BMW Group and Allianz issues insurance and warranty for products

Not many car companies here in Malaysia have a used car program. BMW has their Premium Selection and Toyota has their TopMark service. It’s not easy to setup but it’s good because it allows the companies some kind of control over their product’s resale value. Not complete control, but at least there is some sort of avenue to influence it if you have a business where you take in used versions of your products, refurbish them, and resell them at a good price with at least a one year warranty for that peace of mind.

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Lotus and negotiations with donors Sauber Petronas

The new Malaysian-owned Lotus F1 team is in talks about being sponsored next year by Petronas, the state owned oil company. Petronas has been a long term sponsor of the BMW-Sauber team, who are being taken over by the mysterious investment group Qadbak but are not guaranteed a place on the 2010 grid.

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Husqvarna opened a new R & D facility

The Husqvarna brand will enter a new phase of life under the BMW group as the German automaker’s fourth brand. There’s even a new Husqvarna section in BMW’s Pressclub site alongside the BMW, MINI and Motorrad brands now. We’ll probably see much more from them from now on – the first step is to develop new appealing products, right? It recently opened a new R&D and administrative building, which will provide product development with the best possible support and permit optimum integration of all the functional units involved in the manufacturing processes for the entire range of Husqvarna products.

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Toyota Releases Pricing on New 4Runner SUV and 2010MY Cars

Just one day after the presentation of the all-new 2010 4Runner, Toyota released pricing on its truck-based SUV model as well as on four more 2010 model year vehicles including the Land Cruiser, Venza, Prius and Tacoma pickup truck. MSRPs for the new 4Runner (including an $800 destination fee) range from $28,300 for the two-wheel drive SR5 grade with a 157HP 2.7-liter four pot to $40,600 for the Limited grade 4x4 with a 270HP 4.0-liter V6. Toyota said that the V6 4Runners will begin arriving at dealerships in late October or early November, while the 4-cylinder SR-5 will go on sale in early January 2010.

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Lexus HS250h use counterpart Toyota SAI

When the Lexus brand was finally introduced back in its homeland of Japan, it marked the end of the Toyota-badged Lexus products such as the Toyota Harrier, which was essentially a Lexus RX. The Land Cruiser and Lexus LX twins are still on though.

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Turkey to be dropped from 2010 calendar

On the face of it, F1 recently presented a healthy 19 race dates for the 2010 calendar. But so many of those venues are under a cloud: Canada and Germany are subject to the signing of contracts, Britain's two alternative circuits are not guaranteed races, Spa's racing license has been revoked, and South Korea's new venue is only half built.

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Subtle Upgrades for the 2010 Model Year Fiat Panda Mini

Well, can't say that we blame you as we ourselves had to thoroughly check out the press release to discover the changes. On the outside, all 2010 model year Pandas adopt the more contemporary body colored grille found on the 4x2 and 4x4 Dynamic variants, new alloy wheel options, larger exterior mirrors and silver trim finish for the roof bars. Fiat has also added four new exterior colors to the lineup.

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BMW Vision ED Concept Slated for 2012 as M1 Green Drive

A new report has surfaced indicating that BMW will build a production version of the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept. Set to revive the legendary M1 name, the fuel efficient supercar will reportedly adopt the concept's aggressive styling and advanced powertrain. Inside, the car will feature a three-dimensional head-up display, a "digital dash" and a two-plus-two seating arrangement.

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F1 'clash-gate' with football world cup

The 2010 British grand prix is scheduled to clash with the final of one of the world's most popular sporting events, the FIFA World Cup.
The apparent July 11 date gaffe, jokingly referred to by the British newspaper The Times as 'clash-gate', could result in sports fans having to choose which event to watch.

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Chris Bangle - BMW Lovos Design Study Has us Wondering About Art

It must be fun to be a car designer. Unless, of course, your name becomes synonymous with a specific styling trend that very few seem to appreciate... but we digress. It definitely seems that 24-year-old Pforzheim University graduate Anne Forschner had a good time coming up with her BMW Lovos concept, which can alternatively look either like a frightened porcupine or svelte salmon, depending on its needs at the time.

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TopCar : Bentley Continental GT Bullet

TopCar, a Russian tuning firm that we got to know after its custom package for the new Porsche Panamera sports saloon, has just announced an aerodynamic and wheel programme for Bentley's Continental GT and GT Speed coupe models. Called "Bullet", the package includes a new bonnet with air-intakes, a GT Speed grille (only for the GT obviously), front bumper with LED daytime running lights and a lip spoiler, side skirts and rear bumper with an integrated diffuser and side air-vents.

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Aptera considering sales at Best Buy?

Might Best Buy begin offering the Aptera 2e when the vehicle is finally ready for sale at some unknown time in the future? Possibly. Though the video has since been removed from YouTube, some sort of promotional material from the big box retailer highlighting electric vehicles reportedly featured at least two separate cars from Aptera.

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