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Update: General Motors’ product chief Bob Lutz has a revealed that test fleets for the production Chevrolet Volt would start running as early as next year and that the first customer cars could start rolling of assembly lines earlier than the proposed November 2010 release date. However, Lutz also stressed that GM is not in a race with Toyota to be the first to the market with a mass produced plug-in hybrid vehicle, explaining that the two vehicles will be very different. The Volt uses an internal combustion engine to solely recharge lithium-ion batteries, which then power an electric...
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Hummer announces off-road driving academy in the SaharaDriving prowess is something many automotive enthusiasts take pride in, and off-road driving skills are an equally difficult subset, which few have the real opportunity to develop. Hummer hopes to help 14 teams build their skills with a school that includes a 1,300km trip that crosses a portion of...
Nelson Ireson -
Report: 2009 F1 cars designed to promote overtakingDetailed computer simulations of next year's sweeping aerodynamic bodywork changes predict that the new rules will lead to more overtaking. After November's season ending Brazilian grand prix, the formula one cars of 2009 will look considerably different; smaller wings and no winglets or bodywork...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
VW pushes Ford aside to take number 3 sales spotGeneral Motors and Toyota have long had the first and second-place global sales battle locked up between themselves, but Ford has previously slotted quite comfortably into third place. That appears to be the case no longer, as Volkswagen has announced its first half sales for 2008 outstripped the...
Nelson Ireson -
Toyota cuts 2009 sales forecast by 700,000 vehiclesHaving already reduced its global sales target for this year, Toyota is trimming figures once again and pushing back its goal to become the first carmaker in the world to break the 10 million annual vehicle sales barrier. The carmaker has announced that it expects to sell about 9.7 million vehicles...
James Martinez -
Sportec-tuned Audi RS6 AvantThe sheer number of specialist-tuned Audi RS6 Avants is a clear measure of just how compelling a vehicle it really is. Already one of the most inexplicably powerful wagons in existence, the human instinct for more finds a perfect outlet in the RS6, and Sportec's addition to the ranks finds a...
Siddarth Raja -
Just a yesterday we brought you General Motors' top 10 production car picks from its first 100 years of operation, and now we have the top 10 concept choices from the company as well. Like the production car selections, the list is not so much an exhaustive enumeration of stand-out designs, but rather a sampling of designs the company thinks not only reflect its past, but illuminate its future. Some of the choices on the list, like the 1950s Firebird series, clearly belong on just about any top-10 concept list just for their sheer outlandishness. The futuristic Bladerunner-esque design of the...
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EuroNCAP to toughen safety standards next yearWhen the EuroNCAP (European New Car Assessment Program) was established back in 1997 the achievement of a five star rating in any of the categories seemed almost impossible. Just over ten years later, 97% of vehicles tested scored either a four or a five star rating in the crucial adult occupant...
Siddarth Raja -
GM's Reconfigurable Performance Display shows real time stats for ECOtec enginesWhile General Motors’ new ‘Reconfigurable Performance Display’ may be nowhere near as involving as the multi-function display system used in the Nissan GT-R, the performance feedback tool provides a number of vital vehicle statistics for very little money. The dealer-installed...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Mercedes releases new SLR McLaren 722 Edition videoThe partnership between Mercedes and McLaren for the SLR supercar is drawing to a close, but there is still at least one new model in the works. A speedster version of the SLR 722 Edition is expected to be released in time for the Paris Motor Show this October, but until then this video of the...
Nelson Ireson -
Ford spending $75 million to retask Michigan Truck plant with small carsWhen oil prices continued shooting skyward and the U.S. economy faltered through the second quarter of this year, Ford announced it would be shifting its focus from trucks to cars. One of the first major steps toward the new product balance is now underway, with $75 million earmarked for retooling...
Nelson Ireson -
GM picks its own top 10 cars of the past 100 yearsThe Internet, and America in particular, loves top 10 lists. Whether they're favorite cars or simply reasons to vote, top 10 lists fuel many a spirited watercooler discussion. General Motors' most recent addition to the cultural phenomenon is no different, with a few odd choices for its own...
Nelson Ireson -
Despite continual denials from General Motors that any official talks over the sale of Hummer have even taken place, a new report claims that investors in the Middle East are now interested in acquiring the ailing brand. Hummer’s Middle East chief has revealed that at least two separate investors from the Gulf Arab region have expressed their desire in the brand. Hummer was previously reported to be in talks with several Indian, Chinese and Russian investors, but in an interview with Reuters GM’s Middle East managing director Terry Johnsson said "for sure, there has been interest...
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Jaguar-Land Rover faces production cuts, layoffsSlumping sales at Jaguar and Land Rover have prompted the companies to cut their workforce by 300 jobs, eliminating two shifts at the Solihull production facility. Further cutbacks are expected next month as well, costing three shifts at the Halewood factory where the Jaguar X-Type is built. The...
Nelson Ireson -
Tight budgets slow Saturn refreshGeneral Motors' Saturn brand currently boasts one of the youngest overall lineups in the industry - its oldest model is the Saturn Sky (pictured), which debuted in 2006 as a 2007 model. Tough economic times at GM may mean that the current crop of mostly new models will have to stay largely...
Nelson Ireson -
Chevrolet lineup set to undergo radical changesThe next several years will be crucial for Chevrolet as the brand tackles some of the biggest problems it’s faced in its entire history, namely, the radical shift away from trucks and SUVs due to high fuel prices and tightening fuel economy restrictions. In response, Chevrolet is planning a...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
More Info And Pricing For 2009 Renault Twingo RSAfter first previewing the Twingo RS concept back at the 2006 Paris Motor Show, officials have now rolled out the production Twingo Renaultsport 133 high-performance hatch at the current Geneva event. Like the original concept, the new Renaultsport 133 features wider front and rear wings, sculpted...
James Martinez -
California studying ways to make hybrids louderLotus has designed a system to make hybrid cars produce whatever engine sound the owner might desire, and recently Eberspacher revealed a similar technology. The reasoning is that hybrids are so quiet they actually pose a danger to pedestrians - and especially the blind - who can't hear the cars...
Nelson Ireson -
The difficulty facing the U.S. automotive industry with the recently-revised 31.6mpg by 2015 CAFE requirement is well-known, but no less pressing. The carmakers claim the costs to comply will be measured in the billions of dollars when they can least afford it, and now a draft NHTSA report on the environmental impact of the fuel economy improvement has stirred further animosity toward the agency. According to the draft report, the proposed fuel economy increases would result in a global reduction of atmospheric CO2 by 0.2ppm by 2030 and prevent the emission of over 400,000 tons of CO2 each...
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GM To Funnel $500 Million Into U.S. Cruze ProductionThe all-new Cruze compact car from General Motors Company [NYSE:GM] was just revealed in some detail this morning, but already GM has announced its plans to put a half-billion dollar fund behind the car's production and promotion in the U.S. Of that $500 million, $350 million will be headed...
Nelson Ireson -
Report: V12 Cadillac XLS shelved, DTS/STS replacement still in the worksTough CAFE standards, even tougher economic conditions and high oil prices have conspired to lay the ultra-luxury Cadillac XLS and its V12 engine to rest. Never officially confirmed for production, there had been rumors that it was being worked on internally. At the same time, Cadillac's on-again...
Nelson Ireson -
Audi releases A4 Challenge iPhone driving gameMarking the first-ever entry of a carmaker into the field of iPhone applications, Audi has released a new driving game for the platform. Making use of the phone's built-in motion sensors, gamers can steer a tiny version of the 2009 A4 through a range of courses. Rated at just 2.5 stars out of five...
Nelson Ireson -
Video: in-depth interview with GM CEO Rick WagonerThe automotive industry's current period of upheaval is perceived from within by many industry heads as merely the prologue to a bright future. Rick Wagoner is certainly a member of that camp, and this hour-long interview by Charlie Rose draws out that optimism, and the reasons Wagoner feels it's...
Nelson Ireson -
Spy shots: BMW M-pack to get M3-style bonnet?Critics of BMW’s M Sport Packages often lay claim that the accessories range makes the standard models on which they are applied too similar to the actual M cars. A 3-series Convertible has now been spotted with a M Sport Package bodykit and a new M3-style vented bonnet, suggesting that the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran