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EV Battery Costs Drop 14%
4/17/2012The average price for an automotive lithium-ion battery fell to $690 per kilowatt-hour from about $800/kWh last year, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
Dealers Ask Italy to Reduce Luxury-Car Tax
4/17/2012Italy's auto dealer group Federauto is urging Prime Minister Mario Monti to roll back a newly imposed tax increase on premium vehicles that it says is "destroying" their luxury car business.
Suzuki to Open New Car Factory in China
4/17/2012Suzuki Motor Corp. has broken ground for a new 5 billion-yuan ($790 million) passenger-vehicle factory in Chongqing in southwestern China.
Auto Sales in Australia Rise 4%
4/17/2012Carmakers sold 97,600 motor vehicles in Australia last month compared with 94,000 units in March 2011, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Carlyle Group Seeks Buyer for Metaldyne
4/17/2012Private equity firm Carlyle Group LP has hired Bank of America Merrill Lynch to advise on the possible sale of its Metaldyne LLC unit, Reuters reports.
Car Sales Fall 7% in Europe
4/17/2012Passenger vehicle sales across Europe dropped from 1.6 million units in March 2011 to 1.5 million units last month the lowest March volume in 14 years, according to industry group ACEA.
Holden to Develop Models for China
4/17/2012Australia's GM Holden Ltd. has agreed to develop at least two new models for Shanghai General Motors and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center for sale in China.
Investor Confidence in Germany Stabilizes
4/17/2012Optimism among analysts and institutional investors in Germany this month remains nearly unchanged from March, says the Center for European Economic Research (ZEW). The center's Indicator of Economic Sentiment for current economic conditions in Germany rose 3.1 points to +40.7.
U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Rising
4/17/2012The US. emitted the environmental equivalent of 6.8 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2010, up nearly 11% from 1990, according to the U.S.
CAW Urges Canada to Adopt National Auto Policy
4/17/2012The Canadian Auto Workers union says Canada should create a national automotive policy to avoid a "precarious" situation in five to 10 years that could threaten domestic jobs.