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Fuel protests halt Spanish car production

By Dimitri Pesin Motoring Issues 16 June 2008 10:25 Fuel protests in Europe triggered by the soaring cost of fuel have drastically reduced car production in Spain this month.  Last week's truck blockades and fuel depot pickets in Madrid caused car plants around the country to cut production. Seat, Citroen Peugeot, Ford, Nissan, Renault and Mercedes-Benz all have factories in Spain and most said they were affected.Seat production slashed by 40 percentSeat said its main Martorell plant was operating at 40 percent capacity, with production of the Leon and Altea models severely affected. However, the protests won’t delay sales of the new Ibiza, a spokesman promised, and assembly of cars in the factory is expected to return to normal this week.

Local Motors Active Lifestyle Vehicle Challenge winner announced

The winner of the first Local Motors Active Lifestyle Vehicle Challenge has been revealed as John Bukasa, who won $1,500 for his CLIMAX design. This was the first contest held as part of the annual Lifestyle Vehicle of the Year awards – which are in their tenth year – hosted by Carspondent, which celebrates the cars that best cater for people leading active lives. The brief challenged designers to develop a concept that enhances its owner's performance as an athlete or active adult/family.

Nissan to show GT-R crossover in Sao Paulo?

Nissan has teased a concept car to be unveiled later this month at the Sao Paulo motor show in Brazil with two renders. It's hard to tell what format the car is, but these obscured images could show a GT-R-branded coupe/SUV crossover designed specifically for the Brazilian market. This would make sense in a market where rugged SUVs with high ground clearance for sub-standard roads are so commonplace.