Opel company is still in the unenviable position. Judge for yourself. In the GM Europe unit it was explicitly stated: for Opel to make a profit, you’ll need $ 1.2 billion, and to stop the mass dismissals, you should have about $ 4.5 billion. But where to take the money is unknown. This is why Opel is anxious about finding out.

For example, recently Markionne Sergio, the head of the Italian concern, Opel managers and trade union representatives of German company assembled at a meeting on cooperation. And immediately after the meeting came a disturbing rumor that the Fiat «daughter» Lancia is under threat of closure.

This turn of events is likely to occur Opel will be bought by Fiat. Deadly logic, because every year around the world more than 100 thousand Lancia cars are being sold, mostly on domestic market.

In search of a new field of application of his knowledge and maximalism Vincenzo Lancia - auto amateur and FIAT factory tester - decided in 1906 to open his own business in developing and producing cars. Vehicles that were sold under the brand name, were different from the FIAT models in large size, powerful engine and the rich interior decoration. From 1969 Lancia is an integral part of FIAT. Today Lancia cars do have the same original appearance and are the same luxurious inside and the same familiar to massive Italian buyer (not without the participation of the Italian authorities to stimulate demand for automobiles of FIAT Auto SpA concern by imposition of high taxes on import). Outwardly, Lancia cars totally ignore the issues of global unification, popular styles of car design and other attributes of modernity and still maintain a national identity.

But the biggest success “Lancia” reached in rally. The team has won the last World Cup for automakers in 1972 on Lancia Fulvia car. In the team classification for the World Championship Rally Lancia won 10 times. Three times (1974, 1975 and 1976) the team won on a specially set up for the rally Lancia Stratos, once in 1983 on a car Lancia 037 and six times (1987 and 1992) on the legendary Lancia Delta.

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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has published statistics on the recalling of defective cars. It was found that through the last year General Motors worked on their car bugs more than anyone else. Giant from Detroit recalled 1.8 million cars to fix the problem. Second place belongs to Ford (1,6 million recalls), while the third - to Toyota (833 thousands).

Car companies in the US, recall their products not just because of perfectionism, but because of fear of punishment. United States has a law about the mandatory removal of factory defects discovered after the sale of the car since 1964.

What is needed to eliminate the defect is decided individually in each case: by a producer himself, or by NHTSA. For the company which ignored a defect a serious penalty could be applied. For example, in 1970, Ford was punished by $ 137 million for ignoring the updating of a fuel tank of Pinto model.

Now producers do reinsure. For example, in August General Motors concern recalled 944 thousands of cars because of the problems with the heated washer fluid. Defects were detected in poorly insulated wiring. After three fires in the same models nearly a million cars were forcibly sent to be repaired.

General Motors was the largest American car company for 77 years until 2007, the largest producer of automobiles in the world (from 2007 the largest producer of automobiles is Toyota). Manufacturing established in 35 countries, sales in 192 countries. The headquarters are located in Detroit. Because of the crisis of 2008 GM officially declared bankrupt in June 1, 2009.

In 2007, the Corporation has sold 9.37 million cars and trucks.Factories do employ almost 252 thousand people (2008). Revenues for 2008 amounted to $ 148.98 billion (in 2007 - $ 181 billion), net loss - $ 30.86 billion (in 2007 - net loss $ 38.7 billion).

From June 1, company has started the bancrupcy procedure. US Government will give 30 billion dollars to GM and get 60% of stock, and Canadian - 9,5 billion and 12% accordingly.

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Recently, a director of Serco, Sir Tom Rial on one of the highways in the UK being late on a business meeting, passed a speed camera at the speed of 163 km / h with the maximum permitted 112 km / h. It would seem what is so unusual about that? Indeed, the speeding is not so awful, every day people, inhabiting The Misty Albion make hundreds and thousands of such violations.

And we also would not pay any attention to this violation, if not for one spicy detail. The point is that Mr Riall – is manager of the company, which manufactures speed cameras. As it is said, he stepped on his own rakes.

At the court, 49-year-old Riall did not deny his guilt, but also justified the fact that he was being late and have not paid attention on the vehicle’s speed. Now he faces a fine of 2500 pounds, and loses his driver license for two years. And still he quarrel with the various organizations fighting for the safety of road traffic. They considered this as an outrage.

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Ecological hatchback Seat Ibiza Ecomotive has established a new record for the consumption in its class. In combined cycle «Spaniard» used just 2.9 liters of diesel fuel per hundred kilometers. But after a larger sedan Ford Fusion Hybrid managed to show an average consumption of 2.886 liters per 100 km, the result of this “economy race” is not so impressive.

Of course, the driver is also not a simple guy. The car pilot Gerhard Plattner is a professional automotive “economy driver”. On one full tank (45.53 liters) of diesel 1.4 SEAT (80hp) with an experienced Austrian passed 1562 km on the roads of Spain, France and Germany.

But the record of the SEAT in its class was not the best result in the personal career of Plattner. Back in 2003, while driving Volkswagen Lupo 3L TDI, Gerhard traveled 4863 kilometers in twenty European countries with an average fuel consumption of 2.78 liters per hundred kilometers.

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Unusual presentations sometimes occur in the autoworld. For example, a sedan Opel Insignia, debuted in London last summer, flew about 45 meters in free fall, a few years earlier Maybach was delivered from the deck of «Queen Elizabeth» hanging on a helicopter pad to New York. Not so long ago guys from Porsche also acted that wild.

 
The official presentation of the Panamera was at Shanghai Motor Show. Mainly because of the boredom – and it is really a boredom to show the car among other pedestals of the exhibition centre. Much more attention to your hatchback you can bring if you raise it to the 94th floor of the Shanghai International Trading Center. And not by helicopter, but by the freight elevator!

At the end they’ve decided to do that way. Pushed the car with the different curious items in the elevator, the Germans raised the car at 435 meters - at the highest, as they say, presentation platform in the world. In addition, the new brand’s flagship has reached potential customers on its own wheels - straight to the doors of their offices.

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