ma section - featured

Researchers from America’s Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have found that the impact from accidents between cars and pickups or SUVs could be greatly reduced if heavier vehicles were forced to meet the same bumper design requirements as cars. The IIHS plans to formally petition...

With the appointment of new design boss Jerome Gallix, Peugeot is set to revise its entire lineup over the coming years with a fresh look and to start the ball rolling the carmaker will debut a brand new premium coupe. In a recent interview, Gallix confirmed that the first model of the rejuvenated...

With North American auto sales expected to reach 15-year lows by the end of the year and further declines expected as customers hold on to their cars amid a weakening economy, record fuel prices and rising car prices, some states in the U.S. and Canada are investigating plans to boost sales by...

Tough new CAFE standards in the U.S. had a lukewarm reception when they were announced in April, with most carmakers reluctantly stating they would rise to the challenge. BMW has now come out against the current program, asking the government to develop an alternative system of requirements...

Tesla announced today plans for its second model, a new electric sedan to be called the Model S. It will be manufactured at a new plant in California, though Tesla did not disclose its location. Neither did the company state a start date for production, but rumors suggest it will begin around 2010...

Alfa Romeo sees the introduction of more rear-drive performance models as a key factor in establishing itself as a genuine rival to premium European rivals such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz, but developing the suitable technology is proving to be an expensive process. The carmaker already builds the...

The replacement for the Saturn Aura has already been revealed in the form of the European Opel (Vauxhall) Insignia sedan, which goes on sale later this year. The car was expected to reach North America in the second half of next year as a 2010 model but according to several sources at GM its...

Plug-in hybrids, conventional hybrids and pure electric vehicles (EVs) are the hot topic as fuel prices rise with no end in sight. The future of transport appears to be almost certainly electricity-driven, and Renault, which just confirmed it was working on EVs in earnest last week, hopes to be one...

The House committee on climate change and energy independence has told the U.S. government that current CAFE regulations forcing carmaker fleet-wide fuel economy levels to average 35mpg by 2020 is not enough. Instead, the committee wants to see that deadline brought forward to 2015. The...

One of Chrysler’s key strategies is to take advantage of the global economy and fill gaps in its current lineup with vehicles sources from other manufacturers. We’ve already seen the Auburn Hills carmaker team up with Nissan over a model swap deal as well as China’s Chery Auto...

German tuning house Hartge is famous for its wild modifications of BMWs, and their latest creation is no exception. This time the tuners at Hartge turn their attention to a BMW X5, with modifications to the exterior, interior and under the hood to give the car a sportier feel and an extreme...

Sir James Dyson, known for inventing the famous bagless Dyson vacuum, has turned his efforts towards creating an improved electric motor for automobiles. Dyson has been seemingly enamored with the electric car revolution, going so far as to predict that electric cars could outnumber their petrol...

Updated with new video. Following the release of the updated 911 Carrera and Carrera S comes new details of the 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S models. Launched simultaneously in both coupe and cabrio guises, the pair of AWD sport models receive the same series of styling and drivetrain...

Fuel prices are a hot topic among American motorists, and ways to reduce bills at the pump are equally popular, but new information shows paying in advance for savings down the road is not an appealing solution for today's buyers. The added up-front costs of hybrid vehicles turned as many as a...

Earlier this month GM revealed production plans for a new family of compact four-cylinder engines to be manufactured in the U.S. and power a new generation of small and medium sized cars. The engine lineup will displace between 1.0 and 1.4L and will be manufactured at a plant in Flint, Michigan...

Lamborghini has once again teamed up with Italian fashion house Versace to create a special edition package for its Murcielago LP 640 Roadster plus a range of new accessories. Versace’s designers teamed up with Lamborghini’s Centro Stile and specialists from the Ad Personam...

Air quality in the capital city of Beijing is so poor that many Olympic athletes are concerned for their health. Over 3.29 million cars are registered in the city, and starting July 20, officials hope to engage a program that will take 45% of those cars off the road on alternate days, banning cars...

The Cadillac SRX has been officially revealed. Click here to view the story. Cadillac has three major model introductions planned for the next two years with the first new model, the CTS wagon, set to enter production early next year before going on sale in global markets by the end of the first...

Chrysler’s first hybrid models, the Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen SUVs, are about to go on sale but they could soon be followed by even more petrol-electric models in many different segments. The technology could quickly and easily be adapted to more models and is likely to filter into...

The shift toward smaller cars and SUVs in the U.S. is getting under way, with nearly daily announcements of product reconfigurations, lay offs, plant idlings and other action designed to cut losses and adjust to the new fuel price-drive landscape of the auto market. General Motors has already...