PARIS (Reuters) — Renault will produce the new version of its Trafic van at Sandouville in France, a French industry ministry spokesman said on Saturday, announcing a decision which came after calls from politicians for the company to protect local jobs.

The Trafic is currently built in Luton, England, in a joint venture with Opel/Vauxhall and by Nissan in Barcelona, Spain. Continue reading Renault to shift Trafic van production from UK, Spain to France, report says

The Honda Skydeck, a six-passenger concept vehicle, in shown at a press preview in Tokyo on Sept. 18.

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Don’t get us wrong – in no way are we saying that you should ditch your sports car and invest in something more spacious. But hey, you could do worse than saving your pennies for the Honda SkyDeck, the six-seat hybrid minivan unveiled at last month’s Tokyo Motor Show.

The SkyDeck – shown at right and up top and in the video below – is widely seen as a potential successor to the Odyssey, Honda’s current mini-van. How far off is the SkyDeck? Who knows. For now, it’s just a concept car – a glimmer in the eye of a few top Honda designers. Continue reading Hello, Honda SkyDeck concept

Supposedly previewing Nissan’s new small crossover model that’s expected in 2010, the Qazana made its first ever appearance at the Geneva Motor Show. It goes without saying the production model that will be built at the firm’s Sunderland plant in the UK, will feature a much less dramatic design that the concept study. That said, don’t expect to see the Qazana’s suicide rear-doors or 20-inch alloys making it into production.

“The Qazana concept is an intelligent, all-wheel drive crossover which is masculine, agile, lean, and designed for the tough city streets,” said Atsushi Maeda, Studio Chief Designer, Nissan Design Europe. “Our team at Nissan Design Europe (NDE) in London realized this image with the motif of a modern day beach buggy and four-seat motor-bike,” Atsushi added. Continue reading Nissan Qazana Small Crossover Study