Hidden Hitch 87780 Class Iii/iv; Receiver Trailer Hitch 2001-2007 Toyota Sequoia on 2040-parts.com

Crunch watch October 09: the auto industry in crisis

Tuesday 20 October 2009• Honda's CEO said he would consider launching electric vehicles for sale in Europe, Japan and the USA in a possible change of strategy for the Japanese car manufacturer (Automotive News, subscription required)• Ford 59-plate car sales up by 22% in September ‘09 compared to the same month last year. Ford claims a 14.8% share of total new car sales for the same period (Ford)• Porsche, VW and Daimler all sent top executives to the Shanghai motor show in April, but chose to snub the Tokyo motor show this week. The news comes as China’s automotive market is set to become the world’s largest (Bloomberg)• Toyota enters the Korean car market, challenging the 72% market share owned by Hyundai Motor Co (Bloomberg)  Monday 19 October 2009 • The organisers of the Geneva motor show claim that 'all of the major manufacturers have already confirmed their participation' for the March 2010 event (Geneva Palexpo)• Jaguar is auctioning off the first XJ off the line to raise £1m for the NSPCC children's charity.

Mercedes S-Class AMG Sport Edition – it’s another S-Class run-out special

The Mercedes S-Class AMG Sport Edition is another ‘final’ S Class model with extra equipment as the W221 comes to the end of its shelf life. The current Mercedes S-Class (W221) has been with us since 2006, despite which it’s still a fine car (and a great secondhand buy), but it’s about to be replaced by an all new S-Class. That’s why S-Class sales are falling and why Mercedes has rolled out the S-Class Grand Edition and CL Grand Edition to persuade buyers that a new S-Class (or S-Class coupe, in the case of the CL) is still a good place to park a sizeable chunk of change.

Are Peugeot Citroen set to be bought out by GM?

Could GM take control of Peugeot Citroen? Last year we reported that Peugeot Citroen (PSA) and GM were forming a joint alliance to cut costs and develop new cars. But we questioned if the small savings of €2 billion a year from jointly developing new platforms and engines would do anything to stem the losses both companies were facing in Europe, and wondered if the only solution was a merger.