BMW, Daimler experiment with upscale rent-by-the-ride

Two European luxury brands are tiptoeing into car sharing, a radical move for carmakers whose business for the past 100 years has been selling to individuals. German archrivals Daimler AG and BMW AG have launched sharing programs. The automakers say the move was prompted by changing attitudes about car ownership, especially among young buyers, and increased urban congestion.

Mazda RX-8 – Just a few left

The Mazda RX-8 - fewer than 100 RHD cars left In an email that looked suspiciously like a warning from QVC that their latest pitched offering really is being gobbled up quickly, and you’ll have to pick up the phone NOW to secure their latest life-changing bit of tat, Mazda inform us that stocks of the Mazda RX-8 are down to the last knockings. We reported a bit back that the RX-8 was to make its way to the great scrapyard in the sky, another victim of the increasingly strict Euro emissions regulations - Euro 5 coming in to play in January 2011. So although the RX-8 will continue for now in some parts of the world,  production in Hiroshima has ended for the UK and Europe.

Land Rover Defender to return to U.S.

Land Rover will bring the redesigned Defender SUV to the United States as its entry-level vehicle, said Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover. The Defender could debut as early as 2015 and will be based on the DC100 concept shown at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show. The rugged Defender is currently sold in overseas markets and was last sold here in 1997.