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Crunch watch Feb 09: the auto industry in crisis

By Tim Pollard, Ben Pulman and Ben Whitworth Motor Industry 02 March 2009 18:11 Monday 2 March• The Volkswagen Group announces a 5% rise in sales revenues in the 2008 tax year and a 3% increase in operating profits, up to €6.3 billion. Chairman Martin Winterkorn said the group's multi-brand strategy and low CO2 cars had helped sustain sales, although he admitted that 2009 would see a fall in demand and revenues (Volkswagen) Friday 27 February• Jaguar Land Rover announces a significant order for 13,000 cars from a Chinese business. It's a morale boost for JLR which has been hit by a slump in demand with the global slowdown (BBC News)• Opel this afternoon agreed to a restructuring plan designed to save as many jobs and factories as possible – but it needs a €3.3 billion lifeline from the state.

Honda CR-Z Mugen (2011): the first sketches

This is our first glimpse of the new, Mugen-tweaked Honda CR-Z. Developed by Mugen Euro, the UK-based arm of Honda’s long-standing tuning partner Mugen, this CR-Z features a whole raft of tweaks to turn it into a hot hybrid. As with the previous UK-spec Civic Type R Mugen, this new Mugen model is currently being touted as a one-off prototype, but just as that Civic was then built in limited numbers the same may happen with the CR-Z – and the individual parts may become available as aftermarket accessories too.

2011 Ford Mondeo: Moscow debut

The 2011 tweaked and tucked Ford Mondeo Ford have given the Mondeo a tweak or two to keep it fresh and have decided the ideal place to debut it is at the Moscow Motor Show in August. They’ve also sent us pictures so we can have a look at the cosmetic changes for the first time. We’ve covered all the news on the 2011 Mondeo’s engine upgrades – the 2.0 litre EcoBoost boasts and the three flavours of 2.0 litre Duratorq TDCi – and the new PowerShift six-speed, double-wet-clutch ‘box, so what is the Blue Oval offering up in the way of cosmetic changes?