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Carlos Ghosn's automaker mantra: Go big or you'll go away

Size matters in auto company survival, Renault and Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn told an audience in Detroit on Tuesday. To cope with the escalating costs and scope of a global industry, successful automakers must complete a trifecta--be able to compete in every technology, every market and every segment, Ghosn said during a luncheon speech at the Detroit Economic Club “No 3 million-unit carmaker can make it,” Ghosn said, explaining why his Renault-Nissan alliance forged an alliance with Germany's Daimler AG. Competency in one or two of the three skills is not enough, and only very large companies can afford all three, he said.

Audi S3 Sportback (2013) prices revealed

Audi has revealed prices for the new S3 Sportback ahead of its arrival in September. The BMW M135i and Mercedes A45 AMG rival starts at £31,260 for the six-speed manual, but you’ll want to pay an extra £1480 and get the six-speed twin-clutch S-tronic 'box that helps the five-door version of Audi’s 296bhp Quattro hot hatch see off 0 to 62mph in 4.9sec. How does it compare to its closest rivals?

NYC approves Ford Transit Connect for taxi fleet

New York signed off on the Ford Transit Connect to be used for taxi service, paving the way for the nation's largest city to begin switching to the small van in place of the aging Crown Victoria. The move was announced Thursday after a public hearing; New York joins Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago on the list of major cities that have approved the vehicle for taxi service. The Transit Connect (and Taurus sedan) is approved for use now, but a Nissan van will become the exclusive vehicle in 2013.