2009

Honda today announced plans to begin sales in Japan of the CR-Z hybrid sports car in February 2010 and a Fit hybrid before the end of 2010. By combining these two models with the currently available Insight and Civic Hybrid, Honda will further enhance its lineup of compact hybrid models and help it...

Nissan’s new 370Z is shaping up to the be the next big tuner special, with one of the first aftermarket firms, Cobra N+, revealing its new kit for the stylish coupe today. With a punchy 3.7-liter V6 up front, a quick-shifting 6-speed with Nissan’s innovative Synchromesh feature and a...

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...

Hot on the heels of the modified Cayenne Diesel from Techart come a new power and styling package for the big Porsche from fellow German tuner Cargraphic. Priced from a reasonable $1,650, Cargraphic engineers will install a new ECU upgrade to boost power output from the SUV’s Audi-sourced...

When General Motors sells Saturn later this year, it will lose more than a quarter of its sales of hybrid vehicles. Saturn, with no V8 models, fullsize SUVs or pickups, is GM’s most fuel-efficient brand and is second only to Chevrolet for overall hybrid sales with its Vue and Aura mild-hybrid...

That luxury sport-utility vehicle you're eyeing could come with lots of street credentials - as well as a hefty insurance bill. It's no surprise that expensive rides can cost a lot at the showroom, but a new study by Insure.com drops the other shoe on costs of ownership for the finest, most capable...

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...

The 2009 red dot design award winners were announced back in March, but last night the 'Best of the Best' award was handed out at a presentation in Essen, Germany, to Volkswagen for the Passat CC four-door coupe. Essen's Aalto Theater hosted the ceremony, where VW designer Martin Kropp accepted the...

The Pontiac G8 - and its entire brand - are nearly extinct, but there's time for one last hurrah at Hurst. The historic hot rod company has plans to build 52 special-edition Hurst/Pontiac H.O versions of the G8 as well as a G6 convertible. Like the Hurst Challengers released late last year, the...

General Motors has confirmed that it will dump its ownership stake in the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI) joint venture that it established with Toyota more than 25 years ago. Located in Fremont, California, the NUMMI plant was last responsible for versions of the Toyota Corolla and...

Four months ago in Geneva, Infiniti's stunning Essence Concept laid the foundation for the future of design at the Japanese luxury brand. Soon, it will hit the pavement at the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed, where it will take on the traditional hillclimb. The Essence is a rear-wheel drive luxury...

Up until the end of last year BMW was in the process of developing a brand new performance car positioned above the current 7-series flagship and destined to enter the premium four-door coupe segment. Then the global economic crisis hit and on the back of weak financial results BMW decided not to...

When it comes to luxury-car quality, taste often plays as big a role as fact, but J.D. Power tries to boil the issue down to a simple metric: problems per 100 cars. The resulting ranks are dubbed the Initial Quality Study, and used to guide consumer decisions. As usual, Lexus rates at the very top...

The later part of 2009 will see the introduction of AWD powertrains versions of BMW’s 7-Series, with the first models likely appearing after a debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September as 2010 models. The change is, for many, long overdue as the German competition has long offered AWD...

Earlier this month Infiniti announced pricing on the newest addition to its lineup, the all-new G37 Convertible, and today the stylish drop-top officially goes on sale. Pricing has been set at $43,850 for the standard model and $43,900 for the G37 Convertible Sport with a six-speed manual. This...

For the true enthusiast, there are few events that satisfy as completely as the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Both concourse and racing event, Goodwood offers the best of both worlds in an environment steeped in history and tradition. Lexus will be taking advantage of this year's Festival to show off...

It's no secret that Porsche's planning a range of production Cayenne hybrids, but today Porsche board member Wolfgang Dürheimer told the German daily Rheinische Post that the vehicle would be in dealerships and on the street by the second half of 2010 with a starting price around €90,000...

Nissan brand new Nismo-enhanced 370Z has officially gone on sale, priced from $39,130 and available with just three accessories – Nismo branded carpeted floor mats ($115), illuminated kick plates ($200) and a carpeted trunk mat ($95). Like the limited production Nismo 350Z introduced two...

Porsche, the once unassailable leader in the sports car segment, has proven that it is not completely shielded from the current economic crisis sweeping the globe. In an official statement, Porsche revealed back in March that its sales have been struggling and earlier in the year the company...

With the Dodge Viper business safely in Fiat’s hands for now, production at the car’s Conner Avenue plant in Michigan has finally resumed. Chrysler stopped production at all of its North American plants when it filed for bankruptcy on April 30. The information was confirmed to the Wall...