Mercedes tries to burst Shuanghuan's tiny Bubble, gives up

Filed under: Coupes, Economy, China, Euro, Government/Legal, Hatchbacks, BMW, Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes decided to sue Shuanghuan Automotive for copyright infringement for its Bubble microcar (called the Noble in China), claiming it was a copy of the smart fortwo. BMW then decided to bring its own case against Shuanghuan, citing the Shuanghuan CEO as a blatant facsimile of the BMW X5 (that's the CEO on the wall in the above picture). Mercedes got the Bubble banned from display at a couple of auto shows, BMW won its copyright infringement lawsuit in Munich, and Mercedes sued the Bubble's importer, Martin Motors of Italy, to block sales of the car.

It was all looking good... until BMW lost its case in courts in Munich and in China. The Italian court ruled that "consumers could not get confused" when similar vehicles are offered "with a significant price difference." With BMW cold knocked out in the Copyright Cage Match, Mercedes has been left alone in the octagon with Shuanghuan bearing down on it. It also hasn't helped that Italian commentators have already said they don't think the two cars will be confused.

Now Mercedes is looking for an exit. Martin Motors countersued Mercedes for €100,000,000 - around $134.2 million USD - citing potential lost Bubble sales (that's a lotta Bubbles), and Mercedes doesn't want to lose its case and have to fork over colossal damages. Both sides expect the case to be resolved in a couple of weeks, and Bubbles are expected to go on sale this summer.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Mercedes tries to burst Shuanghuan's tiny Bubble, gives up originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Look: Rolls Royce RR4 Interior [Baby Rolls]

The boys from KGP have just gotten us the first shots of the interior of the new entry-level Baby Rolls, or RR4. The shots show a car with typical Rolls Royce style, but at a more-Financiapocalypse-like price of between $200,000 and $250,000. This makes sense as the Rolls Royce RR4 is set to be slated between parent company BMW's 2009 BMW 7-series and the top-of-the-line Rolls Royce Phantom, with parts from the former and the style of the latter. The new exterior photos also give us a more clear picture of the curvier shape and sleeker profile of the new Rolls Royce. Just use your imagination to add the gigantic chrome grille. More details in the spy report below the jump.

KGP Spy Report

Development of the Rolls Royce RR has been ramped up as of late, and the new wave of prototypes have yielded our first glimpses of the "Baby Rolls." Although the overall interior is still very well covered, we can see some hints that lots of wood will be put to use on RR4's dash. A starter button is placed on the dash to the right of the steering wheel. We had to wait until an engineer got behind the wheel to nab some shots of a new iDrive-style controller residing on the center console. Separate buttons for "Tel" and "Nav" can be discerned in our close-up shot of the new controller.

We must assume that the new interface is closely related to the new iDrive system about to launch in the new 7-series. However, there are clear differences between the control knob in the new 7-series and this RR4 prototype, so it seems that BMW will be careful to avoid any parts-bin feel to their new "entry-level" Rolls.

This set contains interior shots of two separate RR4 prototypes—one has what appears to be a steering wheel from the '09 7-series, while the second test vehicle has a fully badged Rolls-Royce wheel, with revised switches that give us the true look of the new Roller's steering wheel.

The RR4 is expected to arrive as a 2010 model with a price ranging between $250,000 -$280,000—about 100-grand less than Rolls Royce's flagship Phantom. The RR4 will share many components with the '09 7-series, but we're beginning to see that those shared bits will definitely lie beneath the surface

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Audi A3, BMW 135i and Volvo C30 in Action

If Ford, Chevy and Dodge were all three unveiling new 2-door mini-cars onto the auto market in the U.S. there would surely be a battle-royale in the marketing blitz to see: 1. who was fastest, 2.who was safest and 3. who could sup’ down the most fuel (And History shows the results would likely be 1. Chevy 2. Ford and 3. Dodge). However, that is not the case here as the players in the new 2-door luxury compact (oops, they don’t use that word anymore) car market are Audi, BMW and Volvo… the ABV’s if you will. Known more for the European refinement and sophistication it seems more likely that these three automakers will rely more on their own reputation to more their new wheels into this new market. The Audi A3, BMW 1-Series and the Volvo C30 express the most recent design attributes that permeate their larger model cars and sporty engines already employed in larger siblings, and that on top of their nameplates helps to build a little excitement for each of them.

So it seems like it is time to do a little visual shopping.

First to bat is the Audi A3 which came out last year to some mild applause. It was the first luxury brand to really test the compact market with a sporty entrant of this caliber. Take a look at the road test below of the A3 to see if it wets your whistle any.

Next up is the BMW 1-series that is finally about to land in North America after receiving its first introduction into the market in Europe. The 1-Series is just not sneaking onto the market with modest support and thrust power.. Oh no. BMW is unleashing its 135i with 306 horses and the capabilities of an M class car minus the badges. So far there have not been too many test drives available for the new 135i so for the time being we will have to be teased by the in-house footage provided by BMW.

And rounding out the selection is the Volvo C30, which may actually be the sleeper of the bunch. It seems odd to call a car with such unique styling a sleeper, but when you are reminded that it is a Volvo some people automatically think of their grandma and her boxy, safe Volvo wagon. Once you are labeled with something it takes a lot of time to break those stereotypes and rebuild an image of dignified excitement, as is the case with Volvo. They are not straying from the safety that built their original reputation, but they are certainly looking to expand their reach in the market. The C30 is just the car they need to strike early at the 20-30 something;s to start rebuilding their brand loyalty at an earlier age customer. To see a bit of what the designers were thinking as they shaped the Volvo C-30 watch the video below.

All three cars above are going to lead to some fun comparison and should definitely give some Mini Cooper buyers something else to think about. I for one cannot wait to get my hands on an A3, a 135i and a C30 as I head deep into my New Car shopping season. Shop Shop Shop!

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A longer wheelbase, partnered with a wider track, will be utilized to keep ...

The 2009 BMW’s 7-series test mule was caught in camo. A longer wheelbase, partnered with a wider track, will be utilized to keep with BMW’s handling ethos, while new engine choices, including a hybrid and twin-turbo V8 diesel will provide motivation. A new ZF eight-speed gearbox is almost certain, along with a revised iDrive system and several new safety features.

Look out for the refresh in 2009, with a full redesign sometime next decade.

Source: Autogepot (see more pics!)

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