BMW 3-Series Still Top Dog despite Strong Competition

In the ingloriously named, “small premium car segment”, the BMW 3-Series is king. A good all-rounder with sporting pretensions and cred, a nice assortment of engine and equipment options, and perhaps most importantly, a variety of body styles including a coupe and station wagon derivative that have ensured its market supremacy.

All 3-Series models are doing their bit to keep sales high. According to a study released by R.L. Polk & Co., from 2008 through this past February, the 3-Series sedan covered around 60 percent of the model's retail registrations, with the coupe, convertible and station wagon versions accounting for the rest of the sales.

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NHTSA Investigates 200,000 Ford Escape and Mercury Mountaineer SUVs for Shattering Tailgate Glass

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it has opened a preliminary investigation concerning 200,000 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner SUVs from the 2010 and 2011 model years, after receiving several complaints that the window glass in the tailgate allegedly shattered without warning.

The safety agency said it received 18 complaints noting that “the liftgate window glass shattered spontaneously, while opening the liftgate or while closing the liftgate. In one alleged injury incident, the complainant and her 10 year old son were cut by glass fragments."

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Nissan Brazil Strikes Again with an Ad for a Family Minivan that You’re Never Going See in the U.S. [NSFW]

Back in March, Nissan do Brasil aired a commercial, which drew the wrath of Ford’s local arm for making claims that the Detroit automaker charges customers too much for its family models. But while Ford’s people only saw a Focus and a pair of rappers dressed as engineers chanting about the money they made by overpricing the hatchback, some viewers were also captivated by the curvalicious bikini-clad models…

Now, Nissan of Brazil returns with a new TV spot, this time for the Livina 7-seater compact minivan. While the Japanese carmaker avoids referring to a specific rival, the theme appears to be similar: scantily dressed female models dancing provocatively and a tagline aimed at the competition. And oh; towards the end of the clip you may notice the Livina and young family of four (not that we’re complaining about the appearance of the ladies…).

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Sport Truck Redux: New Rumors About the Holden Ute Heading to the U.S.A.

It’s a poorly kept secret that many Americans are quite fond of the Australian-made and Commodore-derived, Holden Ute, which we recently drove in Queensland. It’s big, brutish and comfortable with a bevy of engine and equipment options to suit virtually any budget or taste - so long as those tastes only extend to, “Big, brutish V6 or V8 engined utes”.

Before the Global Financial Crisis of 2009, the subsequent bankruptcy GM and the disillusion of the Pontiac brand, as many as half of the Holden Commodores built in Australia were destined for the U.S. and the world in the form of the Pontiac G8. A thinly disguised Holden Ute even made a showing at the 2008 New York Auto Show as the Pontiac G8 Sport Truck.

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Honda USA Shows Some Personal Appreciation to its Facebook Fans

Recently, Honda USA’s facebook page hit the one-millionth fan mark. To show its appreciation, the Japanese brand responded with some personal gestures that, unlike the look of some of its more recent models like the Civic, took some of its fans by surprise.

For example, in response to a fan that mowed the Honda logo on his lawn, the Japanese company carved his name into the corporate headquarters next to the main entrance. Another fan that showed his love for Honda with a tattoo of the brand’s logo was surprise to find out that Honda's vice president of marketing got an airbrushed tattoo of his name and face. Finally, a fan that received a Honda haircut was emulated by a Honda associate who carved the fan's name in his hair.

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Saab Announces Strategic Partnership with China’s Hawtai Motor Group, Secures New $30 Million Loan

Spyker Cars NV and Saab president Victor Muller is pulling all the strings to kick start the Swedish automaker back into life after the company hit a cash crunch and was forced to halt production last month as suppliers refused to send parts citing lack of payment.

After an earlier announcement on the involvement of Russian banker Vladimir Antonov, who plans to invest €30 million in Saab’s parent company Spyker in return for a 29.9 percent stake, Muller hit twice today revealing that the company has secured a €30 million convertible loan from Gemini Investment Fund Ltd, while also announcing a new partnership with China’s relatively unknown, Hawtai Motor Group.

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Peugeot's EX1 Concept Breaks the Electric Car Record on the Nurburgring

It's not very often we hear about an electric car taking on the fearsome Nurburgring-Nordschleife track. A concept version of an EV is an even rarer sight on the “Green Hell”, but that's exactly what Peugeot did as it put the EX1 design study at work on the world's toughest circuit.

It wasn't just a pleasure ride, however, since Peugeot visited the ‘Ring to break the lap record for electric cars. And it did, with driver Stéphane Caillet lapping the 20.8-kilometer (12.92-mile) long track in 9 minutes and 1.338 seconds, at an average speed of 138,324 km/h (85.95 mph), in “very unfavorable weather conditions”, according to the French automaker. The previous lap record set by an electric car belonged to the Mini E racer, which lapped the German track last year in 9 minutes and 51.45 seconds.

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