James Martinez, Author
Articles
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Mitsubishi has teamed up with America’s Jim Russell Racing Drivers School to create an exciting new driver training course that utilizes the high-performance Lancer Evolution X in an effort to...
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GM CEO Fritz Henderson to personally run North American operations
General Motors may be losing market share in North America but winning here remains crucial for the viability of the automaker, so much so that its CEO Fritz Henderson will personally run operations in the all-important market. Henderson has long said GM must make money in North America to survive...
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Bob Lutz stays on at GM, switches to marketing role
Bob Lutz, the iconic and often polemic Vice Chairman of General Motors' global product development team, announced back in February that he would be retiring from the company at the end of the year. With GM emerging from bankruptcy protection earlier this week as a leaner and more focused company...
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Fisker signs deal with Quantum to source Karma plug-in hybrid system
While big brand automakers like Toyota and General Motors are still more than a year away from launching their respective plug-in hybrid vehicles, small start-ups such as California's Fisker Automotive intends on having its own plug-in hybrid on sale this November. The company today took a step...
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Right-hand-drive Tesla Roadster coming next year
Just a few weeks ago Tesla got a new lease on life with a $465 million U.S. Department of Energy loan to build the infrastructure it needs for the mass-production of the Model S luxury-electric sedan. Soon after that the company announced plans to grow its brand overseas while also opening its...
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Spy shots: Saab’s next-gen 9-5 takes shape
The Saab 9-5 is long overdue for an overhaul, with the current model first hitting the streets as far back as 1997. A totally redesigned model was rumoured to make an appearance last year but its release was pushed back due to limited resources at Saab and the introduction of the facelifted 9-3...
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The world's fastest and most powerful production Corvette, the 638hp (476kW) ZR1 has become the pinnacle of American sports cars. After all, for most ZR1 owners, having a car capable of Nurburgring...
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Last Saab 9-5 rolls off the line after 12 years of production
The Saab 9-5 is one of the oldest vehicles still in production, having first appeared as far back as 1997 and only experiencing one major update since then. Now, just months out from the debut of the all-new 2010 9-5 at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show, Saab has ended production of the...
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Bankruptcy court approves GM asset sale
General Motors is one step closer to emerging from bankruptcy, with a judge on Sunday approving an asset sale to allow the most profitable assets to exit bankruptcy protection under government ownership. Judge Robert Gerber of the U.S. bankruptcy court in Manhattan said the sale would "prevent the...
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Report: Buick LaCrosse hybrid in the works
The new 2010 Buick Lacrosse has made waves with its attractive design and overall build quality since its unveiling at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Soon after that General Motors increased the appeal of the car by announcing that it will be available with not only a 3.0L and 3.6L V6, but also...
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New images of Hurst’s ‘Competition/Plus’ Dodge Challenger
The Dodge Challenger has been a welcome arrival for many muscle-car fans. Willing to overlook its hefty weight for the old-school looks and meaty Hemi power, they've already purchased just about every car scheduled to be made for the next year. But Hurst wasn't content to leave the Challenger...
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EPA gives California and 13 other states waiver to regulate greenhouse gas emissions
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week granted California a long-anticipated Clean Air Act Waiver. Under the plan, California - along with 13 other states - will enforce its own emissions standards until the 2012 model year, when the federal government will begin phasing in new national...
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Former president Bush signed the $25 billion Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Incentive Program into life last year, but for the past 8 months, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has sat...
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Lexus wants to build RX 450h hybrid in Canada?
The RX line of SUVs has been Lexus' best-selling luxury utility vehicle since its launch in 1998, and the new generation takes the vehicle into a larger, more powerful realm, while at the same time adding new efficiency-enhancing measures in the hybrid model. Currently, the RX SUV range is...
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Jaguar expands lineup with 470hp XF Supercharged
Jaguar today announced the introduction of the fourth and newest member of its acclaimed XF lineup, the 2010 XF Supercharged sedan. Joining the 4.2L and 5.0L naturally aspirated models and the range-topping XFR super-saloon in the U.S. market, the new XF Supercharged comes with a 5.0L force-fed...
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Chrysler will sell four different Fiat 500 variants in U.S.
Many in the U.S. have been hoping to receive the wildly popular Fiat 500 minicar for the past couple of years but a lack of interest in small cars has largely held it back. Now, with Fiat's alliance with Chrysler in place the Italian auto giant has a gateway to the lucrative U.S. market and the...
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Dodge Challenger SRT8 gets German makeover
German running gear specialist KW Automotive has chosen a very peculiar vehicle for its latest modification program, one of the purest examples of a modern-day American muscle car, the Dodge Challenger SRT8. As with any production car, there are always weaknesses and in the case of the Challenger...
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Video: Tag Heuer picks a winner in Hamilton-McQueen 'Duel'
The final video in 'The Duel' from watch company Tag Heuer sees F1 champion Lewis Hamilton taking on racer and actor Steve McQueen on the Le Mans track that made McQueen famous. Using editing techniques, the pair is put together on the screen for an impossible race - and a little bad lip syncing...
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Rounding out Ford’s trio of updated midsize sedans at last year’s Los Angeles Auto Show was the new Lincoln MKZ, which like its Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan siblings received a new face,...
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New engines added to BMW 1-series lineup
Like its 7-series bigger brother, the diminutive BMW 1-series is being upgraded for the 2010 model year with new engines and several special edition models. New to the lineup are the 120i and 118d 1-series Coupes, as well as the Lifestyle and Sport Editions of the three and five-door Hatchback...
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MKB releases 750hp upgrade for Mercedes’ CL65 AMG
MKB may not be as well known as its rival German tuners such as Brabus and MTM, but the company has a penchant for building some of the most stylish and powerful upgrades in the business - especially when it comes to modifying cars from Mercedes Benz. MKB’s latest package is based on the...
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Jesse James' hydrogen-powered land speed record claim comes under assault
Jesse James, American engineer, stuntman and all around lunatic successfully shattered the land speed record for a hydrogen powered vehicle for his latest show Jesse James Is A Dead Man – a show in which he cheats death every week by taking on a different challenge. But not everyone is so...
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Chrysler looking to replace Sebring and Avenger with new RWD sedan
Chrysler’s viability plan presented to the U.S. Treasury back in February turned out to be a goldmine for information about the company’s future plans. Not only were there details about the next-generation Chrysler 300 and 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, but the documents also outlined...
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Tesla issues response to slander and libel lawsuit
Earlier this month we reported on a case where the original founder and designer of the famed Tesla Roadster filed a lawsuit against current Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, claiming a number of actions that could be potentially damaging to both Musk and the company. The suit, which covers libel, slander and...
James Martinez