Sales of imported cars in Venezuela are going sky-high.

According to the Venezuelan Automobile Chamber sales of imported vehicles climbed from 50,676 in January-June 2006 to 140,092 in the same period this year, or a 176% increase in the last 12 months.

Meanwhile, the sales of cars assembled in Venezuela increased by a slight 4.7%, from 69,684 cars in the first halt of 2006 to 72,964 cars in the same period this year.

A gap between demand and domestic autom

Proposed restrictions by government of New Zealand on used car importers will increase 50% and have no positive environmental benefit, says IMVDA car importers association, chief executive David Vinsen.

The draft emission rule announced recently by the Associate Minister of Transport will immediately restrict used car imports, reducing availability and choice of cars, 4WDs and commercials and a 50% cut of up to 95% of used commercials, and a 50% cut in total import numbers causing a huge increase in the cost used vehicles.

The replacement for a basic used import car that now sells for $9,000 to $10,000 will be costing $15,000 to $16,000.

Used trucks will double in price. Buyers in New Zealand will not be able to easily upgrade to newer imports, and will have to keep their current vehicle for longer. The national vehicle fleet will, as a result, be older and generate more pollution.

Car importers in Bangladesh have urged the country’s army backed interim government to allow older vehicles in to keep them affordable to buyers, the head of the vehicle importers association said recently .

Currently, Bangladesh allows import of used cars which are four years old.

“But we urged the government to allow us bring in cars used for six years or more, which will lower costs by up to 40%” said Abdul Haque, president of Bangladesh Reconditioned Vehicles Importers and Dealers’ association.

He also urged the govt to waves an up to 350% supplementary duty proposed on the import of microbuses, which comprise 15% of all used vehicles imported in Bangladesh, every year.

200 Bangladeshi importers bring in 8,000 or more reconditioned vehicle every year. More than 90 percent of the cars on Bangladesh roads are Japanese, mostly Toyota.

Angola plans to begin producing cars later this year through a venture funded by a Chinese firm and based on technology from Nissan Motor Co., according to media reports on the Internet.

CSG Automovel-Angola, established with money from Hong Kong’s China International Fund (CIF), will begin producing vehicles in October at a factory on the outskirts of Luanda.

Initial annual capacity will be 5,000 vehicles but is expected to eventually rise to 30,000 the media reported.

A gasoline-based Paladin will be among the Nissan-style models produced.

The southwestern African nation is sub-Saharan Africa’s second-largest oil producer after Nigeria. Most of the cars used in Angola are imported form South Africa.

The car factory at Viana, 28 km southeast of Luanda, also is a sign of energy-hungry China’s growing presence and influence in Africa.

Trade between China and Africa reached $55 billion last year, a jump of 40 percent from 2005. Most Chinese investments were in the manufacturing, resource and construction sectors, with oil projects in Angola and Sudan among the largest items.

Honda wins record share of South Korea’s imported-car market in June.

Honda drove its ‘less-is-more’ campaign to place its CR-V sports-utility vehicle at the top of the imported-car market in South Korea.

The Japan’s second-largest carmaker won a record share of sale by Toyota’s Lexus with 648 cars. South Korea’s financial watchdog said Japanese carmaker won a record profit in South Korea due to the week yen.

Imported vehicle in South Korea represent 5 percent of the total of 952,000 cars sold during 2006, according to the Ministry of Construction and Transportation.

Ford Motor Company and Lear Corporation will mark an automotive milestone in August when production of soy-based foam for seats begins in the 2008 model year Ford Mustang.

The Ford Mustang will use the industry’s first soy-based flexible foam in the seat backs and seat cushions beginning in Aug.

Ford was the first automaker in the world to demonstrate that soy-based polios could be used at high percentage levels to make foam capable of meeting or exceeding automotive requirements.

In 2004, Ford and Lear formed a partnership to commercialize soy-foam application, with initial work concentrating on the molding of headrest and armrest components.

These material are used in place of traditional polyurethane foam which offers lower mass and is 100 percent recyclable.

The environmental advantages of soy-foam include: a reduction of carbon dioxide (Co2) emission when compared to current petroleum-based material, lower energy required to produce the material, up to 24 percent renewable content, and a reduction of dependence on volatile energy market.