2011

In Europe, the Ford Focus is an affordable, well-engineered and stylish small car available in hatch, sedan, wagon and convertible bodystyles. The car is also available with a number of options, including dual-clutch transmissions, flex-fuel engines, a folding hard top roof (convertible models...

While many Americans are struggling to make ends meet during the current financial crisis, the people of Chattanooga, Tennessee, have a brighter outlook thanks to the construction of a new Volkswagen plant that will help boost local employment. Production isn’t scheduled to start at the plant...

GM has already sunk $750 million into the development of the upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and resigned itself to the fact that the car won't be profitable for several years, but that hasn't stopped the company from starting development on the second and third generations of the car's...

When it comes to saving fuel, no aspect of a car’s design can be overlooked and one of the easiest and most common methods for carmakers is reducing weight. Whether it’s designing seats with less padding, using more exotic materials such as carbon-fiber or magnesium, or even completely...

The small-car surge in the U.S. was cut short last year when once-high fuel prices dropped as suddenly as they'd risen, but the future of the market seems clear: prices will rise again, and small cars will be the best solution. To that end, Volkswagen is planning to bring its 2010 Polo compact car...

Europeans are gearing up for the May release of the new Lotus Evora, but already there's something else to look forward to: a convertible version, due to hit the streets in 2011. It's expected to draw even more attention than the hard-top, which has proven a favorite among celebrities around the...

At last year’s Los Angeles Auto Show Hyundai rolled out a concept version of its Sonata sedan fitted with the company’s new ‘Blue Drive’ hybrid powertrain. Blue Drive is actually a new branding for Hyundai’s future range of eco-friendly models and will encompass...

General Motors has responded to a recent Carnegie Mellon University study claiming that upcoming plug-in hybrids such as the Volt are not actually as efficient as they seem. While cars such as the Volt use large batteries to achieve electric-only ranges of around 40 miles, the study claims that the...

Niche German sports carmaker Wiesmann recently celebrated its 20th birthday and to mark the anniversary the Dülmen-based manufacturer will be releasing a string of special '20th Anniversary Editions' models over the course of the year. The first of these special editions was recently shown in the...

Luxury sports car manufacturers are having a tough year in 2009, despite their successes last year. Earlier this month we heard from Porsche, who had experienced a massive drop in sales for the first six months of fiscal 2008/2009 following their record profits last year and now a similar story is...

A new-generation of plug-in hybrid vehicles may still be a couple of years away from reaching showrooms but the $700 billion Wall Street bailout bill passed by Congress and signed into law last October by President Bush and expanded by President Obama's recent stimulus package secures a tax break...

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...

General Motors' Volt and the plug-in hybrid technology behind it has come under fire in the press recently, with critics accusing the car of being too expensive and too inefficient to justify its purchase over a standard hybrid. The argument goes that real-world efficiency of a plug-in hybrid isn't...

As carmakers strive to improve the fuel efficiency of their powertrains, more and more innovative and technical solutions are coming to light. Take Rinspeed’s latest E2 concept car based on the sporty Fiat 500 Abarth. Instead of opting for a complicated and expensive hybrid or electric...

An updated A-Class was revealed late last year, and though it received numerous revisions the compact model is due for a complete redesign sometime in 2011. The next-generation A-Class range is expected to feature a number of body styles, but the latest word indicates a roadster could be joining...

If you have €3,900 ($4,900) in your pocket and the desire to put an Italian exotic through its paces around a track, then you’re in luck as Lamborghini is once again running its annual Driving Academy. With courses open to all performance enthusiasts - not just Lamborghini owners - the...

Hyundai has developed a new large luxury saloon to replace its Equus flagship and now the first official images of the car have leaked following the launch of the vehicle at a press event in South Korea earlier this week. The new model continues the Equus name in its home market but latest reports...

Just as Chrysler previewed its next-gen 300 sedan and Jeep Grand Cherokee in its viability plan submitted to the U.S. Treasury today, General Motors, too, in its own plan, revealed the final design of the upcoming Cadillac CTS Coupe. Apart from this official image, the only other details revealed...

General Motors has released a new video showcasing the vehicles that will star as the Autobots in the upcoming sequel to last year’s Transformers movie. The new movie will be called Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and it is set to open across the U.S. on June 26. The latest teaser clip...

One of the harder things about designing a new car is making it sufficiently futuristic that it's actually current when it finally makes it to market. Then the struggle becomes keeping it fresh and relevant - in terms of not just design, but capability and features. Chevrolet thinks it has a winner...