cars

Monday 7 June 2010
• Toyota has celebrated the production of 3m vehicles in the UK by planting a commemorative tree (Automotive World, subscription required)
• Daimler has reported sales in the month of May are up 14% versus the same period in 2009. The hike is apparently due to an increase in Mercedes-Benz deliveries to China and the USA (Wall Street Journal)
• A 17-strong team from the Japanese Electric Vehicle Club has driven its own modified Daihatsu Mira EV over 1000km on a single charge. The club's Mira EV, which has 8,320 lithium-ion batteries, managed 1003km (623 miles) and the team is now asking the Guinness World Record team to recognise their efforts (Gizmag)

Thursday 3 June 2010
• Ford has confirmed it will axe its Mercury brand after 71 years; instead Lincoln will be the focus of Ford's luxury ambitions (Financial Times)
• Spyker will sell its supercars in certain Saab dealerships, CEO Victor Muller said in an interview. It will treble the number of outlets from 35 to 60 this year, and then to around 90 by 2011 (Automotive News)
• Lexus has reported a 31% sales jump in May, stretching its lead over Mercedes in the US (Automotive News Europe)
• Mercedes UK has appointed Gary Savage as managing director. He will succeed Dermot Kelly, who retires at the end of June (Mercedes-Benz)

Wednesday 2 June 2010
• In a bid to offset any damage caused by the recent recalls, Toyota has announced all its new cars sold in the UK from 1 June 2010 will come with a five-year warranty as standard (Toyota)
• Porsche has extended the warranty on all Approved Used Porsches – the scheme will now cover pre-owned cars for two years (Porsche)
• The actual Aston Martin used in the Goldfinger and Thunderball films is to be auctioned by RM Auctions on 27 October 2010. It’s the first time the car has been offered for sale, and it’s expected to sold for in excess of $5 million (RM Auctions)

Tuesday 1 June 2010
• Jaguar-Land Rover chief executive Carl-Peter Forster has announced that the company will manufacturer at least two models in China. ‘We'll take one to two years to set it up, but first we will need a partner,’ said Forster in an interview (BBC)
• Spyker Cars N.V.has completed its purchase of Saab Great Britain Ltd, the UK distributor of Saab. Saab GB will launch the new 9-5 in UK dealerships on 8 July 2010, and is expected to move to new premises in August (Spyker)
• Renault UK has appointed a new marketing manager. Thierry Sybord leaves his post as MD of Renault Netherlands to take up the position in the UK, after current MD Roland Bouchara was promoted to vice president of sales in Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK (Renault)