#UnitedStates

Chevrolet will build their 2013 Malibu in China and South Korea before it beings production Stateside, solidifying Chevrolet’s aims for the Malibu to be a “world car”.

Rolls- Royce is expecting a massive sales increase in the second quarter of this year, thanks to increased demand spurred by their “cheaper” Ghost model, which retails for a mere $246,500.

After a brief announcement on March 23rd stating that the natural disasters in Japan may affect North American production, Toyota has announced that it is still “too early to predict” whether plants in Canada and the United States, which build both Toyota and Lexus cars, will face shutdowns due to a shortage of parts from Japanese factories.

Kia‘s Rondo small minivan and Borrego SUV have been dumped from the U.S. lineup, ostensibly after slow sales forced Kia to cease importation.

With Porsche sales having recovered on par with pre-recession levels in the United States, Porsche’s CEO Matthias Mueller said that the brand is looking at adding production facilities in the United States or China so that the brand can meet its target of 200,000 sales by 2018.

BMW‘s upcoming X1 crossover will be delayed by almost a year, due to extreme demand in the European market. BMW’s Leipzig, Germany plant can barely produce enough vehicles for Europe, and BMW USA has decided to delay the small crossover’s American launch until at least the fall of 2011.

Things are tough in Europe right now. Recent freezing temperatures almost ground things to a halt in parts of the continent, causing many people to become stranded during the important Christmas holiday season.

According to statistics, today Americans are using approximately 8 percent less fuel to power their cars than they did in 2006, which is recognized as the peak for U.S. oil consumption.

Audi’s craziest TT, the TT-RS will officially make it to the United States after an online campaign by Audi convinced the automaker to bring the 360-horsepower sports coupe to America.

Audi executives were initially skeptical of the sales potential of the TT-RS, but planned a limited run of just 250 cars for the Canadian market, where a strong economy and higher vehicle prices would allow Audi to turn a profit on the car. A subsequent petition by Audi showed 11,500 handraisers, as well as a series of positive reviews from American media led the company to go ahead with sales in both markets.

So far, we only know that the only TT-RS available will be the coupe variant, with specifications and pricing still under consideration. We look forward to the arrival of the TT-RS, and the chance to sample a 5-cylinder turbocharged Audi yet again. On the other hand, they will be pricey, and the number of potential buyers is likely a fraction of the 11,500 petition signers.

[Source: Audi]

In advance of the Los Angeles Auto Show, where the U.S.-spec Fiat 500 will make its North American debut, the company held a dealer meeting for 400 of its franchise holders.

Consumers in China and the United States are fueling the fortunes of German luxury car makers like Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. Buyers in both countries are going wild for the re-designed Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series and Audi A8.