Tata ready to move Nano plant away from contentious region

The Tata Nano may be the most expensive vehicle ever to be the cheapest new car on earth. Violent protests at one of the car's planned assembly sites have gotten so rampant that the Indian automaker is near a deal to exit the nearly completed West Bengal facility all together. Just a few days after a supplier CEO was killed by a mob of protesters, two body guards were also assaulted at the contentious facility. The controversy in West Bengal centers around the land that local farmers lost to the $200 million Euro facility, and with the building nearly complete, it's hard to believe that land will be returned any time soon even if Tata did abandon the region.

Word out of India is that the state of Karnataka has offered Tata Motors 1,000 acres plus incentives to move Nano production there, and the local media is reporting that Tata is going to announce plans as early as next week. We're not in the micro car business, but if we were, we'd avoid building them where there is the constant threat of being beaten or killed by an angry mob. Moving Nano production to a region that actually wants the Tata there seems like a foregone conclusion at this point.

[Source: Motor Trend]

IMSA makes the Murcielago LP640 Spyder even more outrageous

Not many cars can compete with the Lamborghini Murcielago Spyder's ability to attract attention. With 640 horsepower on tap, not many cars can keep up with it either. Even German tuner IMSA questioned whether the car could be improved, but, of course, that didn't stop them from trying. They have developed an engine package that pumps the V12 up to 708 horsepower, knocking off a tenth in the sprint to 60 mph and raising top speed to 217 mph. IMSA adds its GTR widebody kit as well that includes a new front bumper, side skirts with widened intakes, a carbon fiber diffuser and rear spoiler. Inside, the carbon fiber and leather seats have been color-matched to the exterior. It's not necessarily everyone's taste, but it is wickedly fast and sure to attract attention.

[Source: IMSA via SeriousWheels.com]

September 2008: Nobody Wins Edition

We're not waiting for Suzuki to reveal its September 2008 sales results any longer, as it is highly unlikely that the little Japanese brand will arise as the only brand/automaker to post positive numbers this month. Take a good look below, as it's the first time since we started publishing sales data back in mid-2006 that every single brand and automaker is in the red. It doesn't matter how you slice it, whether you look at the change in volume from Sept. 2007 to Sept. 2008 or if you consider the change in the Daily Sales Rate. Everyone is down.

For the record, we suppose Audi is this month's Biggest Winner with a sales drop of just 5.4%, while HUMMER is again our Biggest Loser with a 54.8% fall in sales. You can peruse the rest of the carnage below for yourself.

BY THE NUMBERS - September 2008
Brand	Vol. % Change	Total Sales 9/08	Total Sales 9/07	DSR % Change	Daily Avg. 9/08	Daily Avg. 9/07
Acura	-30.4%	9,997	14,369	-27.5%	417	515
Audi	-5.4%	7,584	8,020	-1.5%	316	321
BMW	-29.5%	14,744	20,901	-26.5%	614	836
Buick	-20.5%	14,121	17,754	-17.1%	588	710
Cadillac	-39.1%	12,432	20,398	-36.5	518	816
Chevrolet	-11.2%	172,803	194,637	-7.5%	7,200	7,785
Chrysler	-39.6%	23,346	38,668	-37.1%	973	1,547
Dodge	-25.2%	62,572	83,671	-22.1%	2,607	3,347
Ford	-33.8%	102,685	155,037	-31%	4,279	6,201
GMC	-12.8%	39,029	44,754	-9.2%	1,626	1,790
Honda	-23.2%	86,629	112,831	-20%	3,610	4,513
HUMMER	-54.8%	2,298	5,080	-52.9%	96	203
Hyundai	-25.4%	24,765	33,214	-22.3%	1,032	1,329
Infiniti	-24.1%	7,779	10,250	-20.9%	324	410
Jeep	-42.8%	21,431	37,460	-40.4%	893	1,498
Kia	-27.8%	17,383	24,087	-24.8%	724	963
Lexus	-36.1%	16,045	25,113	-33.4	669	1,005
Lincoln	-22.5%	7,571	9,764	-19.2%	315	391
Mazda	-35.6%	16,169	25,098	-32.9%	674	1,004
Mercedes-Benz	-16.4%	18,779	22,459	-12.9%	782	898
Mercury	-43.2%	6,478	11,403	-40.1%	270	456
MINI	-6.7%	3,762	4,031	-2.8%	157	161
Mitsubishi	-39%	7,378	12,102	-36.5%	307	484
Nissan	-38.4%	51,786	84,019	-35.8%	2,158	3,361
Pontiac	-26.7%	23,324	31,817	-23.6%	972	1,273
Porsche	-44.8%	1,458	2,641	-42.5%	61	106
Saab	-27.2%	1,765	2,424	-24.2%	74	97
Saturn	-10.8%	18,528	20,776	-7.1%	772	831
Subaru	-11.9%	14,491	16,457	-8.3%	604	658
Suzuki	N/A
Toyota	-31.8%	128,215	187,929	-28.9%	5,342	7,517
Volkswagen	-9.4%	17,109	18,891	-5.7%	713	756
Volvo	-51.8%	4,054	8,408	-49.8%	169	336
COMPANIES
BMW Group	-25.8%	18,506	24,932	-22.7%	771	997
Chrysler LLC	-32.8%	107,349	159,799	-30%	4,473	6,392
FoMoCo	-34.6%	120,788	184,612	-31.8%	5,033	7,384
General Motors	-15.8%	284,300	337,640	-12.3%	11,846	13,506
Honda America	-24%	96,626	127,200	-20.9%	4,026	5,088
Nissan NA	-36.8%	59,565	94,269	-34.2%	2,482	3,771
Toyota Mo Co	-32.3%	144,260	213,042	-29.5%	6,011	8,522

September 2008 had 24 selling days versus 25 selling days for September 2007

Moscow International Automobile Salon 2008

Moscow International Automobile Salon 2008, originally uploaded by guest-1649.

Mansory DB9

Mansory DB9, originally uploaded by GHG Photography.

Hot Rod

Hot Rod, originally uploaded by Miller18.

2009 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster 722 S

Mercedes Benz has unleashed one of the biggest craze this year, the all new 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster 722 S. The new Roadster 722 S is powered by a 5.5L V8 AMG engine delivering 650 horsepower and maximum torque of 604 lb-ft. The engine is associated with a five speed automatic transmission which is designed for high performance. The car accelerates from 0 up to 100 kilometers per hour in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 335 kilometers per hour. Mercedes claims that this two-seater car's soft-top is capable of withstanding high speeds exceeding 200 miles per hour which is made of carbon fiber.

With a rigid spring and shock absorber configurations on its suspension, the SLR McLaren Roadster 722 S body is lowered by 10mm on its front and rear, making it sure that the car has a guaranteed handling stability. A 19-inch lightweight forged aluminum wheels allows a nice view of the red painted brake calipers made from a highly-resistant carbon fiber ceramic brake discs.

There will only be 150 limited-edition 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLR Roadster 722 S models to be sold.