Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

How Porsche will be integrated into VW

By Georg Kacher Motor Industry 20 November 2009 12:32 Although Porsche won't be a fully integrated member of the Volkswagen group before mid-2011, the sports car maker can even at this early point in the merger no longer make independent strategic decisions. After all, Martin Winterkorn has effectively been appointed head of the Porsche SE Holding which in turn employs the Porsche AG chairman Michael Macht.  With a takeover as costly and complicated to fund as this one – all in all, VW will have to fork out a staggering €16 billion to absorb the latest family member – it is only logical that the new owner wants to get the restructuring process going asap. Overnight, Porsche has become easily VW's most expensive brand.How VW will integrate PorscheTo protect and eventually enhance its value, the powers in Wolfsburg will leave no stone unturned to rearrange the product portfolio, to streamline R&D, to shake up purchasing and production, and to ensure a variety of synergies which are estimated to range from €500m to €750m per year.

How Lexus execs rescued the GS sedan

Eighteen months ago, Toyota had all but scrapped its plans for the redesigned Lexus GS 350 sedan that was unveiled in Monterey, Calif., last week. At the time, the company was pouring engineering resources into resolving its unintended acceleration crisis and was busy changing quality and safety procedures. Plus, the GS' underwhelming sales in the United States and Europe made for a weak business case against the Mercedes E-class and BMW 5-series.

Hyundai UK target SME fleet sales

Hyundai Basildon (pictured), one of Hyundai’s new Fleet Business Centres The last few years has seen Hyundai convince the car buying public that their cars are as credible and well built – not to mention appealing – as anything from the mainstream; no longer a budget option, Hyundais are now a real force. So once you’ve cracked Joe Public and his preconceptions, the next step is to crack the bit of Joe Public that buys a few cars at a time – the owners of small and medium businesses (SME) with a modest fleet (by fleet standards) of up to ten cars. With that in mind, Hyundai has appointed 27 Fleet Business Centres at Hyundai dealers across the UK with dedicated staff – and extra hand-holding and facilities – to coax the small business owner in to a bit of Hyundai goodness for his/her business.