Volvo Penta Aq 120 130 Steering Fork Yoke Arm Early 270 280 Drive 4 Cylinder on 2040-parts.com

Crunch watch Jan 09: the auto industry in crisis

By Tim Pollard, Ben Pulman and Gareth Evans Motor Industry 30 January 2009 12:39 Friday 30 January 2009• Honda is about to close the Swindon factory for four months when Friday's shifts are finished; the shutdown will affect 2500 of the 3700 staff, who will receive full pay for two months and then 60% pay for the next eight weeks (BBC News)• Porsche has announced a sharp drop in sales and likely profits. It forecasts a 27% drop in 911, Boxster, Cayman and Cayenne sales to around 34,000 units in the six months to the end of January 2009 (Financial Times, subscription required)• Ford wants Washington to do more to stimulate car sales, after posting a record loss of nearly $14.6 billion earlier this week (Detroit News)• Honda's quarterly profit has crashed by 90% – forcing the Japanese car maker to halve its annual profit target (Detroit Free Press)Thursday 29 January 2009• Ford of Europe is a bright spot in the Blue Oval's quarterly results today, making $1.06 billion pre-tax profit in 2008 (up from $997m in 2007). It's the first profit of more than $1bn since 1989 (Automotive News Europe, subscription required)• Volvo suffered a 'disastrous 2008' with a pre-tax loss of $1.46bn.

VIDEO: the Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6x6 in action

Australians love their pickup beds -- perhaps even more than we do. The Ford Coupe Utility of the 1930s was the initial salvo in a truckcar war that rages even today on the southern continent. From the late '50s into the '80s, the conflict consumed Detroit as well, spawning such revered nameplates as El Camino, Ranchero, Rampage and Sprint.

Peugeot SXC crossover concept Shanghai debut

The very sexy Peugeot SXC Concept It brings home how important – actually, crucial – the car market in China has become when you learn that car makers are building cars specifically for the Chinese market. Just last week we reported BMW, in collaboration with its Chinese partner Brilliance, has taken the already ‘Made for China’ LWB BMW 5-Series and turned it in to a 5-Series plug-in hybrid. A specific car for a specific market.