Russians apparently love their dashboard mounted video cameras. Those cameras have provided us with eye popping as-they-happened views of car crashes, truck crashes, and even a plane crash or two. Sometimes the videos are of very close calls, others record vehicular mayhem, injuries and, sadly, fatalities. So it’s refreshing to see that someone has made a compilation of Russian dashcam videos that show human beings at their best, people stopping to help elderly and infirm pedestrians get through traffic safely or folks lending a hand to motorists and others in need of help.
The YouTube videos of the meteorite attack on Russia’s Chelyabinsk region come to you courtesy of a new custom. More and more Russian drivers have a video camera on the dash. (Read More…)
An alleged environmental measure will land Russia in the court of the World Trade Organization, a club Russia had joined only in August. Importers have to pay a “recycling fee” of around 5 percent of a car’s sticker price, local makers do not. “Russia’s trading partners say the new levy is a purely protectionist play under the guise of environmental ‘recycling’,” Reuters writes. “The European Union Trade Commissioner, Karel de Gucht, has threatened to invoke the disputes procedure of the World Trade Organization.” (Read More…)
It’s hard enough to find a decent used car for $3,000. Nissan’s new line of Datsun cars are being designed in mind with a starting price of $3,000, and there’s only one way to make sure the cars come in at such a rock-bottom sticker – use a pre-existing low-cost platform.
With the stroke of a few pens putting signatures under a contract in Moscow today, then Renault-Nissan Alliance has become Russia’s largest automaker. The Alliance took control of AVTOVAZ, maker of the market-leading Lada brand. Lada holds 30 percent of Russia’s rapidly growing car market. (Read More…)
After a thorough look at Japan on Monday, this week you get the privilege (?) of another sales update from Around the Globe, and we’re going to Russia with love.
With Accord sales tanking in Europe, Honda says it has no plans to bring a next-generation model to Europe, despite introducing variants for North America, Asia and Russia.
Next week, Russian and Japanese dignitaries will assemble in the frigid Siberian port city of Vladivostok to celebrate the opening of the first Japanese car plant in the Russian Far East. On September 6, Mazda will start Russian production of its best-selling CX-5 SUV and the new Mazda6 sedan, says The Nikkei [sub] – most likely after having received an invitation. (Read More…)
As part of a very Russian “incentive program”, GM is more than doubling the output of its wholly owned manufacturing facility in St. Petersburg, Russia. Annual production will increase to 230,000 vehicles by 2015, up from 98,000 units currently. (Read More…)
Who needs a mid-engined rice racer to drift? Latest dispatches from Russia show that with a little training, your can even drift when pulling a trailer. This creates so much enthusiasm that the camera car engages in a little sympathetic drifting as well.
Now it seems like a few of you really enjoyed the trip we made to Russia exactly one year ago. Given a lot has changed since, I found it my duty to give you an update on the country of Vladimir Putin.
Lada will end production of their Soviet-era 2017 sedan, since citizens no longer have to line up to buy a car and can purchase one of the free market. Sales of the 2017 were down 76 percent in Q1 2012, and Lada, which now makes vehicles that aren’t warmed over Fiat clones from the 1960′s, decided to axe the venerable sedan.
mkirk - Having looked at the Panther WIKI page, I still prefer the early ones and would add a Panther based Continental to the list. Panther + Opera window = win!
mkirk - They are hard to register if you do get em and the Army doesn’t let the ones you would want hit the civilian market…the non up armored ones upgraded...
DeadWeight - You will be able to have your Ford-Lincoln with any motor you wish so long as it has 4 or fewer cylinders. Black paint may or may not an extra cost option.
Gentle Ted - Why not? They have been used in most Countries other than in North America, Gasoline or Petrol is very expensive outside of the USA so good 4 cyl engines...
During my visit to Vietnam last month, I saw 
Recent Comments
Robstar - The article says automakers don’t sell 3 cylinder engines, but I thought the Smart car had/has a 3?
mkirk - Having looked at the Panther WIKI page, I still prefer the early ones and would add a Panther based Continental to the list. Panther + Opera window = win!
mkirk - They are hard to register if you do get em and the Army doesn’t let the ones you would want hit the civilian market…the non up armored ones upgraded...
DeadWeight - You will be able to have your Ford-Lincoln with any motor you wish so long as it has 4 or fewer cylinders. Black paint may or may not an extra cost option.
Gentle Ted - Why not? They have been used in most Countries other than in North America, Gasoline or Petrol is very expensive outside of the USA so good 4 cyl engines...
jpolicke - It’s nice that GM is funding some local summer jobs, and it’s good to see the retirees come out and get involved. . The kids...
Praxis - Doesn’t Detroit already have over 200,000 able-bodied citizens not currently employed? Certainly that mass of idle civic-minded manpower...
NormSV650 - They are going to learn from retirees? Pre-bankruptcy retirees?? I hope they don’t teach the students to take too many breaks and...
John Rosevear - “The 2 Series starts at” and “M2″ are vastly different concepts, pricewise, in BMW-land.
BrentNelson - BMW is great brand in automotive sector which launched great cars which running with latest updates.