2011
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Faltering sales and weak brand recognition have plagued Maybach in recent years, but the company continues offering new models for its core cadre of affluent aficionados. The latest is the Zeppelin, a super-luxury treatment for the 57 S and 62 sedans, due to be unveiled at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. From 1928-1934 the Zeppelin nameplate held the top spot in Maybach's lineup, and so the re-introduction of the name pushes the cars bearing that appellation to the top of Maybach's spec list. Pricing likewise goes as far as any Maybach save the extravagant Landaulet has gone. Powered by the...
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Mini considering U.S.-market diesel by 2011Diesel engines are still failing to gain much traction in the U.S., in part because of a national memory of the diesels of three decades ago, and in part because diesel fuel and engines are still too expensive to make good business sense. But Mini is thinking a small, sporty and efficient diesel...
Nelson Ireson -
Spy shots: 2010 Saab 9-4X up closeSaab is close to completing development work on a new midsized crossover based around GM’s Theta platform and expected to be revealed for the first time in production late this year for sale in early 2010. To spread development costs, most of the 9-4X’s design has been shared with the...
Kenneth Hall -
Report: AMG to shrink engines in addition to direct-injeciton, stop-start techWith AMG no longer focused on chasing big horsepower numbers, efficiency could quickly become the new performance benchmark for the Affalterbach tuner. To that end, Mercedes' performance arm may be cutting the displacement of its engines in addition to the debut of new direct-injection and...
Jeremy Weber -
Mitsubishi planning hot trio of cars including Evo X FQ400Factory-upgraded versions of typically sedate sedans and hatchbacks have become de rigeur for most major carmakers. Mitsubishi's have been largely hit-or-miss, but the company's next trio of factory specials promise to be on target. The much-lauded Lancer Evolution X gets FQ400 treatment, pushing...
Nelson Ireson -
Video: Technology behind the Opel Ampera explainedGeneral Motors recently gave us a preview of a new plug-in hybrid vehicle based on the Chevrolet Volt that the company plans to sell in Europe under its Opel division. The car is the new Opel Ampera and it is set to make its world debut at March’s Geneva Motor Show. GM has now released a...
Alex Kaufmann -
General Motors has confirmed that the first batch of its upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrids will feature an internal combustion ‘back-up’ engine sourced from Aspern, Austria, and not from Flint, Michigan, as originally planned. The announcement comes just a week after it was revealed that GM’s contract to build a new engine plant in Flint to supply the necessary 1.4L four-cylinder units for the Volt had been canceled. The decision to source the engines from overseas will not add any extra cost to the car’s eventual sticker price, which is expected to fall some...
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New IndyCar engine plans stirring global interest despite delay to 2012Tough times and cutbacks, or even outright cancellation of programs, are mode throughout today's motorsports programs, and while the Indy Racing League (IRL) has announced it will delay application of its new engine package until 2012, the proposed format is already drawing interest from diverse...
Nelson Ireson -
Mercedes Benz AMG division experiences record sales in 2008Vehicle sales across the globe are down, with numbers in major markets like the U.S. and Japan down to their lowest levels decades. However, for a select few companies at the very highest levels of the industry, sales are just fine - in fact, better than ever for some. Mercedes' AMG division is...
Alex Kaufmann -
GM working with U.S. cities to develop plug-in hybrid infrastructureGeneral Motors today outlined a comprehensive plan of action at the Washington Auto Show to help communities get ready for plug-in hybrid vehicles such as its upcoming Chevrolet Volt. The carmaker revealed that it plans to collaborate with communities such as San Francisco and Washington, D.C...
Jeremy Weber -
Texas considering $5,000 tax credit for plug-in hybrids on top of federal incentivesWith all the talk of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reconsidering allowing states to implement their own fuel-economy emissions and regulations, and the negative flow on effects this would have on carmakers that would be forced to tailor cars to meet varying standards across the country...
James Martinez -
GM delays CTS Coupe launch until mid-2010General Motors' Cadillac brand has long aspired to be 'The Standard of the World,' and for a period, it was. Over the last four decades, however, innovation, consistency and quality haven't been hallmarks of the brand. Now, as the auto industry faces some of its bleakest times ever, Cadillac is...
Nelson Ireson -
Despite the movement towards electric and hybrid propulsion by many manufacturers over the last few years, none of them actually manufacture the most important component of the vehicles – the batteries. That’s about to change as GM builds its own factory in Michigan to produce battery packs for its crucial Volt plug-in hybrid in 2010. Construction is expected to begin early this year and expected to reach full output by mid-2010. General Motors will work with LG Chem, who will supply the individual lithium-ion cells and these will then be assembled along with other battery...
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Chevrolet Spark and Orlando confirmed for U.S. in 2011Chevrolet 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 -
Report: Volvo working on micro hybrid for 2011, diesel hybrid for 2012The World Green Car of the Year award candidates were just released yesterday, and Volvo's name appeared on the list 5 times - more than any other brand. Today word has emerged of a range of new hybrid vehicles in the works, complete with rough dates for their release. Volvo's DRIVe line of concept...
Alex Kaufmann -
GM Reveals Official Interior Shot Of 2011 Chevrolet VoltGeneral Motors revealed the production version of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt this September as the highlight of its centennial celebration, but until now no official photos of the interior have been released. Today the company revealed what the car will look like to its occupants, and though the vast...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2011 Chevy Cruze will cost more than rivals, says GMGM's upcoming global small car, the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, already has the weight of the company's hopes on its shoulders, but news that GM is now planning to sell the Chevrolet Cruze for a higher price than similar cars offered by Japanese competitors Honda and Toyota threatens to weaken...
Siddarth Raja -
Production 2011 Chevrolet Volt photos leakedThe Chevrolet Volt is expected to be shown next week as part of General Motors' centenary celebrations, but it appears an advance copy of the photos to accompany the release has leaked ahead of schedule. The photos, which clearly depict the car alongside several executives, show the car has taken a...
Nelson Ireson -
Updated: General Motors’ Opel division is working on two new plug-in hybrid vehicles based on the same E-Flex architecture that’s set to debut in the Chevrolet Volt, but the Chevy will also make it to Europe, although not until late 2011. In his latest post on a GM blog, Carl Peter Forster explained that the Volt will initially be sold as an Opel and then will later switch to the Chevrolet brand. Part of the reasoning is the expected high initial price tag for the Volt. Chevrolet, which is still establishing itself in much of Europe, is seen as a budget brand. Selling the Volt as...
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Preview: 2011 Ford FocusIn Europe the Ford Focus is an affordable, well-engineered and stylish small car available in hatch, sedan, wagon and convertible bodystyles. It also features latest technologies such as a Powershift dual-clutch transmission, flex-fuel engines, a folding hard top roof (cabrio models only), and a...
Ralph Hanson -
Spy Shots: More Mercedes-Benz SLCWe’ve already seen this prototype undergoing hot weather testing in California’s Death Valley. This time around the car’s performance in subzero temps is being investigated and a bunch of new photos of the test-mule have been captured. The prototype seen here is wearing mock Dodge...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Toyota delays next-gen Prius until 2011The 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid has officially been revealed at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Click here for all the details and images. Toyota will be delaying the introduction of its next-gen hybrids models because of fears that the new lithium-ion technology is unsafe. There were plans to launch more...
Alex Kaufmann