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Germany says nein to EU ban on new fossil-fuel cars from 2035

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's government will not agree to European Union plans to effectively ban the sale of new cars with combustion engines from 2035, Finance Minister Christian Lindner said on Tuesday. In its bid to cut planet-warming emissions by 55% by 2030 from 1990 levels, the European Commission has proposed a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions from new cars by 2035. That means it would be impossible to sell combustion engine cars from then. European Parliament lawmakers backed the proposals this month, before negotiations with EU countries on the final law take place. Speaking at an event hosted by Germany's BDI industry association, Lindner said there would continue to be niches for combustion engines so a ban was wrong and said the government would not agree to this European legislation. Lindner, a member of the pro-business Free Democrats, which shares power with the Social Democrats and Greens, said Germany would still be a leading market for electric vehicles. (Reporting by Christian Kraemer; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Miranda Murray and Edmund Blair) Green Government/Legal Green Audi BMW Mercedes-Benz Volkswagen Opel SEAT Skoda

2013 Opel Cascada ready to run topless [w/video]

We got our first glimpse at the Opel Cascada convertible way back in October, but General Motors' European arm is just now getting the chance to show it off here at the Geneva Motor Show a full four and a half months later. The kicker with this droptop Opel is that rumor has it GM is considering a convertible for the Buick brand here in the States, and this Cascada would indeed be a good fit.
Three engine options are available under the hood of the Cascada: a 1.4-liter gasoline turbo-four, a 2.0-liter turbo-diesel four and a 1.6-liter gasoline turbo-four. All of these powerplants can be had with both six-speed manual and automatic transmissions.
The Cascada uses a power-folding soft top that can be operated at speeds up to 30 miles per hour, and it takes just 17 seconds to go from top-up to top-down. GM has also packed the Cascada full of technological goodies including the automaker's new Opel Eye system, which utilizes a front camera to control things like traffic sign recognition, lane departure warning, following distance indication and forward collision alert. The system also incorporates a rear camera as well as active park assist and blind spot alert. Basically, it's impossible to crash this thing. Almost.

Opel to be shuttered in China, but will restart Buick production in Germany

Opel, General Motors' troubled German brand continues its quest to reinvent itself and find solid profitability. In the course of that metamorphosis, the company has a bit of good news/bad news today. The good news is, it will once again begin screwing together Buick models for the American market. The bad news, though, is that it's being shut down in yet another country, China.
Let's start with the good news. The last vehicle Opel's Ruesselsheim factory built for the North American market was the early run of the then-new Regal, which is based heavily on the Opel Insignia. Production ran for just over two years, from 2009 to 2011, before moving production to Oshawa, Ontario.
Now, thanks to a 245-million-euro investment (just over $336 million), Opel will kick off production of a unspecified model for the US in the "second half of the decade," according to Automotive News. According to Opel, the new model will be announced before the end of 2014. You can begin your speculation about this new model down in Comments (we're wagering it'll be the Cascada convertible, sold here under the Buick umbrella).