(January 18, 2018) — Mecum Auctions’ annual collector-car auction in Kissimmee, Fla., has long held the title of “world’s largest,” and this year’s auction again raised the bar, taking the collector-car auction market to new heights. Demonstrating $10 million in growth over last year’s auction, Mecum Kissimmee 2018 saw 2,208 vehicles hammer sold from Jan. 5-14 for overall sales totals of $96.6 million — a number still on the rise as sales continue to be finalized in Mecum’s Bid Goes On department.

(January 18, 2018) DETROIT — Nissan this week revealed the Xmotion concept, a design exploration for a potentially groundbreaking compact SUV, building on the company’s long history of cutting-edge crossovers and SUVs. The six-passenger, three-row Nissan Xmotion (pronounced “cross motion”) concept fuses Japanese culture and traditional craftsmanship with American-style utility and new-generation Nissan Intelligent Mobility technology.

(January 17, 2018) PLANO, Texas — Toyota built 1,983,723 vehicles at its North American vehicle assembly plants in 2017. Production volume was down approximately 1 percent over the previous year total of 2,124,608 vehicles.
 
Toyota’s total vehicle production in North America since 1986 has reached nearly 32 million. Key drivers of this year’s production include low fuel prices, continued stability in the overall economy and strong customer demand for trucks and SUVs.

(January 17, 2018)  RYTON-on-DUNSMORE, UK — Land Rover today announces a limited-edition high-performance version of the iconic Defender, with up to 150 V8-powered examples re-engineered to celebrate the Land Rover marque’s 70th anniversary in 2018.

The Defender Works V8 pays homage to the early high-powered engines in both the Series III Stage 1 V8 from 1979 and subsequent Defenders including the 50th Anniversary Edition, which are highly sought after by enthusiasts and collectors today.