This year’s Moscow Auto Show saw the unveiling of the latest sedan from Renault, the Latitude. Renault plans to sell this car in over 50 markets across the globe, which includes a number of Western European markets. Renault has seen some tough times in the midsize car segment and with the Latitude it hopes to regain its position at the top of this market. Renault’s share of the midsize car segment has gone down significantly and this was mainly because of the massive failure of the Passat-size Laguna. It has not even been able to hit the 50% mark in terms of sales.

Although Renault is very hopeful of this car, it has already drawn some attention in form of a controversy. The Auto Show in Paris will be a big test for Renault as the French unions will protest the fact that this car wasn’t built in Franc but Korea. It remains to be seen how much impact these protests will have in the performance of this car.

The Latitude is roughly the size of Chevrolet Malibu, has the option of two gasoline engines-a 2.5 ltr and a 2.0 ltr. Some of the features of this sedan include air quality management system and a massaging driver’s seat. Also, the air condition system can be managed by each of the seat occupants. All in all, it looks to be a fairly interesting car and the fact that technology from the likes of Nissan and Samsung has been used makes it a great prospect.

The launch of Estate has ensured that Mercedes is the first auto manufacturer to launch a luxury station wagon in the country. This proves Mercedes Benz’s commitment towards this market and its desire to provide the very best.

This car was launched during the auto fare in Beijing this April and Mercedes had started taking pre-delivery orders already during that time and it was a huge hit amongst the Chinese customers. This great response from the customer has given Mercedes a great boost in terms of its new model and it has played a major in Benz’s overall success.

The initial reports are highly encouraging, as they have already delivered around 46,000 vehicles to the Chinese customers and there has been an incredible increase in sales volume, almost 118%. This growth rate makes this car the fastest growing car during this period. It is no doubt that Mercedes is a market leader and most of its models have done exceedingly well and its extension of the leadership in the Chinese market ensures its global leadership.

With 990 cars in display from almost all major car makers, this year’s Auto China has broken all the previous records in terms of attendance. It has been hailed as the most successful auto show in world.

The event, a 10 day affair, was held at the International Exhibition Centre in China. This show saw the debut of 89 new models and 95 new energy efficient vehicles were also displayed for the first time along with 65 concept based cars.

The response to the event was outstanding, especially during the extended weekend due to May day which witnessed a footfall of around 145, 900.

Traffic was affected badly by the large number of people visiting the show and in some cases the exhibitors had to put restrictions on the number of people visiting their stalls. Though there was a bit of inconvenience, most of the visitors seemed to be very excited on witnessing such a huge collection of cars.

The success of this show has great significance in the Chinese auto industry, especially at a time when the Chinese auto industry is growing at a rapid speed and has taken over the United States to become the largest market in the world.

Although critics feel China has a long way to go before it establishes itself as strong auto market, the success of this show will definitely help in building a strong base for itself. China is one of the fastest growing economies in the globe and this industry plays a major role in it.

The illustrious Beijing International Automotive Exhibition for the year 2010 kicked started recently and was opened up for the general public. Considered to be the largest auto show in entire Asia, the exhibition is expected to attract a lot of crowd. Looking at the wide Chinese market for the automobiles, senior officials have been asked to make a visit to the show by the Japanese auto manufacturers. The show would run till the 2nd of May.

The automakers have mainly focused on the promotions of eco-friendly cars; both hybrid and electric keeping in mind the problem of vehicle emission in China. There have also been plans to lift the production of compact cars to cater to the swelling demands of the Chinese market. Volkswagen AG of Germany has emerged as the car leader in the market as close to 1.4 million cars were sold in 2009.

Suzuki Motor Corporation has also decided to join hands with their German counterpart and plan to increase their sales considerably by establishing technological partnership and part-sharing with the German manufacturer. Talking about Japanese automakers, Nissan Motor Corporation stole the show last year with an increase of 39% in their overall sales.

The surge in the sales had also to do with the tax break program of the Chinese government for small cars. Nissan is expected to launch its Leaf compact electric car by next spring. Honda Motor Corporation which appeared in the scene in 1999 also had a 23% increase in their overall sales. They have plans to launch a Civic compact car and some other hybrid models that would be produced locally.

The Geneva Auto Show turned out to be a delight for the hybrid car lovers. The illustrious Auto Show saw many automobile giants displaying their newest hybrids. The introduction of these hybrids together with several other announcements has forced one to think whether hybrids have now become the new powerhouse of the automobile industry.

According to the Vice President of Toyota Europea, Andrea Formica, the demand for the hybrid cars has really shot up in recent years with almost 530,000 customers trying their hands on the hybrids. The Auto Show had Porsche unveiling the hybrid version of the company’s sports utility vehicle called the Cayenne S. Automobile leader Toyota also plans to make hybrid available in its each model range by the this decade’s end. 

The response of Prius and some other hybrid among the customers have made the company very optimistic about the business of hybrid cars. It has been observed that mainstream buyers also do not seem to have any problems with the hybrid cars.

Jan Ake Jonsson, the CEO of Saab has a different opinion saying he does not see any increase in the overall sale of the hybrids. According to him, the hybrid cars are comparatively very expensive and are less efficient than the most of the modern cars that run on gasoline and diesel.

The increase in the prices of gas and the strict norms also seem to be the reasons for manufacturers and customers showing their interest in the hybrid cars, which may see a major development in the upcoming years.

Although the news may bring a huge surprise to many faces, it is indeed true that Ferrari is going to showcase its first official hybrid product at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show which will kick start in March this year. The decision of the company to finally take on the hybrid turf has not affected the image of the company in any way. The hybrid that would be put on the display will be a 599 GTB Fiorano.

The car with a rear mount motor that runs on electricity will have a lithium-ion based battery source and is also intended to have a KERS energy recovery system version. The hybrid is expected to run 14 miles per gallon which is far more than the 9 mpg of the gasoline powered version.

The hybrid would have the popular V12 engine of Ferrari and the KERS set up would make it possible to charge the batteries from the energy that is captured from breaking. The hybrid would also consume less gasoline as its engine would shut down when the vehicle is not in motion.

The newly evolved electronics of the car ensure faster response to the commands of the driver and the F1 gearbox shifts are even more prompt in high performance settings. The exterior and the interior which have been made with carbon-fiber make the car look very sporty.

The 20 inch wheels with a diamond cut and special silver finish look really stunning and the cabin of the car also has a sophisticated look. There were speculations about a hybrid from Ferrari last summer but this looks very much official!

The 2009 Guangzhou International Motor Show was one gala event which saw almost 720 models and as many as 70 manufacturers from across the globe. Carmakers from all over the world turned out in large numbers to get their hands on what is believed to be the largest car market of this world. The global recession seemed to have had little impact on this show as it saw a staggering increase of 10% in the number of cars and manufacturers.

The show was also a great hit with the spectators who turned out in full force and there were a total of 51,200 present on the opening day of the show. The figures easily surpass what was seen last year. One of the organizers confirmed that the promotion of their brands, new technologies and the new propulsion system headed the agenda of the companies at this year’s event. China has seen an enormous increase in the demand of the cars and if sources at The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers are to be believed, the number of cars that China has sold this year is close to a staggering 13 million. This rapid growth has also meant that China is now the largest car market in the world.

The Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors have shown a remarkable performance over the last quarter and the Beijing Hyundai Motor has sold almost close to 500,000 vehicles this year. This year’s show also saw foreign carmakers laying more importance in promoting their premium models.

The Los Angeles Auto Show which is going to be held next month would be used a launch pad by Porsche to unveil a lightweight addition to the Boxster range. The new car has improved styling and power with a better handling and a reduction in its weight. The new Boxster Spyder has a low slung soft top and it stretches more than the base and S cars. The car also has a similar look to the Carrera GT supercar with lower side windows and a rear lid.

The 3.4 liter boxer six-cylinder provides the power to the car with a total of 320 hp. The car features a new sport suspension and standard differential, these together with the specific wheels improves the overall handling of the car. Weighing close to 2,811 pounds, the Boxster Spyder promises to be the lightest car in the present range of Porsche. The aluminum doors and the interior door panel of the car which are same as those used in 911 GT3 RS, make the Boxster Spyder weigh 176 pounds lesser than Boxster S. This reduction in weight means that the car takes just 4.6 seconds for a transition of 0 to 60 on cars that boast ZF dual clutch transmission.

With its roof down, the car manages to reach a top speed of 166 mph. The Spyder will be the third model in regular production line up of Boxster, after the base and S versions. The car would be available in February as a 2011 model and is expected to have a base price of $61,200.

Mitsubishi planned a major release with as many as 16 cars in their coveted list. Ten out of those models are set to qualify for eco-car tax incentives at Japan. The PX-MiEV hybrid and the i-MiEV Cargo are the models worth mentioning when you talk about the concept car of the company. The latter is an extended version of the former and has a very spacious cargo and would possibly be delivered in smaller fleets.

Honda is also planning to make a mark on the show and use the platform to reveal its three brand new concepts. The highly innovative CR-Z prototype, an electric mini called the EV-N and a six seater hybrid known as the Skydeck are the ones that would bear the Honda flag at the Tokyo Motor Show.

The Frankfurt Motor Show has always been a place where the German car makers showcase their best machines and their rivals pose a challenge for them. This year was no different with beautiful cars like the Bentley and the Rolls Royce setting the tone. The other super cars adding the charm to the show included the Lamborghini Reventon spider, Ferrari 458, a Porsche, the Mercedes SLS and the Aston Martin Rapide.

The carmakers at the Frankfurt Motor Show have tried their best to cut the use of fossil fuel in their cars and produce cars which are more eco-friendly and out of all the exhibitors at the show, Mercedes came out on top in this respect. The focus of the automakers has also shifted to the use of batteries in their cars. Renault and Peugeot have already a line ready to launch by 2011. The Show also saw Tesla throwing its electric sports car in front of the audience as did Mercedes AMG with its SLS version and Audi with the electric R78 derivative.

Michael Macht also expressed his views and was convinced that Porsche will also have an electric sports car of its own pretty soon. For people who embark on occasional long trips, Choca provided the answer. The car has hybrid plugins which can be recharged and you can cover as many as 30-50 miles before petrol or diesel engine takes control. The Frankfurt Motor Show mainly had cars with a low-carbon technology on view which seems a major threat for small budget independent companies.