A possible agreement to that effect could help Maybach wriggle out of S-Class platforms. If the deal comes about, Aston Martin will be able to get hands-on to the Mercedes engines range.

The deal could also mean that Maybach will get a much spruced up with Aston Martin throwing in some amount of sex appeal into the luxury car.

Aston Martin’s truck with Daimler need not be considered as a first, though. Earlier on the two car makers had joined hands to build the Lagonda concept, based on the Mercedes GL. The concept, if you would remember, was lambasted when it was revealed.

With the two companies now coming together again for the Maybach, we hope things would be done on a better level.

(Via Jalopnik)

What most people are eager to hear is how successful Jaguar will be when it comes to building the turbine engines that the concept had. Sources at Jaguar have stated that it would be two or three years before the turbine technology could be implemented, followed by another three or four year period which would be required to integrate it into a vehicle.

The upside to this is that making a gas turbine engine is more affordable – it has fewer parts than the internal combustion engine has and therefore, has fewer mechanical processes that can potentially go wrong. Now that the word is that production of the concept is a possibility – it remains to be seen how and when Jaguar will make this a reality.

(Via Autocar)

Nissan also intends to build an advanced lithium-ion battery plant in Sunderland and the construction should begin next month. While the automobile facility will render 50,000 LEAF units annually, the battery plant will have a capacity of 60,000 batteries per year .Collectively, the investment for both these projects will be somewhere close to an astounding £420 million. Nissan LEAF is touted as the first mass-produced and affordable family EV in the world and it will throng many streets across the world in a couple of years from now.

Renault is committed to bringing smaller non-polluting commuters to the market (especially Western Europe) by 2011 and the Twizy will be the first product courtesy of the long term future plan. What is special about the Twizy is its Pearlescent white body coating and luminous matrix displays which can function as head- or tail- lights. You can also use these lights to create faces that communicate the driver’s emotions.

Power comes from a 20 hp electric motor which renders 70Nm of Torque. The motor is connected to a lithium-ion battery pack and this combination gives the commuter a 100 Km range.

Last year in September Ford Kuga was just a concept. It took them 6 months to put the robots at work and start production at the Ford plant in Saarlouis, Germany. 45,000 Ford Kuga are expected to leave their factory to customers in 32 countries of the world. The Germans decided to export around 84 percent of the units produced in Saarlouis. Biggest clients will be from Germany, Italy, UK, France and Spain.

Official debut will be in just a few days at Geneva.

via AutoUnleashed