Australia's Holden to cease production after 2017, GM says

General Motors, in the latest blow to Australia's auto industry, will end vehicle and engine manufacturing and scale back engineering operations in the country by the end of 2017. The company's Holden unit, a mainstay in Australia for decades, cited the high cost of manufacturing in one of the world's smallest but most competitive markets and one that has also been upended by a steady rise in imports, mostly from southeast Asia. There has been widespread speculation of the move in recent days and earlier Tuesday, in Australia, GM officials said no decision had been made.

Chrysler announces high school design competition

Chrysler has launched its ‘Autorama High School Design Competition 2013'. The competition calls for high school students currently attending a Detroit Public School to design a future luxury Chrysler brand vehicle they picture for the year 2030. Students must submit their designs on one sheet of 14" x 16" paper using pencils, markers or paint and include their name, school, grade level and contact information.

Mazda3 Tamura launched

The limited edition Mazda3 Tamura hits UK showrooms in February Good car, the Mazda3, and if you’re looking for a Mazda3 with extra spec you could do a lot worse than the newly announced Mazda3 Tamura. Mazda already has Tamura versions of the Mazda2 and Mazda6 on offer which were launched last year, and now it’s the turn of the Mazda3 to get the Tamura treatment. The Tamura is based on the TS but gets a sporty styling kit including sports front grille, side skirts and sports bumpers, a set of 17″ alloys, front fogs, metallic paint and the required badges.