The Honda Fit is very good at a great many things, but off-roading isn't part of its wide pool of talents. That's unlikely to change much even with the Honda Fit Twist, unveiled at the Sao Paulo Motor Show in Brazil--but Honda's intentions are along different lines. As reported by Auto Express, Honda says that customers in Brazil prefer cars that MORE

With customer demand on the increase in South America, General Motors is setting up a new regional organisation in the area. Known as GM South America, its headquarters will be in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and it will be led by Jaime Ardila, who is currently the president and general manager of GM Mercosur. Tags: Green cars Latest news general motors Brazil Ed Whitacre GM GM growth GM South America South America MORE

With the transportation sector being the largest and most rapidly growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in Latin America, there is a strong emphasis [.]. Electric cars Green cars Hybrid cars Latest news C40 Cities electric bus hybrid bus South AmericaThe results of a Hybrid & Electric Bus Test Programme have been revealed by the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (logo, pictured) after tests in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. MORE

A consortium led by South Korea’s POSCO and Samsung SDI, and including China’s Sichuan Fulin Industrial Group and Chile’s Molyment, has won a bid to build a cathode materials plant in Chile to support that country’s Li-ion batteries project. However, POSCO’s lithium business has been delayed due to the bankruptcy of partner companies in South America, which have the Li salt reserves. MORE

The MANN+HUMMEL Group, based in Ludwigsburg, Germany, has entered into a definitive agreement under which MANN+HUMMEL will acquire the global filtration operations (excluding its Affinia South America (ASA) operations) of Affinia Group, the manufacturer of the Wix and Filtron brand of filters. MORE

An electric sports car has completed an epic journey from the outskirts Arctic Circle to the southern most tip of South America. Tags: Electric cars Alaska Racing Green Endurance South America SRZero The British team behind the Racing Green Endurance challenge finished their 26,000km journey yesterday after just 70 days. The 400bhp twin-motor SRZero sportscar is a fully electric car with a driving range of [.]. MORE

Camps International, which offers a range of gap year voluntary experiences and school trips across East Africa, South East Asia and South America, has now taken delivery of eleven Leon E Ecomotive [.]. An ethical travel company has shown its commitment to sustainable transport by selecting SEAT to provide low emission cars to its UK fleet. MORE

From 2020, the plant will deliver the new model built in Argentina to the entire South American continent. In addition to South America, responsibilities have also been delegated to the regions of North America, China and the Sub-Saharan area of Africa. The new vehicle project in Argentina is a part of the Volkswagen brand’s largest product offensive in the South America region. MORE

Prior to these positions, he was executive vice president, Ford Motor Company, and president of Ford’s Americas division. In this role, he led the development, manufacturing, marketing and sales of Ford and Lincoln vehicles in the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America and was responsible for overseeing the transformation of the company’s North American operations and record profitability. MORE

GM’s SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture signed a framework agreement with GM’s former Latin America, Africa and Middle East operations and distribution agreements with individual countries to export and distribute two of its most popular mini-commercial vehicles from China to markets in South America, the Middle East and North Africa. MORE

Landi Renzo’s SAFE, with a strong presence in Europe and Asia, and Clean Energy Compression, which is well established in the North and South America markets, will combine manufacturing and support operations and equip an international sales team with an expanded line of compressors. Landi Renzo S.p.a. and Clean Energy Fuels Corp. MORE

The geographical scope should include countries of mutual interest in Sub-Saharan Africa, Central- and South-America. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Statoil have signed an agreement to work together to examine the feasibility of common projects to promote sustainable energy access and industry in developing countries. MORE

Whereas glucose is the major North-American feedstock, sucrose is abundant in Europe and South-America, noted Marc Delcourt, CEO of Global Bioenergies. Global Bioenergies has adapted its bio-isobutene process, first developed with glucose as a resource, for the use of sucrose, the main component of sugar cane and sugar beet. MORE

Buquebus is also the largest Tourist Agent in South America, selling more than 300,000 hotel beds and 400,000 city tours per year. Buquebus and CTS Auto S.A., in partnership with Chinese automaker BYD Ltd, introduced the first battery-electric 12-meter rapid transit bus in Uruguay and the region. MORE

an agricultural biotechnology and seed company, will evaluate a number of its biotech traits in sugarcane in South America. Evaluations will be managed by a South American sugarcane developer. Food and Agriculture Organization, 62 million acres (25 million hectares) of sugarcane were harvested worldwide in 2012, including 27 million acres (11 million hectares) in South America. Ceres, Inc., MORE

Johnson Controls and MAC launched a joint venture in June 2011 to produce and sell lead-acid batteries in the Central and South American regions. Johnson Controls sells several key brands of batteries in Latin America, including Heliar, VARTA, LTH and OPTIMA. The company is the market leader for automotive batteries in South America. Johnson Controls has acquired 90% ownership of Colombian battery supplier MAC. MORE

Petrobras has started production on the P-61 Tension Leg Wellhead Platform (TLWP)—the first use of dry-tree floating technology offshore Brazil and the first Tension Leg Platform installation offshore South America—in Papa Terra field, located near the southern perimeter of the Campos Basin (State of Rio de Janeiro), 110 km (68 miles) off the coast of Brazil and with a water column of 400 to 1,400 m (1,312 to 4,593 feet). MORE

will begin production of engine control units (ECUs) in Brazil in September, becoming the first company to make ECUs for cars in South America. which plans to bring a new plant online in the South American country in 2014. The Nikkei reports Denso Corp. Denso will supply the ECUs to Toyota. Denso already has an ECU-related facility in the northern Brazilian city of Manaus, which it built at a cost of 400 million yen. MORE

The factory is slated to open in 2015 and will launch the manufacturing and assembly of the BYD’s electric transit bus in South America as well as the Iron-Phosphate battery packs. BYD will build its first factory in Brazil in the city of Campinas (in the São Paulo region of Brazil). Maximum capacity in the first year of operation (starting in 2015) will be 1,000 electric buses as well as all of their batteries, said BYD Brazil’s General Manager Tyler Li. MORE

Challenging conditions in South America. Vehicle penetration in Peru averages only 59 vehicles per thousand people, roughly one-third of the level across all of South America, and less than 10% of what is normal in the G7 countries. 2015 forecast share by region. MORE

As well as China, GKN builds the system at facilities in Europe and North America, and supplies the system in India and South America. MORE

Akerson was joined by Argentina President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner; GM South America President Jaime Ardila; and GM Argentina President Isela Costantini. General Motors will invest $450 million between 2013 and 2015 to expand its Rosario Automotive Complex to build an all-new global Chevrolet vehicle, Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson said Wednesday. MORE

Scandinavian electric vehicle maker THINK, has announced it is to deliver its first vehicles into South America – part of a new collaboration with Brazilian electricity supplier, CPFL Energia SA. Tags: Electric cars Latest news Brazil South America Think The news follows THINK’s recent announcements about entering in Europe and plans to start new operations in the USA and Asia. CPFL Energia has purchased three THINK [.]. MORE

This $1.1-billion investment and 1,300 new jobs will allow Ford to export engines to the US, Canada, South America and the Asia-Pacific region, supporting the company’s growing small car lineup. This new plant will produce two all-new automatic transmissions for key products primarily in South America, Europe and Asia Pacific as well as other North American markets. Ford is investing $2.5 MORE

For the past 15 years, Mercedes-Benz has offered its entry-level A Class hatchback to parts of Europe, South America, and Asia. The ugly duckling of Mercedes-Benz, the A Class lacked the poise of its siblings, and has become something of a favorite with middle-class soccer moms. At yesterday’s Geneva Motor Show however, Mercedes unveiled its MORE

The Colombian city of Cartagena has ordered 147 Scania Euro 6 gas buses for its new transport system as part of Scania’s largest deal to date on Euro 6 gas technology in South America. Scania will be the exclusive provider for two trunk lines for Cartagena’s new Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system, called Transcaribe. MORE

General Motors is creating a new regional organization to meet rising customer demand in South America. GM South America will be headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil and will be led by Jaime Ardila, currently president and general manager GM Mercosur. Ardila becomes president, GM South America and will report to GM Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre. GM South America currently has 29,000 employees. MORE

Ground-breaking, market-oriented SUV projects are planned for plants in Mexico, the USA, South America and Russia. As part of a projected €22.8 billion (US$26.9 billion) investment in its plants worldwide, the Volkswagen Group will invest about €1 billion (US$1.2 MORE

Long-term histories of Pb pollution in Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Asia show evidence that, in these regions, the highest Pb emissions of the past 2000 years occurred in the second half of the 20 th century. There exist, however, no equivalent data for South America. MORE

Volvo Buses has sold 3,000 hybrid, electric hybrid and electric buses to customers in 22 countries in Europe, South America, Asia and Australia. In 2016 alone, Volvo sold 533 electrified buses. Following the introduction of Volvo Buses’ first hybrid buses in 2010, sales have increased steadily at the same time as the product range has undergone continuous development and expansion. MORE

The Group also reported a significant rise in deliveries in South and North America as well as Central and Eastern Europe in September. The Group handed over 85,900 vehicles to customers in North America, a rise of 13.5% The Volkswagen Group also reported an increase in deliveries in South America in September, handing over 47,800 vehicles to customers, a rise of 68.4%. MORE

It probably arrived in North America in the mid-1800s as an impurity in crop seed, and was widespread by the 1920s. The invasive plant now occurs in 48 states, excluding Alabama and Florida; it has also been introduced in South America, Asia, southern Africa, and New Zealand.). Under a project to deliver a new generation of green transport fuel, researchers the Islamic Azad University in Iran have produced biodiesel from flixweed seed oil. MORE

believe that our presence in South America will allow us to jointly explore other opportunities for our proprietary heavy-duty electric traction drive systems and our lithium-ion battery management systems within transportation markets through joint ventures with regional original equipment manufacturers throughout South America. MORE

Regional highlights include: In North America, more engine downsizing is expected. Honeywell’s Transportation Systems Forecast projects that turbocharged vehicles will acount for 48% of annual global sales by 2021, up 9 percentage points from 2016. MORE

Citing a lack of acceptance for plant technology in many parts of Europe, BASF announced that it is concentrating its plant biotechnology activities on the main markets in North and South America. We will therefore concentrate on the attractive markets for plant biotechnology in North and South America and the growth markets in Asia. We have excellent scientists and facilities there and at our research sites in North America. MORE

Sub-Saharan Africa refers to the area of the African continent south of the Sahara. The new fourth region joins Volkswagen’s existing regions of North America, South America and China and is the next step in the Volkswagen brand’s strategy to position itself in focus areas. The region will be headed by Thomas Schäfer, Chairman and Managing Director of Volkswagen Group South Africa. Since February 2015, Thomas Schäfer has headed the Volkswagen Group South Africa. MORE

In October, after ExxonMobil announced its fifth oil discovery after drilling the Turbot well, analysts at energy analytics company Wood Mackenzie observed that Guyana, which is currently a non-oil producing country, might soon become an oil and gas powerhouse in South America. MORE

BASF broke ground for its new production plant for sodium methylate in Guaratinguetá, Brazil, its largest site in South America. BASF expects about 15% of the annual global demand for biodiesel, which is about 30 million tons, to come from South America in 2015. Other South American countries have similar legislation. Sodium methylate is an efficient and reliable catalyst for the production of biodiesel. MORE

It's not that the industry can't meet electricity demand for the South American country—quite the opposite, in fact. DON'T MISS: North America's largest coal power plant to become 44-MW solar farm Consequently, Chile is now. renewable energy solar clean energy South America energyChile has a problem with its solar industry. There is actually more available solar energy than there is use for it. MORE

There's the urban myth that the Chevrolet Nova failed in South America because in Spanish, no va means "won't go." Marketing missteps in naming cars quickly become legendary. It's not true.) But now it turns out that Audi may have committed a blunder in naming its line of electric cars e-Tron. Especially since they're about to be shown at the MORE

Discovered in 2003, the Papa-Terra field development marks the first use of dry-tree floating technology (sometimes called a spar, or a buoyant vertical cylinder) offshore Brazil and the first Tension Leg Platform (a floating structure held in place by vertical, tensioned tendons connected to the sea floor by pile-secured templates) installation offshore South America. MORE

It represents a critical entry in emerging markets such as South America and South Asia, which will jointly make up 44% of the global sub-B compact vehicle segment by 2017. MORE

It's a long way from North America to South America, after all. The Challenge Bibendum brings the sustainable-mobility world together every year or so--though sometimes, the 2010 edition of the Bibendum didn't come together as quickly as planned. On day one, our travel group was cleaved in half by a missed flight to Rio de Janeiro, leaving four MORE