Featured (was)
-
While Sweden may not immediately pop to the top of the list when you think about ecologically friendly car culture - it has the least fuel-efficient cars in the EU, after all - it's taking some serious steps to improve its green standing. Leaving no stone unturned, the northern European nation has started requiring drivers exhibit green-driving skills in order to earn their licenses. Things as simple as turning on the motor after completing the pre-driving checklist can help. Thinking ahead seems to be the key element in Sweden's green driving program. The three keys: use the engine to slow...
-
GM talks up Chevy Volt's environmental benefitsEverybody knows that hybrid cars are better for the environment than convention petrol and diesel models, in stop-start traffic at least, but with a new wave of plug-in hybrids set to hit the market in a couple of years GM is out and about promoting the benefits of its new technology. Speaking at...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Thieves targeting catalytic convertersMost people wouldn’t think twice about securing their car’s catalytic converter but lately the piece of exhaust hardware has become a popular target for thieves trading in precious metals. Catalytic converters contain precious metals such as platinum, palladium and rhodium, as much as...
Ralph Hanson -
Union boss fearful for GM & Ford, wants to block importsIt’s no secret the Detroit 3 is losing market share to foreign makes, especially in North America were U.S. manufacturers have traditionally been the dominant players. Strong competition from Japanese and Korean makes have eroded the Detroit 3’s stranglehold on the U.S. market and has...
Ralph Hanson -
Spy Shots: 2009 Alfa Romeo Furiosa / JuniorAlfa Romeo recently ran an internet poll asking fans from around the world to vote for a possible new name for its upcoming entry-level model. The final name that was picked was the controversial ‘Furiosa’ but Alfa officials were quick to point out that the new name wouldn’t be...
Ralph Hanson -
Vath tuned Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMGIt never ceases to amaze us how many tuning packages there are for even super expensive luxo-mobiles like the Mercedes CL. We've seen packages from Japan's Wald and Germany's Brabus and now we have the latest kit from fellow German tuner Vath. Not content with the power output of the ordinary CL500...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
It looks like a new theme park isn’t the only major construction set to appear at Germany’s Nϋrburgring circuit. Aston Martin is the latest in a long string of carmakers that have either opened or are planning to open an engineering and design center at the famous race track. Just two months after opening its first ever purpose-built design studio at its Gaydon headquarters in Warwickshire, Aston Martin has confirmed it will open a new test center in Germany. Work is underway to convert an existing building at a location at Meuspath, adjacent to the famous Nordschleife...
-
Hartge-tuned BMW M3 CoupeAlready a fully-capable road and track machine, the BMW M3 Coupe isn't precisely in need of tuning - or so you'd think. Once Hartge got its hands on it, however, it decided the new car could use some massaging, and has done its best to preserve what's great about the M3 Coupe while adding its own...
Nelson Ireson -
EDAG Rolls-Royce Phantom Takes Pride In ComfortAs peak oil and global warming concerns become nearly universal, car makers and customizers are working to find ways to keep their products relevant. One way is to seek greener solutions. Another, and the way chosen by EDAG for their Rolls-Royce Phantom, is to make the car relevant to the modern...
Nelson Ireson -
Toyota Urban Cruiser headed for GenevaThe compact SUV-crossover market is set to see a stiff increase competition with news today that Toyota will be showcasing a new crossover at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. The new model is called the Urban Cruiser and it will be positioned below the current RAV4 SUV as a B-segment vehicle...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Production ready Toyota iQ minicarAt the upcoming Geneva Motor Show Toyota will roll out a new production ready version of its iQ minicar that will be much closer to the final model due next year than the original concept car from last year’s Frankfurt Show. The new iQ will serve as Toyota’s entry-level model and at...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Volkswagen Wolfsburg Edition Jetta 2.0T heads to U.S.One strategy Volkswagen is looking at to make its cars more appealing in the U.S. is to offer smaller and more efficient engines than its rivals but use turbochargers to maintain class leading performance. Only yesterday we reported that VW was investigating launching vehicles in the U.S. with...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
GM’s financial results for 2007 have finally been revealed and as predicted its net loss for the period amounted to a whopping $38.7 billion, a new record for the General. Of course, most of this figure is the result of a tax write down undertaken in the second half of last year but GM's continuing operations were still in the red. The carmaker’s adjusted net loss came in at $23 million, down from an adjusted net gain of $2.2 billion just one year prior. Sales were up 3% last year to 277,000 units, the second best result in GM’s 100 year history, but revenues were down on...
-
Dakar Rally headed to South America next yearThe president of the Dakar Rally organizing body Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), Patrice Clerc, has confirmed that next year’s race will take place in South America and there’s no date set as to when it may return to Africa. The African event was canceled last month because of direct...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Updated: London green lights £25 gas-guzzler chargeUpdate: As most were predicting, London Mayor Ken Livingstone has given the green light to the £25 ($50) daily charge on high emissions sports cars and SUVs that drive though central parts of the UK capital. The new scheme will come into effect on October 27, forcing vehicles with the highest...
Nelson Ireson -
Hybrids delaying fuel-cells and other technologies?To most, hybrid vehicles like the Prius are a step in the right direction towards a future of ‘greener’ motoring but a new study has found that such cars are actually holding back other alternative powertrain technologies like hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and all-electric cars. French...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Preview: 2009 Ford KaFord original planned to release the next-generation model of its Ka minicar one year after the launch of the Fiat 500, with which it shares the same platform, meaning we should see the next-generation model by the middle of the year. Though both cars are based on the same platform, much of the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Skoda Fabia 2000 rally car begins testingRally racing has bred some of the most incredible, insane and absolutely beloved automobile variants of all time. From the Renault R5 Turbo and Audi Quattro to the Subaru WRX STI and Mitsubishi EVO, rally racing finds ways of turning otherwise sensible, economical transportation into snarling...
Nelson Ireson -
The Phaeton limo may have been a major flop for Volkswagen but officials are keen to see the launch of a successor, especially in the U.S. where it could pose as a technical and environmental flagship for the carmaker. The original model was priced similarly to BMWs and Audis but it wore a humble VW badge, and there was nothing particularly exciting or innovative about the car to warrant its premium price tag, except for being ridiculously over-engineered. As for the new model, it could potentially feature VW’s advanced turbodiesel technology and utilize Audi’s new modular...
-
GM to consolidate luxury brandsGeneral Motors is one of the most diverse carmakers in the business, commanding up to eight brands in the U.S. alone. Officials now hope to harmonize all of these brands into smaller groups and in the process make marketing and buying the vehicles simpler. Last month GM sales Chief Mark LaNeve told...
Kenneth Hall -
GM will keep the Camaro affordableGM product planners will heed calls to make the Camaro affordable and will offer a comparable lineup to Ford’s Mustang range by starting with a low cost entry-level V6 model. Execs at GM know the reason the Mustang is so successful is because it stayed true to its roots as a very affordable...
Ralph Hanson -
Honda Reveals 2009 Accord Euro Tourer And SedanEarlier today we were treated with the reveal of the Acura TSX sedan and now Honda has released details about its Accord Euro stablemate. As the images reveal the new Accord Euro's styling is an evolution of the current model, although it's significantly wider and slightly lower than its...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Obese less likely to wear seatbeltsLast month a study found that on average seat widths and the thickness of their padding in cars hadn’t changed much over the past ten years despite increases in the size of the average driver’s waistline over the same period. This is also the case with seatbelts. In fact, federal...
James Martinez -
Maserati 'Cinqueporte' Shooting Brake ConceptPictured above is a one-off shooting brake version of the Maserati Quattroporte saloon that was developed as a 1:4 scale model and is dubbed the Maserati 'Cinqueporte'. The concept is the creation of StudioM and StudioTorino and was commissioned on behalf of an Arab customer who has in the past...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran