AutoblogGreen for 11.11.08

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green

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If you had a $9,000 electric scooter, would you hoist it onto your restaurant's ceiling? In Wisconsin, they would. I wonder what they'd do with a plug-in Saturn Vue hybrid or Dean Kamen's Stirling car, should they ever be able to get one. As for cars you can actually, buy here's our review of the 2009 Honda Fit Sport 5AT.

• In the AutoblogGreen Garage: 2009 Honda Fit Sport 5AT
• SEMA 2008: Making Green Cool Zone trucks
• SEMA 2008: Making Green Cool Zone bikes and products
• More on the delay of the plug-in Saturn Vue hybrid
• Cheap ethanol stunts? So 2007. Say hello to the E85 pig roast
• Thinking about Better Place's free car strategy
• Dean Kamen's Stirling car is an old Ford Th!nk
• Southeast electric utilities to test smart charging PHEV Priuses
• For the 2e, Aptera nabs former Saleen and Chrysler executive
• VIDEO: LincVolt is on the road and on the 'net
• Flint, MI to produce bus fuel from sewage biogas
• New cheap car coming from Toyota under new brand?
• Hanging with Vectrix: electric scooter hits Quaker Steak and Lube ceiling
• Fisker sets up shop in Detroit
• Detroit 2009: Nissan NV2500 concept coming to NAIAS

AutoblogGreen for 11.11.08 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Car Buying, Audi

Audi is taking a cautious approach to the market as sales grind down around the world. To do that, the four-ringed automaker plans to extend its Christmas shutdown, a funny way to celebrate Audi's best global sales year ever, anticipated to crest one million units.

While the luxury competition has struggled in the rough and tumble US market, Audi has seen sales gains, which is a big reason global sales are up 3.3% year over year. Audi has been so successful of late that it came within 100 units of (the much larger) Mercedes-Benz in global October sales, while BMW is also within 10,000 units. The new A4 sedan and wagon are helping matters, and the upcoming Q5 crossover is waiting in the wings to keep things interesting in 2009.

With all that good news, why cut back production? Audi Chief Executive Rupert Stadler called the German automaker's performance "increasingly influenced by declining markets." In other words, Audi wants to approach the global sales decline with the novel notion of cutting production before cars start sitting on dealer lots for months on end. Makes perfect sense to us.

[Source: Reuters]

Despite strong growth, Audi plans to slow production originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Nov 2008 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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