Jaw Puller 3" Reversible New 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.

Renault DCross concept

Renault has unveiled its new DCross concept at the Sao Paolo motor show. This C-segment SUV concept is based on the Dacia Duster and is aimed at the Brazilian market, having been designed at Renault Brazil's design studio in Sao Paolo. As with the other Brazil-focused concepts revealed at this year's show, the DCross features exaggerated wheel arches, a raised ride height and heavy underbody protection.

Mazda marks end of RX-8 production with Spirit R edition in Japan

Mazda will close out the RX-8 sports car's run in Japan with a Spirit R edition, the same way it brought the curtain down on the RX-7 in 2002. But the RX-8 Spirit R won't make it to U.S. showrooms.