Motorshow

Running from January 17th-27th, the Brussels Motorshow is probably the first European motorshow of the year. Comparisons with Detroit are perhaps unfair but almost inevitable. There was certainly plenty of glamour with Ferrari, Maserati, Porsche and Lamborghini amongst the exotic participants. Green transport was a major theme and most manufacturers had some offering to convince us that this is a major concern. The Volvo stand included the Recharge Concept. At BMW, the hydrogen-powered 7-series was accompanied by the X6 hybrid. Closer to everyday motoring, Ford showed the Focus Econetic. Crowds were also drawn to the new Renault Laguna and Citroen C5. On the Nissan stand, the Mixim showed off its wild doors and 1+2 seating. These proved to be more than window-dressing as the staff got in and drove it around a runway above the main stand

Porsche details changes to all-wheel-drive 911

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Porsche makes 911 Carrera faster, more expensive

On the heels of detailing changes to the 911 coupe and convertible for the 2009 model year, Porsche piped up on Wednesday with details on the all-wheel-drive versions of the car.

The Carrera 4 and the Carrera 4S get the same upgraded engines as their rear-drive siblings--direct-injection fitted to the 3.6-liter and 3.8-liter six-bangers with ratings of 345 hp and 385 hp, respectively.

The cars also get the option of PDK, Porsche's seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, which is supplied by ZF. The PDK replaces the Tiptronic in the 911 lineup.

Porsche has switched the cars' all-wheel-drive system from a viscous multiplate clutch to an electronically controlled system. The rear axle also gets mechanical locking technology as standard.

Other changes include active high-intensity-discharge headlamps and light-emitting diode tail lamps.

The cars go on sale Oct. 25. Porsche said base prices range from $81,700 for the 911 Carrera 4 coupe to $102,900 for the 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet, not including shipping charges.

More Fits for U.S. in fall

To meet demand, Honda boosts output of next generation

The redesigned 2009 Honda Fit arrives in the United States Oct. 1.

Honda Motor Co. is boosting output of its popular Fit small car to meet U.S. demand when the next generation debuts there this fall.

Production allotment now stands at 60,000 units but will increase to 80,000 when the redesigned Fit arrives Oct. 1, says John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda.

"We had planned to sell between 30,000 and 40,000 and figured out very early that wasn't enough, so we increased production to 60,000. That still wasn't enough," Mendel said here last week on the sidelines of a ceremony for Honda's new FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle.

"We've ramped it up closer to 80,000 this year," he said. "That starts in October."

The base sticker of the current 2008 Fit, including the destination charge, is $14,620. The car gets 34 mpg on the highway and 28 in the city.

The expansion was planned before the current surge in gasoline prices spurred a wave of demand for small, fuel-efficient vehicles, Mendel said. But the timing couldn't be better. Dealers are scrambling to get more Fits and Civics, and some are facing waiting lists.

For the first five months of the year, U.S. sales of the Fit were up 64.0 percent to 29,784 vehicles. And that's before the updated model even arrives.

Global capacity for the Fit is more than 500,000 units. All U.S. units are imported from Japan, where the new generation is already in production. Japan is still making the first-generation Fits for the United States but will phase that out before October.

"We compete with the rest of the world for Fit production," Mendel said. "We're continuing to try to increase capacity wherever we can from around the world to bring it in."