Latest pictures of 2012 Mercedes-Benz B-Class

It does look to the world as if the new B-Class looks like the old B-Class, oh well, anyway these are the latest pictures issued by Stuttgart.

I do like the interior design, especially the new natural-looking matte-finish wood. It also looks like Mercedes-Benz is beginnning to behave like the company that used to make cars that felt like bank vaults.

More photos after the jump

Mazda starts building Mexico plant

• Mexico facility has 140,000 capacity
• Mexico will build Mazda 2 and Mazda 3 for Central and South America

Japanese car firms are now actively spreading their manufacturing base around the world, building regional production hubs.

Car companies are making the move in order to spread their risk in the light of the mega earthquake that shook eastern Japan and nearly brought the entire Japanese automotive industry finding to a halt.

Mazda has broken ground in Salamanca, Mexico, for a new production facility that can build 140,000 vehicles per year.
The plant will provide the Central and South American markets with the Mazda 2 and Mazda 3.

Follow the jump for the full Press Release

Swedes lose interest in E85 biofuel

• Sale of E85 cars drop 50% compared to 2010
• Diesel surge 60 per cent to take up biofuel slack
• Petrol cars remain at 15 per cent of market 

Sweden is a the biggest market for biofuel cars in Europe, their E85 ethanol-based fuel gained massive popularity in the earlier part of the decade but it seems that interest in this segment is suffering from a massive drop.

According to Schmidt AID, unlike the rest of Europe, Sweden's car market is enjoying strong demand and growth at the moment but new buyers are showing scant interest in biofuel cars but are more keen to purchase clean diesel variants.

Sweded was among the few countries that persuaded fuel companies to spend on ethanol infrastructure as they saw biofuel as the energy solution of the future but in reality consumers are beginning to realise the drawbacks of a fuel that contains up to a third less specific energy compared to petrol.

Budget 2011: Electric cars and diesel deserve incentives more than hybrid

Lack of focus on future technology caused by lack of energy roadmap and visionary automotive policy

The 2011 Budget came with a lot of goodies for Malaysians, from wage increase to civil servants to various financial assistance and stimulus packages to keep the economy humming along.

The Automotive industry received a targeted tax break focused on hybrid vehicles below 2,000cc which will run for two years until December 21 2013.

This is good news for companies such as Honda and Toyota that already have hybrid vehicles in their local line-up and will likely encourage other carmakers to begin importing similar vehicles into Malaysia.

150 brand new 1997 Dodge Neon found, in Singapore

Don't ask and we can't tell for sure.
Maybe someone imported the cars and forgot all about it.
Maybe it was owned by some Dodge fanatic who wanted to give one to each friend who came to his 50th birthday party  but died before he could give them away
Maybe .... maybe ..maybe...oh we don't know
What we do know is that they are going for Sing1,800 each
Anyway, this was uncovered on an ad in Alibaba which Motor Authority stumbled on.
This is definitely a fantastic barn find story...
I must visit Alibaba more often.

Here's a thought, why don't we all get together  buy four cars each and start a one make series, we will have lots of spares and not break the bank..

Frankfurt bans Hell's Angel

(Reuters) - Citing a history of weapons offences and violence, a German state banned two Frankfurt-based chapters of the Hells Angels on Friday and confiscated their assets.

"These gangs are not in any way made up only of harmless motorbike riders," Hesse state interior minister Boris Rhein said at a televised news conference.

"Many members are known to the police because of violent, drug or weapon-related offences."

Mitsubishi ASX Special Edition out tomorrow

The ASX is a unique crossover and it has been quite a popular model among Malaysians and now Mitsubishi wants to offer a variant that is a bit more special than usual.

The Special Edition gets extra accessories package that includes window visor, front under cover, rear garnish and an exclusive body sticker.

The interior gets special treatment with black leather and red stitching.

Priced at RM 142, 980 on the road inclusive of insurance, the ASX Special Edition is obtainable in two colours - White Pearl and Mica Black. Owners get to enjoy a 3-year/100,000 km warranty as well as Mitsubishi's 2-year free maintenance package.

More details in the Press Release after the jump