ma section - featured

The 2009 Subaru Forester has proved its safety prowess once again following another five-star safety rating, this time from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The 5-star rating reflected its flawless protection for all seats in both frontal and side-impact crash tests. The...

German-based Porsche tuner Gemballa has revealed its latest aero and engine kit for the Porsche GT2 and 997 Turbo. Dubbed the Avalanche 600 GT2 Evo, the new kit pushes horsepower to an impressive 600hp and lifts torque to 840Nm through a variety of modifications when installed in the range-topping...

While Fiat has long ignored the U.S. market, the Italian manufacturer is mulling over a return to the world’s biggest market. The carmaker’s CEO Sergio Marchionne has revealed that distribution, rather than manufacturing, is Fiat's current greatest hurdle to entering the market, but has...

The Automotive X Prize, which will see challengers competing to build and race a commercially viable 100mpg vehicle, isn’t the type of competition where you’d expect to find a super-sports car capable of reaching speeds in excess of 160mph or covering the 0-62mph dash in under five...

As GM moves to boost production to recover what was lost to the American Axle strike, Ford is cutting back its output of pickups and SUVs in the face of rising fuel prices in the U.S. Sales of the spacious and functional yet very thirsty vehicles have dropped sharply and consumers and businesses...

Already known for its wide range of hybrids, Toyota has committed to producing 18 new or reworked models in an effort to decrease its fleet average carbon dioxide emissions. The move will help the company meet tighter regulations and reduce the amount of taxes its customers must pay on their cars...

Just like its corporate cousin Vauxhall did earlier this year, Opel is set to unveil a new logo in time for the addition of the Insignia to its ranks. The all-new sedan is the first of a series of new cars that will replace the aging line-up with a fresh design language and a new commitment to...

Federal safety officials in the U.S. are investigating a potential fire risk in Ford’s Windstar minivan model produced between 1995 and 2003 after authorities received more than 130 consumer complaints about vehicle fires. The investigation is still in its early stages but it could lead to...

Safety standards in the European Union are about to be toughened significantly with new mandates for carmakers set to be revealed next week. Some of the new rules likely to be introduced will include the fitment of advanced low-noise tires, electronic stability control and tire pressure monitoring...

British motorsport company Prodrive has finally released details about its new tuning kit for the Alfa Romeo Brera coupe, which is set to go on sale through Alfa dealerships in the UK in the following months. The kit has been in development for more than a year, with engineers focusing mainly on...

Already Ford has announced its plans to bring the global Fiesta small hatch to the U.S., and the Focus is now also slated to join its littler sibling. Alongside those two, due in 2010 and 2011 respectively, will come the Kuga and C-Max, Ford's global crossover SUV and MPV - the third and fourth of...

Earlier this month Toyota announced it would be raising prices across its U.S. line-up, and now it seems Honda may be following suit. The cause is a confluence of factors, with a weak U.S. dollar, high raw materials costs and the global downturn in sales conspiring to make the price rises...

The Saab 9-5 is long overdue for an overhaul, with the current model first hitting streets as far back as 1997, but the next-generation model due late next year may not even be built at Saab’s traditional home in Sweden. Latest reports claim the new model will be sourced from Opel’s...

The Maserati Quattroporte has been on sale in its current guise for almost four years but that’s set to change as a facelifted model is just around the corner. The new car seen here testing in prototype form will hit the streets early next year as a 2010 model and could incorporate a number...

It's one thing to turn out extravagant, flamboyant modified supercars, but it's something else entirely to put those cars on the track and race them for best times around a famous Grand Prix circuit like Hockenheim, but that's exactly what the contenders at the Tuner Grand Prix did last weekend in...

In the latest episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, the talk show host and avid car nut gives us a comprehensive assessment of one his favorite models from his personal fleet–the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. Leno explains that Mercedes and McLaren have created an “unbreakable” exotic...

Though the new Audi A6 is still at least a year away from being shown in concept form and two years from its production debut, details about its construction and platform technology are already leaking onto the web. Building on technologies first developed in the TT platform, the next-generation A6...

General Motors has taken heed of public desire for smaller, more economical engines and developed two brand-new engines for its global markets. The new engines consist of a new 1.4-liter petrol unit and a 1.6-liter Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) unit, and will be rolled out in GM’s production...

The new Subaru STI has only been on sale for a few months or less in most parts of the world, but already the company has a special-edition STI version of the Legacy due to hit Japanese streets in just over a month. Carrying on a long tradition of special-edition Legacy models, the STI S402 takes...

As this year’s Nurburgring 24 hour endurance challenge approaches several more carmakers have announced plans to enter the comp. The latest is General Motors, which plans to enter a race-prepped version of its Opel Astra OPC in the grueling event. The standard Astra OPC features a 237hp...