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Renault to open plant in Pakistan by 2018

French carmaker Groupe Renault is set to break into Pakistan's rapidly growing car market. Renault decided to invest in Pakistan and will start assembling cars there at a new manufacturing plant by 2018, the country's board of investment said in a statement.

For decades, Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp, Toyota Motor Corp and Honda Motor Co Ltd have dominated Pakistan's car market. The companies have been accused of colluding to fix prices for lower-quality versions of their models.

Board of Investment Chairman Miftah Ismail took Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to France in September, where he persuaded Renault to invest in Pakistan.

VW targets quick US settlement

Volkswagen AG aims to reach a settlement with the United States government over a criminal investigation before a new president takes office on Jan 20. This would remove a major hurdle as the German carmaker attempts to recover from the diesel scandal.

"Of course we'd wish to have a final decision before the American government changes, so that we can have certainty," Volkswagen Chief Executive Officer Matthias Muller said on Thursday at a conference in Hamburg.

VW still faces criminal charges in the US after gaining approval for a $15 billion civil settlement last month with the Environmental Protection Agency, the California Air Resources Board and disgruntled customers.

Uber teams up with GM on car-sharing

Uber Technologies Inc is working with General Motors Co, a major backer of ride-hailing rival Lyft Inc, to help drivers get access to vehicles. The automaker's Maven car-sharing service will let Uber drivers lease cars from GM's fleet in San Francisco.

GM's Maven unit will test the program with Uber for 90 days. GM is interested in expanding the business with Uber after that period. GM signed a partnership with Lyft to provide short-term rentals to those who pick up passengers through the app.

GAC Honda launches new, tailored Avancier

GAC Honda's Avancier models, which are tailored for China, hit the market on Nov 3 as the Sino-Japanese joint venture's fourth domestically made crossover model.

The model comes with a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine and a nine-speed automatic transmission. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 8 seconds.

It has a length of 4.8 meters with a 2.8-meter wheelbase.

A turbocharged 1.5-liter variant will be available in March 2017, and it is expected to boost the company's sales volume next year.

271,000 defective cars to be recalled

More than 191,700 units of Mitsubishi-branded cars and about 79,800 imported Subaru vehicles are going to be recalled by the carmakers owing to design defects, according to the nation's watchdog.

Mitsubishi Motors Corp's faulty models include the ASX crossover and Outlander EX, which allow rainwater damage to the wipers, creating driving risks.

The imported Subaru Legacy, Outback, Forester and Impreza models bear fire hazards in wiper motors or secondary air injection pump relays.

Carmakers Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd, which owns the Subaru brand, and Mitsubishi promise free replacement of the defective parts.

Motoring - Agencies

(China Daily 11/07/2016 page19)