minicar
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Grand Prix racing legend Sir Stirling Moss might have a shiny new Aston Martin Cygnet parked on his driveway, but he's currently in a minority. Dr. Ulrich Bez, chairman of Aston Martin, has admitted that initial sales have been slow - though rather than disinterest in Aston Martin's controversial "ugly duckling", supply issues are to blame. "We can't deliver as many as the customers want," said Dr. Bez to U.K. magazine Autocar. "We don't have enough stock. It is the sort of product a customer sees and decides they want on the spot". The long times between placing an order and the Cygnet being...
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Latest RoboCar Prototype: Ugly, But High Tech And Autonomous
Some cars are beautiful. Others are fast. Some others are incredibly practical. Some other cars are none of these things, but their importance isn't in their looks, speed or usability but the technological advancements they'll offer to the car industry as a whole. The RoboCar MEV-C is one of these...
Antony Ingram -
CT&T May Have THE New College Campus Car
Low Priced, All-Electric and Supposedly Good For College
Jonathan McGrew -
First Fiat 500s Will Be Sporty Abarth Version
The 2011 Fiat 500 Abarth should cost around $18,000-$19,000 and go up against the Mini Cooper.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Aston Martin Planning Trio Of New Models
The global economic recession has made a dent on Aston Martin but the company is still planning three all-new models before 2012.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Chrysler Handling Distribution Of Fiat 500 In U.S.
Production of the Fiat 500 will start in North America late next year or in early 2011.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Volkswagen's upcoming up! minicar project is destined to go electric but the first examples won’t be around until 2013. Currently, the up! is being developed with conventional petrol and diesel options and will be sold under various guises through the VW, Seat and Skoda brands by 2011. The reported 2013 launch date for the electric up! means the car will arrive to market a little slower than some of its competitors, such as the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, which is slated for a 2011 release. This disadvantage will have to be made up by VW with either better pricing or a superior product, reports...
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VW considering up! minicar for U.S.
Small, efficient cars have not fared particularly well in the U.S. Why, exactly, isn't precisely a mystery - Americans like big, strong cars for the most part - but it is something of a paradox, because Americans also want great fuel efficiency and low prices. As oil prices rise, the average...
Nelson Ireson -
Report: Smart planning new 'ForTwo +2' four-seat city car
Tiny, economical, yet stylish and trendy, the Smart ForTwo has proved a mammoth success in the U.S., with actual demand far outstripping projections. Toyota's iQ, Audi's A1 and BMW's upcoming Project 'i' minicar are both on the table for U.S. sale as well - though none are confirmed yet - so Smart...
Nelson Ireson -
More photos of Chevrolet Spark revealed en route to Geneva Motor Show debut
At last month’s Detroit Auto Show, General Motors confirmed that its all-new Chevrolet Spark minicar would go on sale in the United States by 2011 but apart from the release of a single teaser image no other details were revealed. GM has today released a set of new images of the upcoming...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Toyota to add 1.3L four to iQ lineup at Geneva Motor Show
The 2009 Geneva Motor Show will play host to a wide range of concepts and production vehicles, from speedy supercars to family sedans and even raw engine technologies. One of Toyota's additions to the show will be a new variant of the iQ, powered by a peppy 1.3L gasoline four-cylinder. The current...
Alex Kaufmann -
Nissan prices Cube lineup, starts at $13,990, Krom from $19,360
Nissan has announced base pricing for the all-new Cube minicar earlier this month, starting at $13,990. Now it has revealed pricing for the full line, including the special-edition Krom, which starts at $19,360. Four variants of the Cube will be sold, dubbed the Cube 1.8, Cube 1.8 S, Cube 1.8 SL...
Ralph Hanson -
The second-generation Nissan Cube made its world debut last November at the Los Angeles Auto Show, but specifications and information on the U.S. model were scant. New information has emerged shedding some light on what American buyers of the quirky hatch can expect, however, including power and pricing estimates. A punchy 122hp (91kW) 1.8L inline four-cylinder engine will power the Cube in the U.S., and can be paired with a choice of either a continuously variable transmission (CVT) or a six-speed manual. Nissan hasn't yet revealed the estimated EPA fuel economy figures for the Cube, but...
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Toyota confirms iQ under consideration for U.S.
Toyota’s new iQ minicar is set to go on sale in Japan and most parts of Europe very soon, but there are now indications from one of the carmaker’s top officials that the diminutive hatch could make its way to the United States. There has been plenty of speculation that the iQ could be...
Ralph Hanson -
Chevrolet Spark and Orlando confirmed for U.S. in 2011
Chevrolet has confirmed today at the Detroit Auto Show that it will bring a new compact car called the Spark to the United States by 2011. This will be joined by a seven-seater compact MPV dubbed the Orlando at the same time in an effort to boost Chevrolet’s fuel efficiency ratings. More...
Ralph Hanson -
U.S. market primed for minicar resurgence
With the global economic crisis forcing consumers to tighten their purse strings, small cars with low sticker prices and high fuel efficiency are becoming more and more popular. While European and Asian markets have been popular with small cars for some time now, it is only recently that selling...
James Martinez -
VW working on new 'two-liter' microcar
More than a year ago, Volkswagen announced it was working on a project to bring its 1-Liter concept from 2002 to production reality. The three-wheeled low-slung extremely aerodynamic design still seems a bit unrealistic, but now VW is thought to be building a slightly larger, more functional city...
Alex Kaufmann -
Volkswagen accelerates development for new minicar
A number of major design and requirement changes had pushed back development work on a production version of last year’s up! minicar concept well past the 2010 mark, but with the accelerated change in demand for smaller and more fuel-efficient vehicles Volkswagen is speeding up the...
Alex Kaufmann -
Tata's Nano famously promised to bring the opportunity of four-wheeled transport to the world's emerging markets - places such as India, Brazil and the African continent. Now Toyota is reported to be working on a similar car, though its initial price target is roughly double the Nano's originally intended price. The news of Toyota's entry into the super-budget market comes from the Japanese Asahi newspaper, reports Automotive News Europe. To be co-developed with Daihatsu and built in Bangalore, India, the car won't make it to market until 2015. Toyota already has one plant in Bangalore, and...
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Ford announces pricing for Ka minicar in UK
Ford has announced the European pricing for its Ka minicar, with the base model starting at £7,995 (approximately $13,085). This figure undercuts the base price for Toyota's 2010 iQ minicar by exactly £1,500, or about 18%, and this should help the diminutive Ka outpace its Japanese rival in the...
Kenneth Hall -
GM rules out launching minicar in U.S.
General Motors confirmed at last year’s Los Angeles Auto Show that its Chevrolet Beat concept car would enter production in South Korea and eventually be sold in Asian and South American markets. While previously there was talk that a production version of the Beat could eventually be sold in...
Alex Kaufmann -
Audi A1 and Toyota iQ minicars in contention for U.S. launch
Ford’s upcoming second-generation Ka isn’t the only fuel-efficient urban runabout being considered for a United States launch, with latest reports indicating both Audi and Toyota are also considering bringing their latest minicar creations Stateside. Such an idea was almost unheard of...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Toyota introduces rear-window protection airbag
Since its humble beginnings as an optional feature on cars in the 1970s, the airbag has become a must-have safety feature for any new car on the market. The development of curtain airbags have also increased the number of airbags in new cars to eight – or more – however Toyota is...
Siddarth Raja -
Report: Toyota iQ platform to spawn next Yaris, MPV and hybrid model
Hoping to share in the success of the growing minicar segment, Toyota is planning to release its new iQ minicar in Europe and Japan early next year following its debut next month at the Paris Motor Show. While there’s a chance the iQ may not be offered in the North American market due to its...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran