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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.

Mercedes CLA 45 AMG Edition 1 revealed

The launch edition of the CLA AMG – the Mercedes CLA 45 AMG Edition 1 (pictured) has been revealed Launch editions are a way to tempt buyers in to a new model in quick sticks, so Mercedes has revealed the launch model for the new CLA45 – the Mercedes CLA 45 AMG Edition 1. Frankly, we’d be surprised if MB has any real trouble finding buyers for the CLA 45 AMG, but a launch edition with extra goodies is always a ‘nice to have’, and the CLA45 version looks appealing. The changes aren’t huge for the Edition 1, but they do include a gloss black spoiler at the back, graphite grey side stripes, a set of 19″ matte black alloys and red detailing for the mirrors, wheels and grill.

New British car company coming?

British entrepreneur David Brown, not to be confused with the late Aston Martin owner Sir David Brown or the former British Prime Minister, has announced the upcoming debut of a new luxury sports-car brand bearing his name. Brown has teamed up with ex-Land Rover chief designer Alan Mobberley to create the new car, dubbed "Project Judi" for now. This wouldn't be an update of any existing model but rather an all-new exterior and interior design.