#Spain

Nissan’s NV200 and e-NV200 are set to be used at the official taxi in Barcelona, Spain as the city strives towards reducing emissions. At the same time, the Japanese automaker will be boosting production of its compact van at its Barcelona plant.

A special edition Volkswagen Beetle is heading to Spain, paying tribute to “Herbie, ” the anthropomorphic Volkswagen Beetle.

A selection of exclusive guests will get the chance to experience Maserati’s “Drive and Sail” experience, which launches today in Port Adriano, Spain. 

The city of Murcia, Spain may really be on to something here. Officials want to cut down on smog and traffic congestion and they want get there by promoting public transportation. You may ask yourself “But what’s so darn-tooting special about that?” The twist on this initiative is that citizens who give up their cars will get a lifetime pass to the city’s new tram system.

The Q3 will be built in Martorell, Spain, in a plant normally reserved for SEAT. Volkswagen recently spent about 330 million Euros in upgrading the facility in anticipation, and is betting big on the Q3: hopefully it can reclaim the crown of Europe’s favorite premium SUV away from the BMW X1.

Look, most of the time we try our absolute best to find the bright side of things no matter how awful they might be. But this time, this Rolls-Royce Phantom spotted in Marbella, Spain, has us completely speechless.

Ferrari launched its first official store in Barcelona, coinciding with Spanish driver Fernando Alonso’s, Formula one contract extension, set to last until 2016.

To do that, Infiniti of Spain and Portugal have prepared a G37S coupe rally car. Not for racing however, but to serve as a safety car for the Rallies Championship of Spain.

Volkswagen‘s Spanish subsidiary SEAT is preparing to take on the task of assembling Audi‘s Q3 compact crossover, at their plant outside of Barcelona.

The move comes as a bit of a quid pro quo for Audi, since SEAT’s Exeo flagship is a re-badged Audi A4, and with SEAT’s flagging sales presenting an issue for Volkswagen’s overall profitability, the excess production capacity could be put to good use building a product that will surely be a hit. The move will also add between 700 and 1,200 jobs in a region that has been hit hard by the global recession.

The Q3 will share a platform with the upcoming Porsche Cajun, but the P-Car will be built at a separate facility in Leipzig, Germany.

[Source: SEAT]

Despite being an ultra-niche vehicle, interest in the Nissan GT-R always remains strong, and car enthusiasts have been fretting about whether Japan’s natural disasters have impacted production of the revised GT-R.

In a move reminiscent of the OPEC crisis in 1974 in the U.S., Spain is lowering its national speed limits as a result of the ongoing crisis in Libya, as fears over that country’s oil supplies continue to rise, pushing  prices upward.

SEAT, Volkswagen‘s Spanish subsidiary, has been given five years to restructure or else VW will be forced to shut down or sell the ailing Spanish brand. While SEAT’s cars are known for offering excellent value with an emphasis on performance rather than luxury. But despite positive reviews from auto journalists, this hasn’t translated into sales for the brand, with sales falling 8.5 percent in 2009. SEAT’s Spanish factory is only working at 60 percent capacity, something VW considers unacceptable. The factory is capable of producing 500,000 cars a year and must be run at 80 percent capacity to turn a profit.

“Is that hashish in your race suit, or are you happy to see us?” was probably what Spanish police said to drug smugglers at the helm of a fake Dakar rally truck. The graphics-laden and off-road prepared truck had blended in with support trucks along an official rally route, in hope of delivering its load to the Spanish island of Ibiza in time for the summer party season.

Just what did police find? More than 1,760 lbs (800 kg) of cocaine, 15,000 ecstasy pills, marijuana, guns, and $64,000 U.S. in cash.

“The vehicle had been totally transformed to adapt it to its supposed participation in the competition as a support truck, with publicity and logos of the event painted on its side,” read a police statement.

Its drivers were fully kitted out in race suits, with official-looking route maps and race documents to hide their motives. In total, seven suspects have been arrested, all from Spain.

Since we have no footage of the criminals in action, after the jump we’ve placed a video of a Kamaz Dakar truck hooning in the snow with ex-F1 driver David Coulthard at the wheel.

*Note: the above image is of a Dakar support truck, not the actual one used in the case.

[Source: BBC]

Sadly, Michael Schumacher will not return to Formula 1 this weekend, although there is a possibility that the 7 time World Champion will be back in 2010. Schumacher today posted on his personal website that he could not return to the sport after recent testing at Ferrari’s private track in Mugello revealed fractures in his neck from a motorcycle crash earlier this year.

On June 8 auto journalist Gerhard Plattner and co-driver Franz Doppler will attempt to set a world record, driving from Africa, through Europe to Asia in just 72 hours. The duo will depart from Rabat, Morocco in an Audi A3 TDI e, traveling 3,044 miles (4,900 km) through 13 countries before the adventure ends on the Asian side of Istanbul.

The small 105hp Audi will undergo a genuine torture test while en route, testing its safety, efficiency and comfort. “The A3 has ideal characteristics for all three continents. Nevertheless, any attempt to break a record also requires a lot of good luck, especially regarding the weather and traffic,” said Plattner at a press conference during the  Audi Forum Ingolstadt.

The route will take both Plattner and Doppler by ferry to Spain, where they will drive along the Mediterranean coast of Spain, France and Italy before crossing the Alps into Germany. There they will proceed on to the Balkans and then over the Bosporus to arrive on the Eastern side of Istanbul.

Plattner already holds several records, including the fastest drive around the world (in an Audi S2).

In total he has driven more than 4.3 million miles.

Official release after the jump: