“Exterior vehicle parts that have been replaced with plastic materials include front-end modules, beams and brackets, trunk lids, deck lids, body panels and floor panels. More plastics are being used in air-bag containers, pedals and seat components. Plastics are applied to the powertrain in the air inlet manifolds, air ducts and resonators, chain tensioners and belt pulleys, oil pans and sumps, cylinder head covers, and mechanical torsion damper components. Some gears and pump components are also becoming more plastic-friendly.”

From “Plastics outperform metal in automotive applications,” ICIS.com

GM will do with its Volt what arch nemesis Toyota did with its Prius: Add siblings. GM plans two more plug-in hybrids, based on the Volt. Not right now, but in the next few years, Daniel F. Akerson, told the New York Times. (Read More…)

After growing for 20 years, the Chinese car market could actually submit to gravity, says Rao Da, head of the semi-official China Passenger Car Association (CAAM). Why? Because Beijing scrapped incentives. (Read More…)

Lexus entered the „premium compact“ segment today by launching their CT 200h hybrid hatchback in Japan. They could call it CT 200hhh – as in harmonious hatch hybrid. We’ll get to the harmonious in a minute. (Read More…)

“There have been companies that have gone belly-up for carrying excess capacity, but no company has gone bankrupt for not being able to produce, We now realize humbly that we shouldn’t make cars until we’re absolutely certain they will sell.”

Toyota’s Executive Vice President Atsushi Niimi to Bloomberg. (Read More…)

Want a small electric car that looks like a movie theater or even a stadium inside?  Johnson Controls shows the ie.3 concept car at NAIAS. Sure, it has a battery. But it also has spring loaded flip-up seats, just like at the movies. Or at he ballpark. (Read More…)

It’s the fourth time that China’s BYD shows up at NAIAS.  Every time, they announced an impending arrival at American shores. Which did not happen. Now BYD – cross my heart and hope to stay alive – BYD promises that they will really, honestly enter the U.S. en mass in spring of 2012, Reuters reports. Well, about time, because the luster is coming off BYD. (Read More…)

“Prius has become to hybrids what Kleenex is to tissues and Levis are to jeans.” So said Bob Carter, group VP and general manager of Toyota U.S.A. With so much brand power, it would be a waste to have only one Prius. From now on, Toyota has three. The Prius received a bigger and a smaller sibling, with the idea towards creating “a modern family with a Prius for everyone.” (Read More…)

Double-digit sales declines in the U.S. in the past two years notwithstanding, Toyota’s  Gen  X & Y Scion brand is in “no danger” of being put out of its misery, and new products are in the pipeline, Toyota Prez Akio Toyoda told The Nikkei [sub].

Toyoda confirmed that the subcompact iQ, recently reviewed by TTAC in Tokyo, will be coming early this year to the U.S., as a Scion.

Want to know how to get a good chunk of the Detroit 3, no money down? Easy: Today, Fiat increased its ownership of Chrysler from 20 percent to 25 percent. What did they pay for it? Niente. Fiat received the extra shares “upon the Company’s achievement of the first of three performance-related milestones,” as a Chrysler Group LLC press release proclaims. And what is that milestone? They started making an engine. (Read More…)

Did you know that there is rogue SUV production? Not to worry, it will be brought under control: Nissan will move production of its Rogue crossover from Kyushu, Japan, where it is built now, to Smyrna, Tennessee in 2013, Nissan’s America chief Carlos Tavares told The Nikkei [sub] today. (Read More…)

Ford introduces something totally new and unexpected at NAIAS: Jobs! 7,000 of them. The Freep has it from “a person familiar with the planning.” (Read More…)

It’s official: China’s Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) announced that in 2010, Chinese bought 18,061,900 vehicles, an increase of 32.37 percent over 2009. Automobile production rose to 18,264,700 units, an increase of 32.44 percent.

As predicted several times, China handily broke the world record of annual sales, established by the U.S.A. way back in 2000 with sales of 17.4 million units. (Read More…)

So Volkswagen took the wraps off its first (well, since the late 80s) Made-in-the-U.S.A. car last night. The name of the New Midsize Sedan had remained a matter of high suspense until the last minute. But didn’t we offhandedly mention that “some think it might be called Passat?” That’s what it will be called. “Volkswagen says it will keep the Passat name for its new midsize vehicle that will be built at the company’s new U.S. plant in Tennessee,” reports Businessweek.

Meet the Volkswagen value meal, designed for Americans: Bigger, beefier, cheaper. (Read More…)

The alleged Renault spy case is getting curiouser and curiouser. Renault is in full reverse. Renault CEO Patrick Pelata said information may have been leaked about the costs and economic model of the program, but all technical secrets are safe. “Not the smallest nugget of technical or strategic information on the innovation plan has filtered out of the enterprise.” So what, they are missing a spreadsheet? (Read More…)