ma section - featured
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Tesla's problems with the gearbox and drivetrain of its early models is well-known, and early buyers of the car were assured they would get updated internals installed free of charge as soon as they were ready. That update is known internally at Tesla as 'powertrain 1.5', and the company announced yesterday that steady progress is being made, outlining what will and will not be included. The powertrain 1.5 package is essentially a reworked engine and gearbox, designed to fully handle all of the torque available with greater durability and more power output. The current Tesla two-speed...
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Hybrid Technologies builds 220mpg supercar for Automotive X-PrizeThe Automotive X-Prize has already spawned some pretty interesting entries, from both aesthetic and technical perspectives. The car revealed today by Hybrid Technologies fits the bill no matter how you look at it. Expected to achieve over 220mpg with supercar performance, the best part of the...
Nelson Ireson -
Consumers pick top-rated cars for 2008A new consumer-opinion based awards list has been created that picks the top vehicle from eight different categories, with the decision making based on the input received from new car buyers on an online rating system run by Edmunds. Categories include Coupes, Convertibles, Sedans, Wagons, SUVs...
Nelson Ireson -
Ugur Sahin Design GT-S Passionata Design StudyCoachbuilding has become a precarious business of late, with industry stalwarts like Pininfarina and Bertone having weathered some difficult situations. Perhaps that's what makes Ugur Sahin Design's work so impressive, although the cars the firm envisions - and in some cases, produces - are...
Nelson Ireson -
Chrysler open to more model sharing dealsChrysler CEO Bob Nardelli has revealed that his company is open to sourcing more models from rival carmakers in its bid to offer more fuel-efficient models and adapt to changing consumer demand. Last month Chrysler signed a deal with Nissan to source the compact Versa hatch to expand its U.S...
Ralph Hanson -
Update: Hyundai announces pricing for Genesis SedanUpdated: Hyundai announced on Monday that it had already signed 700 customers onto its Genesis Sedan sales rolls before the car even arrived in the U.S., and now the company has disclosed the price those 700 customers - and everyone else - will be paying. Starting at $33,000 for the V6 version and...
James Martinez -
Famed German tuner MTM has gotten its hands on an Audi S5 and given it some more grunt in typical MTM fashion. While the MTM version of the Audi S5 is no dual-engined 390km/h monster like the MTM bimoto TT, the S5 does have some extra tricks up its sleeve thanks to some forced-induction modifications under the hood. The stock S5 gets a 4.2L V8, and MTM bolts a supercharger and intercooler onto this to give it some hair-raising performance figures – 0-60mph in 4.3 seconds and a top speed of 186 mph. Power in the MTM S5 is a Lamborghini-Gallardo-matching 505hp, up 149 horses from the...
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U.S. lawmakers to get tougher on teen driversMichigan’s graduated driver licensing system has seen the number of 16-year-old drivers injured or killed in vehicle accidents drop dramatically over the past decade, and is proving so successful that other states are not only considering implementing similar systems but also introducing...
Kenneth Hall -
Ferrari plots return to coachbuildingFerrari is planning a return to its coachbuilding heritage this year, catering to wealthy clients who desire something a little more exclusive than the 'off-the-shelf' Ferrari products. According to AutoWeek, the Italian sports car manufacturer will collaborate with at least three of its most...
Kenneth Hall -
Mercury dealers fear brand is back on the chopping blockThe future of Mercury, one of Ford's subsidiary brands, is once again the subject of open speculation and this time its Mercury's own dealers that are asking Ford the tough questions. Members of the Lincoln Mercury National Dealer Council have asked Ford to reveal their plans for Mercury in order...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
NHTSA to reveal new roof safety standards next monthThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will unveil its new regulations in regard to vehicle roof strength requirements this June, a standard that hasn’t changed in more than 35 years. The move is part of the U.S. government’s sweeping reforms in safety standards to...
Ralph Hanson -
Edo Competition Maserati MC12No stranger to tuning the MC12, Edo has already previously built custom versions of the Maserati supercar, including the MC12 Corse. Packing 700hp-plus in every edition, the Edo MC12s are all at least 70hp ahead of the stock MC12 thanks to some tweaks borrowed from the Ferrari FXX. This latest MC12...
Nelson Ireson -
Ferrari’s FXX ‘experimental’ supercar is nothing new but when a camouflaged version was spotted on public roads near the Maranello factory it suggests that the successor to the Enzo could finally be conducting real-world testing. Although the FXX resembles the original Enzo supercar, the vehicle is actually a test-bed for new technologies that will eventually filter across to Ferrari’s future road cars. It was sold in extremely exclusive numbers to several important Ferrari customers, including Michael Schumacher, who are also given dedicated track time at Fiorano to...
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GM hopes tax credits can reduce cost of Chevrolet VoltDespite earlier reports predicting the upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid vehicle would cost less than $30,000 when it arrives in November 2010, a source close to the project has now revealed that the final price tag is likely to be closer to $40,000. That figure is likely to be higher than the...
Ralph Hanson -
Steve McQueen's Porsche Le Mans up for saleClassic race cars once owned by Steve McQueen can fetch millions of dollars at auction and the latest car from his collection that’s up for sale is likely to continue the tradition. Last August a 1963 Ferrari Berlinetta Lusso once owned by McQueen sold for $2.31 million. Promoters of a 1970...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Future vehicle tech to be subsidized by advertisersAs the automobile continues to catch up with the digital age, we’re starting to see more and more partnerships develop between car and technology companies and a new range of co-branded features come onto the market. We’ve already seen Microsoft team up with a number of carmakers to...
Alex Kaufmann -
Design of next-gen Chrysler 300 will be 'evolutionary'Chrysler is in the midst of updating its line-up to meet tough new CAFE regulations and help turn around flagging sales, and the bleak situation has already led to a number of important models being dropped altogether. However, it appears the RWD Chrysler 300 is safe for now as the Auburn...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Edo Competition 700HP Ferrari EnzoGermany’s Edo Competition is an expert when it comes to modifying ultra-rare exotics so who better to tune one of Ferrari’s fastest and most exclusive cars ever produced – the limited edition Enzo supercar. Squeezing more power from a highly strung engine like a Ferrari V12, where...
Alex Kaufmann -
Reigning Formula One world champion Kimi Raikkonen has shelled out 200,000 euros for a 1974 Chevrolet Corvette ('73 model pictured) once owned by Hollywood actress Sharon Stone. Raikkonen bought the car at a charity event for the Elton John Aids Foundation on the eve of the Monaco Grand Prix. Raikkonen's new Corvette has just four miles on the odometer and is currently stored in Los Angeles (apparently none of the original owners drove it much). While 200,000 euros may seem a little expensive for a Corvette, the price Kimi paid paled in comparison to Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya's 226,000...
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635hp M6 Hurricane by G-PowerEarlier this week we saw what the wild tuners in Lithuania can do to a BMW 6-series coupe, and love it or hate it, it was an extreme interpretation. The Germans at G-Power have also turned their creative arts on a 6-series offering, this time the M6 convertible. Thankfully devoid of cartoonish...
Nelson Ireson -
M5-powered Veritas RS III set for productionVeritas was a small German company formed towards the end of WWII by three employees of BMW who wanted a brand to fulfill their dream of building and racing sports cars. Under the Veritas label, they managed to build 75 cars before the company went bust in 1952. The group was reformed in the 1990s...
Ralph Hanson -
PanTerra Concept wins Californian Off-Road Machine design compThe PanTerra Concept created by Australian designer Filip Tejszerski has taken top honors at this year’s Californian Off-Road Machine design competition organized by Local Motors. The goal for designers was to create an ‘exciting design for an exceptionally capable off-road vehicle...
Siddarth Raja -
VW GTI Performance and R36 Passat Variant at WörtherseeEarlier today we brought you the all-new VW Scirocco GT24 and now we have two more specials shown at the Austrian tuner-fest. The VW GTI Performance is a factory-custom design study, while the Passat R36 Variant is the work of Volkswagen Individual, showing what the car might look like if it were...
Nelson Ireson -
Volkswagen Scirocco GT24 debuts at Wörthersee TourFollowing the lead of its Audi subsidiary, Volkswagen has debuted a new race-inspired concept at this week’s Wörthersee Tour tuning show in Austria. The latest concept is the new VW Scirocco GT24, a road-going version of the carmaker’s new Scirocco race car that’s set to...
Ralph Hanson