- Toyota has launched its own financial services arm called Toyota Financial Services India. It plans to invest Rs 260 crore in the venture initially.
- Car manufacturers may raise the price of diesel cars yet again - this time not because of tax, but because the falling rupee has made their import costs rise. There is also the matter of heavy discounts being offered on petrol variants and largely unused petrol engine capacity, which has hit profit margins.
- The Delhi High Court has now got the largest underground automated car park in Asia, built at a cost of Rs 182.71 crore. It has been constructed on 2.38 acres of land, has 20 car lifts, can accomodate 1467 cars and will retrieve a car in a maximum of three minutes.
- Volkswagen has launched a Scirocco GTS to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the original. The changes to the standard Scirocco are visual - the wheels, roof spoiler and rear diffuser are new and the bumpers have a slightly revised design.
- The Canadian F1 Grand Prix might face disruption from students protesting against the proposed hike in tuition fees.
- Maserati may create sporty noises for their upcoming diesel cars that will be piped into the car's cabin via the audio system, much like the current BMW M5 does.
- An earthquake centered 40km north of Bologna, Italy has seen the shutdown of a few automotive plants like those of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati that are nearby. The latter has reportedly sustained some damage, but in all likelihood will be back to work by this time.
- Team Lotus will not allow Kimi Raikkonen contest the Rally of Finland this year despite his intentions to do so, likely for fear for injury. After all, Kimi is driving at Lotus precisely because of Robert Kubica's horrific rallying crash.
- China has overtaken the US as the world's biggest car market by sales. In fact, China and India combined purchased 20 million cars in 2010 - 70 per cent more cars than got sold in the US market that year.
- The Toyota Prius has become the third best-selling car in the world in the first quarter of this financial year. This is thanks to the recent expansion from a single model to four different ones, inclusing a cheaper, smaller hatchback than the original.
The CarWale Daily Fuel is your quick daily dose of automotive news from India and around the world. If you want to know whatever's in the news but want it short and sweet, here's your solution.
