Max MPV to U.S

Ford is continuing with its European invasion into the U.S. The Fiesta sedan and European Focus has been given the green light for import and the Kuga and C-Max should be ready by 2010 and 2011. These will be third and fourth of Ford’s global cars to come Stateside.

Both models will be based of the C1 platform which is used on the Volvo S40/Volvo V50, Ford Focus and Mazda3. The current U.S. Focus uses an older generation of the platform but all three models - Focus, Kuga and C-Max share the same underpinnings in Europe.

2010 will see the launch of the U.S Fiesta sedan followed by the European Focus in 2011 and 2011 or 2012 for the Kuga and C-Max although the latter dates aren't official.

Ford also announced that it would be synchronising the product development cycles between the U.S, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region now that it is moving to global platforms. The move is intended to keep supply chains and economies of scale advantages that would disappear if models aren’t receiving updates at the same time across the global market.

Skoda to produce first generation Octavia again

Launched back in 1998, the first generation of the Skoda Octavia will come back into production as a discount model to provide value for money to such rivals as Kia, Hyundai and Dacia.

Although details have been kept under wraps, the newcomer is set to go on sale in 2010 with a price tag of £10,000 and it will be well equipped with front electric windows, electrically adjustable/heated door mirrors and air-conditioning.

Skoda has described the car as a "world car" and will be available across Europe as emerging car markets such as China. It is possible that the first models will use an upgraded version of the VW Group’s 1.9-litre diesel and its 2.0-litre petrol engines, however, smaller, more economical engines may also be offered at a later date.

The newbie is likely to share some of its design and engineering with the recently confirmed SEAT Bolero which is based on the last Audi A4 platform.

Volkswagen Routan pricing announced (U.S)

Volkswagen USA have announced pricing of the new Routan. The Routan is based on the Chrysler Grand Voyager/Town & Country and rivals the like of the Dodge Caravan, Chrysler Town & Country, KIA Sedona, Hyundai Entourage, Toyota Sienna and the Nissan Quest.

Prices start from $24,700 for the entry level S grade, $29,600 for the SE grade and $33,200 for the flagship SEL grade. As an added incentive VW is partnering with Upromise, the country's largest private source of college funding, to offer Routan customers $1500 towards customers kids college education.

"We know parents are concerned about saving for their kid’s future. To help families tackle this challenge of saving for college, we’re excited that we are able to partner with Upromise,” said Tim Ellis, Vice President of Marketing, Volkswagen of America, Inc. “We’re aware that the cost of college continues to rise exponentially, far outpacing inflation, and our hope is to help our customer’s off-set that cost, while getting a great new vehicle.”

The minivan will go on sale in the U.S this September.

Prius sales exceed 1,000,000 units

Despite the credit crunch and rising fuel prices, the successful Toyota Prius hybrid has sold in excess of a million units worldwide ever since its launch back in 1997, 1,028,000 to be precise.

Although the Prius only ventured beyond Japan in 2000, over 100,000 units have been sold in Europe since then with the UK market taking 23,893 Priuses

The Prius continues to perform strongly despite being an old model in a struggling new-car market. UK sales are up 7.1% in April this year compared to last years sale in the same period. In the U.S, sales rose by a staggering 67% last month.

It’s claimed that since the car’s launch, Prius vehicles have contributed to reducing CO2 emissions of approximately 4.5 million tonnes when compared with conventional vehicles of the same class.

Infiniti gains 10,000+ potential customers

Nissan's luxury marque, Infiniti has launched an exclusive digital reservation list for potential customers ahead of its European launch. The site, http://www.infiniti.eu/ gives those who sign up top priority in purchasing a new Infiniti before pre-orders begins.

After signing up and receiving your own personal reservation number, you will be invited by your nearest Infiniti centre to specify your desired car before pre-ordering is opened to the public.

According to Infiniti Europe’s marketing director, Bastien Schupp, 10,000 + people have signed up to be an “Infiniti Insider”. Schupp said, “We are pleased to see that excitement and anticipation are building even faster than we expected”.

Infiniti is to launch across Europe over the next two years; first countries to open it doors are France, Spain and Italy in October 2008, followed by Germany and the UK in April 2009 and Sweden in January 2010.

The European line-up will consist of the EX-Series, G-Series sedan, coupe & convertible, and the flagship FX-Series SUV and a series of V6 and V8 petrol engines but in 2010, in conjunction with Renault, a V6 diesel will arrive which is expected to be the most popular engine.