Industry

Strong demand for Mercedes-Benz’s new range of compact cars has forced the automaker to call on independent vehicle manufacturer Valmet to help supply more cars. Based in Finland, Valmet has built luxury cars for a number of automakers including the Boxster and Cayman for Porsche, the B2...

Despite its controversial styling, Bentley’s EXP 9F SUV concept unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show has been a resounding success, with already more than 2,000 people expressing a firm interest in the car. Bentley has been quiet on a launch date for a production version of the EXP 9F...

While the sad tale of bankrupt automaker Saab may officially be over (for now, anyway), the damage caused by its long decline may still claim another victim. Spyker Cars (which used to be called Swedish Automobile when its holdings included Saab) has admitted its future remains uncertain if talks...

Just 15 months after production of its latest flagship supercar began, Lamborghini has reached a milestone with its Aventador. Sprayed in Argos Orange and ordered by a customer in Germany, the 1,000 Aventador built rolled off the assembly line in Sant’ Agata Bolognese today. Perhaps the most...

Just a few days back, we brought you news that Aston Martin is seriously considering downsizing engines in its product range. The trick, it seems, is balancing power with fuel efficiency and lower emissions, while not “undermining the exclusivity” that makes an Aston Martin an Aston...

Opel has announced that Thomas Sedran, one of the struggling automaker’s strategy heads and chief of operations, will serve as interim chairman until a permanent replacement can be found. Sedran’s temporary appointment comes less than a week after former Opel boss Karl-Friedrich Stracke...

Reviewers almost universally love it, the public generally lusts for it and Land Rover dealers in the United States simply can’t get enough supply of the Range Rover Evoque to meet demand. While that’s a good problem to have, it’s still a problem, particularly for a brand looking...

When it comes to shopping for a new car, the most enjoyable part of the whole process (for us, anyway) is the test drive. While most of us have learned how to do the dance with car salesmen, we wouldn’t really rate “personal contact” as one of our key reasons for visiting a...

One of the strongest arguments for the introduction of autonomous cars is the increased safety brought about by eliminating the possibility of human error, believed to be the main cause of crashes. So far the increased safety factor with autonomous cars has generally been assumed but now a leading...

This year Opel turns 150, but the company has very little to celebrate, with news emerging overnight that Karl-Friedrich Stracke, president of General Motors Europe and the current CEO of Opel, is stepping down from the top role to focus on special assignments reporting to GM head honcho Dan...

To help Porsche develop its new Macan SUV, the German state of Saxony (where Porsche’s Leipzig factory is located) has pledged to contribute 43.7 million euros ($53.7 million) to the project. In addition, Saxony has agreed to further-but-unspecified aid, likely tied to the expansion of the...

Could this be the end of historic sports car brand TVR as we know it? Reports out of the UK claim the owner of the struggling brand, former Russian banker Nikolai Smolensky, has given up on restarting production of TVR’s awesome line of bare-knuckle sports cars and will instead focus on...

It’s very rare these days for an automaker to develop a car completely from scratch. Often, designing and building a car involves sourcing parts from other firms, including even from rival automakers. That’s because many firms do not have the capability to design, test and manufacturer...

Volkswagen and its subsidiaries, including Audi, have been in hot pursuit of an industry-topping sales rank for the past several years, but the widespread economic downturn is shaping up to put those plans on hold. Previously, Audi had hoped to be the number one brand in luxury car sales by 2015...

For years, the United States was the largest market for Bentley automobiles in the world. That changed in the first quarter of 2012, as sales in China surpassed sales in the United States. This was despite a 40-percent growth in U.S. sales, too, which saw total volume reach 450 units in the first...

Perhaps hinting at the scale of its future vehicle development program, Italian supercar manufacturer Lamborghini has opened a new design center aimed specifically at the development of prototypes and concepts. The company has revealed little detail about what kind of projects will be developed...

Porsche is now officially part of the Volkswagen Group, with the two companies announcing this week that Volkswagen will purchase the remaining 50.1-percent stake in the sports car manufacturer for 4.46 billion euros (approximately $5.6 billion) from its current holding company owner Porsche SE...

It’s a sad day for sports car fans, with news coming out today that German firm Artega, manufacturer of the Henrik Fisker-designed GT sports car, has filed for bankruptcy. The small scale manufacturer, based in Delbrück, stated that it has become insolvent and that it is seeking to find...

June was a good month to be in luxury car sales, with almost every luxury brand reporting sales growth over June of 2011. There may be bad news on the horizon, however, as unemployment remains high and consumer confidence continues to weaken. In terms of growth over prior year, no luxury auto brand...

Sergio Pininfarina, son of Pininfarina founder Battista Farina, passed away in his home in Turin, Italy, late last night after a long illness. Pininfarina, who was aged 85 at his death, has been involved with the legendary Italian design house his father founded for more than 40 years and was...