2011
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One of the criticisms constantly leveled at NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series is that the cars used in the series don't match reality. The Ford Fusion, Toyota Camry, and Chevrolet Impala are all front-wheel-drive mid-size sedans in production form, yet their bodies adorn rear-wheel-drive platforms that are powered by hulking V-8s in racing form. Only Dodge's Charger is rear-wheel drive both in NASCAR and on the street. Since rear-wheel drive mid-size sedans are more or less a dead breed, one possible solution would be to bring in rear-wheel drive sports cars that have V-8 power, like the Ford...
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Lexus CT 200h Competing In Hybrid-Only Race At 2011 Australian GPEach year, in the days prior to the Australian GP in Melbourne, there is a demonstration race known as the Celebrity Challenge. The event pits a group of Aussie celebs in a one-make race around the Albert Park F1 circuit and in the past has included cars such as the MINI Cooper and Fiat 500. This...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2011 Geneva Motor Show Preview: Mazda Minagi ConceptJust hours after today’s earlier leak of the new Minagi Concept, Mazda has released full details for its latest concept and confirmed that it will be appearing for the first time at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show in March. The concept is said to be a preview of a brand new compact crossover from...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
First Four-Cylinder BMW TwinPower Turbo Engine Debuts In X1 xDrive28iFuture BMW models wearing the number "28" on their bootlid will no longer be fitted with six-cylinder engines but rather a new generation of four-cylinder gasoline engines complete with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology. The first of these models is the newly revealed BMW X1 xDrive28i, which has just...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Porsche Considering North American, Chinese FactoriesPorsche CEO Matthius Mueller recently said that Porsche might soon build vehicles in China and North America. The reason? Its current production facility in Zuffenhausen, Germany is simply too small for Porsche to achieve its goal of doubling sales to 200,000 units by 2018. Mueller insists that the...
Keith Buglewicz -
ProCharger Supercharger On The Way For V-6 MustangsThe automotive aftermarket has not forgotten about V-6 powered Mustangs. ProCharger, which already makes a supercharger that adds 140 horsepower to the 5.0-liter V-8 GT, is about to introduce a new supercharger for the 3.7-liter V-6, which makes 305 horsepower in stock form. With eight pounds of...
Tim Healey -
The Chevrolet Camaro and American rock star Kid Rock are perhaps two of the more well-known symbols of Detroit, and in honor of the musician's 40th birthday, he was given a brand-new Camaro SS. NASCAR star Jimmie Johnson did the honors, presenting the "Cowboy" with a black SS with black wheels, black-wall tires, and the number 40 painted on the doors. The fuel-filler door is stamped with the words "Made in Detroit" while the hood had an "American Bad Ass" logo. Kid Rock's party was held at Ford Field in downtown Detroit, and the Camaro was uncovered before being hoisted by a lift. Talk about...
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F1 Star Mark Webber Buys 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RSWhat car do you buy when your usual mode of transportation is a Formula One race car? Well, in Mark Webber’s case, you buy a brand new 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS. The Aussie F1 star took delivery of his latest ride, the fastest and most powerful road-going model ever built by Porsche, just...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Video: Top Gear Returns For Season 16The lads are back for yet another season of all out hilarity on four wheels, this time with a brand new Stig and plenty of new antics. Some of the goodies we can expect include a comparison between two classic supercars, the Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959, a test of the new Rolls-Royce Ghost as well...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Lexus IS-F Duo Stun Crowds At 2011 Tokyo Auto SalonEarlier today we saw Toyota’s offering at the 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon and now we have a look at what its upmarket Lexus division has brought to the aftermarket tuner table. The Auto Salon, similar to the SEMA show held in Las Vegas each year, is claimed to be the world’s largest custom...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Hey, Vince, A Dodge Charger or Challenger Hybrid Is Simple!In the recently-released film The Dilemma, Vince Vaughn's character, Ronny Valentine, and his best friend Nick (played by Kevin James), run an automotive supplier business that has to create a "sound-alike" system for hybrid-powered muscle cars. Using a 2011 Dodge Charger as the guinea pig, the duo...
John Voelcker -
Chrysler 300 Hybrid Coming In 2013It’s official. Chrysler plans to launch a gasoline-electric hybrid version of its latest generation 300 sedan, the information revealed by company CEO Sergio Marchionne at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show last week. It will be fitted with an eight-speed automatic transmission and will be on sale in...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
It looks as if the 2011 Ford Explorer may have won its spot at the top of the 2011 North American Truck of the Year awards by maxing out the points in a category none of the other trucks were ready for: Snowsports Preparedness. How much more fun would this be (to watch, at least) if the Explorer were moving? [Ford via Facebook]
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2011 Chrysler 200 Convertible PreviewYesterday a handful of images of the 2011 Chrysler 200 Convertible leaked onto the Web, and today, Chrysler has let loose its full bounty. Complete details and a full gallery of the not-a-Sebring 'vert await. If you're familiar with the standard sedan variant of the 200, you already know what to...
Nelson Ireson -
BMW Considering Building 3- And 5-Series In U.S.?BMW currently builds the X3, X5 and X6 models at its plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina but in the future we could see even more of the German luxury autos built in the U.S. According to a report coming out of Germany, BMW is considering building its staple 3- and 5-Series models in the U.S. as...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Lancia Badged Chrysler 200 To Be Revealed In Geneva, Flavia Name LikelyAs we all know the Chrysler brand has been in axed in Europe, with its cars continuing to be on sale across the Atlantic but wearing Lancia badges instead. We’ve already reported on the new 2011 Chrysler 300 being sold in Europe as a Lancia Thema and now we have news that the mid-size 200...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Video: Audi Super Bowl Commercial Says Goodnight To S-ClassThere's nothing wrong with a little friendly ribbing, but Audi has been known to get right up in BMW's and Mercedes' faces with its ad campaigns. The latest, a 60-second spot for the Super Bowl, does it artfully, if less obviously. Based on the 1947 children's book Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise...
Nelson Ireson -
2011 Chrysler 200 Convertible Images LeakedThe 2011 Chrysler 200 Convertible had been expected to make its appearance at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show earlier this week, but when the dust settled, it was nowhere to be found. Some of our Italian cohorts have solved that problem, however, leaking a full gallery of images of the car. The 200...
Nelson Ireson -
Audi has released a new commercial for the all-new 2011 Audi A8, taking on "old luxury and all of your wares" with a twist on the classic bedtime story, "Goodnight Moon." When it comes to German luxury sedans, Audi is widely regarded by reviewers as the smartest kid in the class. But despite its technical prowess, highest-end features and the outstanding driving capability it builds into its vehicles, some luxury car aficionados still believe there's a prestige deficit between Audi and its German rivals, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Audi sort of embraces this in its advertising by proclaiming...
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Ford Unveils New 2011 Fiesta RS WRC LiveryFord factory WRC driver Mikko Hirvonen and much of the world rally team was on hand in Birmingham, U.K. today for the unveiling of Ford's new Fiesta RS WRC entrant, set to take the place of the current Focus for next year's championship. The use of the Fiesta as the WRC racer comes on the heels of...
Nelson Ireson -
Commemorative Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Headed To Barrett-Jackson AuctionA very special Corvette Z06 will be up for sale at this month’s Barrett-Jackson vehicle auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. The car is a 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, which was built to commemorate the classic American supercar’s inaugural appearance and victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 50...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
All Corvette Buyers Now Eligible For Free Driving School Through FebruaryA few thousand bucks for the price of a driving school is small beans compared to the purchase price of a new Corvette, Grand Sport, or Z06. But if you're new to the world of high-power performance cars, it could be the best few grand you ever spend. Except now you can get the school for free. The...
Nelson Ireson -
Report: Mercedes Considering Non-Turbo 5.5-Liter V-8 For AMGThe new twin-turbo 5.5-liter V-8 making its way throughout AMG's 2012 lineup is a beast: 544 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque with a performance pack upgrade that can kick things up to 571 horsepower and 664 pound-feet. But AMG is looking at stripping the turbos off and running with natural...
Nelson Ireson -
2011 Detroit Auto Show: Bentley CEO Departs During Booming SalesWhile sales of mass-market cars struggled toward a recovery in 2010, sales of luxury cars—and in particular, some of the priciest ultra-luxury models—have been hot. Bentley is yet another example. According to Bentley CEO Franz-Josef Paefgen, from a press conference at its stand in the...
Bengt Halvorson