2012
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When Volvo first unveiled its C30 hatch back in 2006 many questioned the automaker’s decision to ignore launching a more practical five-door model and instead offer it exclusively as a sporty three-door. As we all know Volvo’s finances quickly degraded shortly after that and launching a highly niche product like the C30 in today’s automotive market is simply too risky, especially with cautious new owner Geely pulling all the strings. That’s why, according to latest reports, the next-generation of the Volvo C30 will spawn what the automaker’s new CEO, Stefan...
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Video: Chevrolet Previews 2010 SEMA "Surprises"We already know Ford is planning an onslaught of 2011 Fiestas for SEMA, but so far Chevrolet has been largely quiet on its plans for the aftermarket specialty show. Today we get a "sneak peek" at what it's calling its "surprises" for SEMA. The surprises may lie in the hint at future production...
Nelson Ireson -
Audi Bringing Custom R8 Spyder And Autonomous TT To SEMAOne of the clearest indications yet that Audi wants to make its impact on the U.S. market was revealed today, with the German automaker announcing plans to participate in this year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas. The annual aftermarket tradeshow draws industry folk from all across the country and...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Spy Shots: 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class AMG Estate FaceliftFacelifts. Whether done to people or cars, they can give new life to a pleasing but less-than-fresh look, or they can stretch something old into something hideous. By the looks of these spy photos, the C-Class AMG Estate's mid-life lift is one of the good ones. We've already seen the standard...
Nelson Ireson -
Spy Shots: 2012 Range Rover Evoque Five-DoorDynamically designed and arrestingly attractive, the 2012 Range Rover Evoque has won much praise on the auto show circuit and though the crossover is already headed to production, so far only the three-door version has been officially revealed. However, a leaked image of a five-door Evoque recently...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
BMW To Develop New Front-Wheel Drive Hybrids With PSA Peugeot CitroenUntil now, BMW’s hybrid technology has only been applied in its upper range models like the 5- and 7-Series ActiveHybrid sedans and the X6 crossover, the latter of which is billed as the world’s most powerful hybrid vehicle. However, the automaker’s future generation of hybrids...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Hybrids and electric vehicles are, without question, part of the future of these four-wheeled conveyances we love so much. So far, aside from the occasional exception, that's been a very unexciting development. But Porsche is now planning a hybrid in every model line. Will it go well, or does it spell the death of the legend of Porsche? Porsche's Wolfgang Duerheimer, chief of development, has made a rather non-commital statement that "in the future" every model in Porsche's lineup would have a hybrid option. When? Not all that soon, we expect. Hybrids like the 911 GT3 RS Hybrid are the sort...
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Audi TT RS Race Car Debuts, Hits The TrackAudi's hottest version of the TT, the 2012 TT RS, raises the bar for compact, front-engine, all-wheel drive sport coupes, and it's coming to the U.S. late next year. Audi is so confident in the car's capabilities, it's building a racing version, shown here in action at its debut. Built in...
Nelson Ireson -
Linebacker Junior Seau Tackles Cliff With Cadillac Escalade, SurvivesOnce one of the most feared linebackers in the NFL, Junior Seau is now tackling a different kind of enemy. Arrested on suspicion of domestic violence this morning, he was then released and promptly drove his Cadillac Escalade off a cliff. Seau was injured, but survived. Further details are...
Nelson Ireson -
2012 Nissan GT-R PreviewAfter a surprise showing at last month’s 2010 Paris Auto Show--where no specs were divulged--Nissan has finally released official details and images for its facelifted GT-R supercar. Scheduled to go on sale in February next year the 2012 Nissan GT-R comes with a host of upgrades, including...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Study: Mercedes SL-Class Drivers Four Times More Likely To Get A TicketIf you drive a Mercedes-Benz SL-Class convertible, you've probably gotten a speeding ticket, according to a new study from Verisk Analytics. If you drive a Buick Rainier, you probably don't know what a ticket looks like. The study found the SL-Class to be the most-ticketed car, at a rate four times...
Nelson Ireson -
Ruf Returns With New 911 Roadster, Promises All-Electric VersionAnyone familiar with the Porsche 911 has probably seen a RUF-modified version, even if they didn't know what they were looking at. For those in the know, however, RUF's various takes on the 911 have been impressive works of modification--from the all-electric eRUF Greenster to the 685 horsepower...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
The upcoming Camaro Z28 has had Internet forums abuzz for a while now, and the latest report on Camaro5 may have had some Camaro fans searching for flights to Detroit in January--at least until one forum member who appears to work for GM shot that rumor down. The story goes like this: A forum member saw a Fast Lane Daily video claiming that GM would unveil the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January. More than a few fans got excited over the prospect, until a member named "fbodfather," who appears to be GM employee Scott Settlemire, chimed...
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Report: 2012 Volvo S60 To Feature Five-Cylinder Engine In Base TrimIn the U.S. the new 2011 Volvo S60 is offered exclusively with a turbocharged straight-six engine developing upwards of 300 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque, but overseas the car is offered with a whole range of engines including four- and five-cylinder turbodiesels and even a tiny 1.6-liter...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Build Your Own Fisker Karma With New Online ConfiguratorFisker has launched a dedicated website for its new Karma plug-in hybrid luxury sedan that includes a number of interesting features to keep potential customers and the curious interested in the car until its arrival in showrooms early next year. The site showcases the design and engineering...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Report: Bentley Working On Four-Door CoupeIt appears the four-door coupe segment may be too lucrative even for Bentley to ignore as there are reports emerging that claim the ultra-luxury marque from Crewe is considering launching its own version. Designed to challenge the likes of the Aston Martin Rapide and Maserati Quattroporte, the new...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2012 Hyundai Veloster Delayed Yet AgainHyundai's front-drive sporty 40-mpg wundercar is having a hard time making it to production. First tipped to make its production debut in Paris this year, it didn't make the show. Then it was expected at Los Angeles, and Hyundai said that wouldn't happen either. Now it looks like it might not even...
Nelson Ireson -
BMW Drops New Details On 1-Series M CoupeAt this point, the 1-Series M Coupe is functionally revealed in all but name. We have spy shots, official teasers, and a handful of details. Today, we add to the list with even more stats, straight from M development head Albert Biermann. Pricing? As expected, it will slot between the 135i Coupe...
Nelson Ireson -
The question of how Porsche's lineup would sync up with Audi and Volkswagen's, particularly with as much platform sharing as goes on between the three, has been open since the VW Group made its move to acquire a majority stake in Porsche last year. Now it looks like some rationalization may take place before the rumored Cajun and sub-Boxster models can be built. Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller, himself a transplant from VW's upper management, is said to be holding further development on any new models to review where the product plan ought to go. The decisions to be made are planned to arrive by...
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Spy Shots: 2012 Audi A6Though the new Audi A6 is still almost a year away from its production debut, details about its construction and platform technology are already leaking onto the web. Building on technologies first developed in the TT platform, the next-generation 2012 Audi A6 is expected to use the lightweight ASF...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Despite Rumors, Audi Q5 Hybrid Won't Be At 2010 Los Angeles Auto ShowAudi confirmed last December that it would eventually launch a new hybrid version of its Q5 SUV but since then we haven’t heard anything on the upcoming fuel miser apart from it having an early 2011 launch date. During that time however, Audi has unveiled the A8 Hybrid and a range of...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Video: Bumblebee Camaro Crashes Into Real Police Car On Transformers 3 SetThe production of the third installment of the Transformers franchise has suffered another setback this week with one of the stars of the show, the Bumblebee Chevrolet Camaro, getting involved in a crash with a real police vehicle. The accident took place in the heart of Washington DC and involved...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
New Cajun SUV Will Be Walter de' Silva's First Project At PorscheWith Porsche now officially the 10th brand of the ever-expanding Volkswagen Group, there are fears the ethos of the famous sports car company from Stuttgart will be diluted as focus shifts towards more upmarket performance brands like Lamborghini and Bugatti. We’ve already seen this with the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
BMW And Mercedes-Benz Compacts Coming To U.S. Within Next Few YearsRight now in the U.S. you can step into a brand new BMW for just under $30,000--for Mercedes-Benz the entry-point creeps a few thousand dollars higher--but in the next couple of years we should be seeing a range of more affordable models from both of the luxury stalwarts. That’s because both...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran