2nd UPDATE: Renault CEO Sees Europe Car Market Contracting In 08

PARIS -(Dow Jones)- The European car market will contract in 2008, French automaker Renault's (13190.FR) Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said Tuesday. Speaking at the company's annual shareholder meeting, Ghosn said the first three months in Europe "were not easy" and said he doesn't see a reason why this could change in the coming months. Mature auto markets are "at best stagnant and very probably contracting," he told shareholders. The slack in mature auto markets will be more than offset by strong demand from emerging markets Brazil, Russia, China and India, so the global car market as a whole will grow, he added. However, the time isn't right for the company to launch Renault in China, because the company is already stretched with projects in countries such as Russia, Iran, India and Morocco, Ghosn also said.


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Small cars sell best

U.S. light vehicle sales fell 6.9% to about 1.25 million sales in April from a year ago, hitting Detroit's automakers hard, as the pinch of $3.60-a-gallon gas combined with a struggling U.S. economy to drive a strong consumer shift to more fuel-efficient cars and crossovers from large trucks.

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Fuel-efficiency a new trend … again

With the price of gasoline consistently more than $3 per gallon, new car customers are taking a closer look at fuel-efficient vehicles. The automobile industry has begun to provide a variety choices in the dealership showrooms for fuel-economy minded consumers. The hybrid-electric vehicles, compact cars and improved performance, 4-, 6- and 8-cylinder mid-size automobiles are drawing a lot of attention, both imports and American-made vehicles. The Honda Insight and Toyota Prius top the chart for the imports, both rated at 60 miles per gallon for city driving. The Insight’s mileage rating jumps to 66 mpg for highway driving, while the Prius slips back to 51. The Honda Civic Hybrid also ranks among the most efficient cars with a rating of 49 mpg in the city and 51 on the highway.

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Go Green and Save on Fuel and Rental Costs with Auto Europe's Peugeot Open Europe Lease Program

PORTLAND, Maine, April 30 -- Auto Europe, a leader in European car rental services for over 52 years, also offers tremendous savings for long-term rentals, 17 days or longer, with their Buy Back Program featuring over 19 factory new Peugeot models.

The new 2008 program includes new vehicle models and equipment that increase fuel savings and enhance your driving experience. These features include new automatic gearboxes similar to a Tiptronic automatic transmission. These new gearboxes save 8% on fuel versus a full automatic transmission and 4% fuel savings versus a manual gear transmission. The gearboxes are also better rated for anti pollution records with lower CO2 emissions.

To introduce the new Peugeot 308, they are offering rates beginning at $39 per day. The benefits of a Peugeot Buy Back include rates that are tax inclusive with non-deductible fully comprehensive insurance, the ability to travel into most former Eastern Block countries with no additional fees, unlimited mileage, 24 hour road side assistance and delivery can be arranged at most major airports and cities throughout Europe.



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U-M to test crash-dodging cars

DETROIT -- A high-tech system to help car and commercial truck drivers avoid crashes by warning them of potential road dangers and assessing their options will get some real-world testing starting this summer.

The program, being tested under a federal grant to the University of Michigan, will help motorists choose the path of least danger when both stopping and changing lanes present risks, project director Jim Sayer said Wednesday.

Named the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety System, Sayer said it goes beyond the collision warning detectors now available in some luxury models by integrating data from multiple sources.

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TIP DU JOUR: Buying a vehicle may be cheaper

Many online tools can help you decide whether to lease or buy a new vehicle. But as Consumer Reports Money Adviser points out, those calculators often don't factor in such costs as insurance, acquisition and "drive-off" fees and upfront sales taxes.

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Tesla Rolls Out Long-Awaited Electric Sports Car

LOS ANGELES -- It's safe to say Jeremy Snyder gets a charge out of the little two-seat Tesla roadsters whenever he pulls one off the lot, and it's not because each comes equipped with an all-electric engine.

As Snyder, head of client services for Tesla, put the pedal to the metal and took one of the sleek new automobiles down a sidestreet Thursday, its lithium-ion battery-powered engine didn't give off any sparks. But it did emit a constant, powerful-sounding hum, one resembling a much quieter version of a jet taking off.

"Accelerate pretty good?" Snyder, knowing the answer, asked as he put the car through its paces.

"I call it a turbine sound," he said of the engine's distinctive hum. "Because it's an electric motor it's got 100 percent torque all the time.


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