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• As gas prices bite, Americans go Roman and eye up Vespas

  - 2008-07-08

  WASHINGTON AFP — For the longest time, big has been beautiful in America, at least in terms of cars. But as petrol prices bite into American pocketbooks, US motorists are ending their love affair with the "Yank tank", and many are considering the ultimate step in downsizing: losing two wheels...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, car, SALES, Transportation, U.S.

• VW sales slip in May but post record five-month figure

  - 2008-06-20

  FRANKFURT AFP — Volkswagen sales slipped in May but Europe's biggest car maker nonetheless posted a record five-month figure of 1.57 million vehicles, it said Friday. The VW brand sold 318,600 vehicles worldwide last month, a drop of 0.8 percent from May 2007, a statement said. But the...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, car, SALES, VW

• Mercedes-Benz sales rise 3.5 pct in March with Smart boom

  - 2008-04-04

  FRANKFURT AFP — The German carmaker Daimler said on Friday that March sales by its Mercedes-Benz division rose by 3.5 percent to 131,500 vehicles from the equivalent figure in 2007 with a boom by the Smart car. Sales of the Mercedes-Benz brand itself declined by 2.9 percent to 119,400...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, car, SALES

• Schumacher raises interest in touring car championship

  - 2008-02-19

  BERLIN AFP — Hans Werner, boss of the German Touring Car DTM Championships, says the interest in Ralph Schumacher's debut season has already boosted ticket sales and generated extra media interest. The 32-year-old German signed for Mercedes on Monday to race in this year's DTM championships, whose 12-race season...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, car, MARKETING, SALES

• Europe injects verve into car lineup to weather US downturn

  - 2008-01-15

  DETROIT AFP — European carmakers sporting their latest models at the North American International Auto Show, are hoping to maintain a healthy share of the coveted US market, despite a discouraging 2008 economic forecast. Some 700,000 people paying for a glimpse of hundreds of the world's innovative concept cars...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, car, carmaker, SALES

• South Africa car sales drop last year: manufacturers

  - 2008-01-10

  JOHANNESBURG AFP — New vehicle sales in South Africa dropped by 5.23 percent in 2007, according to figures released by automobile manufacturers on Thursday. The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa Naamsa said in its annual survey that 612,707 new vehicles were sold in 2007, as against...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, car, manufacturer, Manufacturing, SALES

• Mercedes-Benz sales hit record 1.29 million units in 2007

  - 2008-01-08

  FRANKFURT AFP — German car maker Mercedes-Benz said Tuesday that the performance of its newest C class line had pushed 2007 sales to a record 1.29 million vehicles despite a slumping domestic market. Overall sales gained 2.0 percent compared with the figure for 2006, parent company Daimler said in...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, brand, Branding, car, MARKETING, Mercedes-Benz, SALES

• VW aims to overtake Toyota by 2018: report

  - 2007-11-21

  FRANKFURT AFP — Volkswagen, already the biggest European car maker, aims to overtake Toyota of Japan as the biggest worldwide in 2018 by selling 11 million vehicles, the German magazine Capital said Wednesday. VW, which sold 5.7 million cars and lorries last year, expects to reach its goal primarily...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, car, SALES, Toyota Motor Corp., Volkswagen AG, VW

• Vietnam car sales rocket 83 percent in first nine months

  - 2007-10-05

  HANOI AFP — Vietnamese car sales have rocketed 83 percent in the first nine months of the year, manufacturers said on Saturday. Sales have shot up to 49,240 vehicles against 26,934 in the same period last year, the Vietnamese Automobile Manufacturers' Association VAMA said. Passenger car sales between...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, car, manufacturer, SALES

• Auto show highlights new models and ways to cut consumption

  - 2007-09-09

  FRANKFURT AFP — The world's auto industry that meets this week at the International Motor Show IAA is counting on innovation and new models to stand out amidst fierce competition and pressure to preserve the environment. Major carmakers are battling weaker sales in western Europe and to a lesser...

  Tags: Agence France-Presse, car, carmaker, Frankfurt, Manufacturing, Renault, SALES, Toyota Motor Corp.