ma section - featured
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Updated: Volkswagen’s U.S. chief Stefan Jacoby has confirmed the carmaker is looking at securing a location in either Michigan, Alabama or Tennessee for its new North American plant and expects a final decision to be made by the middle of the year. Key considerations for the decision include cost, logistics and the readiness of the site. Speaking with the Detroit Free Press, Jacoby said VW hopes to sell up to 800,000 vehicles in the U.S. by 2018 and the plant would need to build at least 200,000 vehicles a year to remain feasible. Production is scheduled to start in 2011 or 2012...
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UK 'green levy' increases revenue but does little for environmentNew taxes planned for motorists in the UK, which aim to reduce emissions by forcing owners of heavy polluting vehicles to pay extra in registration costs, have been criticized as being just another source of revenue for the government and for having little to no effect on reducing emissions. The...
James Martinez -
GM global sales dip 0.6% in Q1, North America sales drop 10%With the release today of GM’s first quarter sales results, it's evident American carmakers are doing much worse on their home turf than most would assume. GM’s sales worldwide dipped 0.6% over the quarter, but this was largely because most of the gains made in new markets were offset...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Suzuki SX4t Crossover ConceptSuzuki has a reputation for building some of the best sports bikes in the business but when it comes to cars the Japanese manufacturer’s performance lineup is in serious need of an image boost. That’s why Suzuki has been rolling out a number of new performance-oriented concept vehicles...
Ralph Hanson -
Keating unveils SKR and TKR supercarsBritish sports car manufacturer Keating has taken the wraps off a pair of new supercars and is already boasting that one of the cars is capable of outpacing the Bugatti Veryon in the top speed arena. The two new additions are the high-performance TKR racer and the more livable SKR tourer, and both...
James Martinez -
Cycling group wants cars to feature external airbagsCarmakers are already mandated by safety groups to design vehicle exteriors that minimize damage to pedestrians upon impact. We’ve seen rules that stipulate maximum bonnet heights and front overhang lengths as well as the development of a ‘pop-up’ bonnet (pictured), but now the...
Kenneth Hall -
BMW and its subsidiaries have had a bit of a management reshuffle with the biggest change being the appointment of the carmaker’s U.S. chief, Tom Purves, as the new CEO of Rolls-Royce. Purves, 59, will start his new role on the first of July, succeeding Ian Robertson, 49, who is replacing the departing Stefan Krause as BMW’s head of sales and marketing. Purves actually started his career in the automotive industry at Rolls-Royce where he was an apprentice engineer. He first joined BMW back in 1985 as the sales director of the carmaker’s British operation and has headed its...
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Daimler and BMW continue talks on tech sharingArch-rivals BMW and Daimler are still locked in talks with latest discussions surrounding topics on component sharing and joint-research of new powertrain technologies. Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche has confirmed the two carmakers are in fact discussing the potential for component sharing, alluding to...
Ralph Hanson -
Street racers in Malaysia face the caneGet busted for reckless driving or street racing in most countries and the worst punishment you’re likely to endure is to foot an expensive fine, possibly do a driver-safety course or lose your license or car for several months. In some areas, such as Manchester in the UK or California...
Ralph Hanson -
Hongqi reveals SUV concept at Beijing auto showBucking the trend of China's copycat design regime, the Hongqi SUV concept revealed at this week's Beijing auto show is a fairly unique creation, and though it isn't groundbreaking, it's not a barely-disguised imitation either. Tending firmly toward the production-ready end of the concept car...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Study says sat-nav use can save up to 16% in fuelWe've all heard the stories of drivers led into - or under - water, up one-way streets and down too-narrow carriage ways by their well-meaning satellite navigation devices, but a recent study shows the GPS-linked helpers can actually cut your fuel bill by up to 16 percent. The savings comes from...
Nelson Ireson -
Th!nk Global to bring electric car to U.S.Think Global is a Norwegian based manufacturer of electric vehicles and is the same company behind the original ‘Th!nk’ electric car that went on sale in the U.S. during the late 1990s. Back then, Think was owned by Ford, which sold it in 2003 to Swiss company Kamkorp Microelectronics...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
As carmakers around the world look for alternatives to burning fossil fuels to power their future cars one proposition that’s quickly gaining traction is the roll-out of cars that run on biofuels sourced from crops. One of the most vocal carmakers backing the mass production of biofuel is GM, which plans to have most of its vehicles biofuel capable within the next decade. However, a number of charities as well as leading science groups and even the United Nations claim the production of biofuel will add more carbon-dioxide to the air than would be reduced by the amount adsorbed by crops...
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Brabus kit for the Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG faceliftMercedes-Benz went to great effort to improve the power and efficiency of its SLK range for the 2009 model year facelift but for the guys at German tuner Brabus the output of the standard model was never going to be enough. That’s why for their latest custom kit for the facelifted SLK, Brabus...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Lexus LFA Prototype Confirmed For Nürburgring 24 Hours RaceToyota has confirmed via its Japanese press site that its upcoming Lexus LFA supercar will contest the Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance challenge--dubbed the 36th ADAC Zurich 24h Race 2008--in Germany next month. This will be the first public debut of the new supercar although details about the...
Alex Kaufmann -
Mitsubishi to launch low-cost global car by 2010With Tata setting the benchmark for low cost vehicle development with the unveiling of its $2,500 Nano minicar back in January, major carmakers the world over are now playing catch up and furiously developing their own rival models to take advantage of the burgeoning low-cost vehicle market...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Chrysler-Chery minicar not ready for prime timeThe deal between the troubled American maker Chrysler and China's Chery has been a blustery, on-again, off-again affair, but the latest word has it still on track, despite some delays. Chinese-built Chrysler-branded Chery minicars will not be hitting U.S. roads in the very near future, but the deal...
Nelson Ireson -
Porsche's Wiedeking is auto industry's highest paid CEOBeing the CEO of a major car manufacturer is not traditionally considered a job that will net you paychecks on par with Formula 1 drivers. For Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking, however, his salary for last year will leave you thinking otherwise. Wiedeking is thought to have earned more than €60...
Ralph Hanson -
The first Ginetta G50 road-registered car has been taken for a spin in the streets of Garforth in the UK and is set to take part in tomorrow’s Silverstone Supercar Tour. The new car is based on the track-only ‘Cup’ car which goes by the same name and has been competing in a single-make championship since the start of the year. Both the new production model and the track car feature a 3.5L Ford petrol V6 engine with 300hp under the bonnet, and send drive to the rear wheels via a Quaife six-speed sequential gearbox. An even more powerful V8 model is in the works and is...
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Chrysler to remain unprofitable in 2008Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli announced Thursday night that Chrysler will not see a profit at the end of the year. The head of Chrysler was not disappointed though, stating the company was on track to meet the goals it had promised new owner Cerberus Capital Management. While Chrysler hasn't said...
Kenneth Hall -
2008 International Engine Of The Year Nominees ChosenThere are many publications, organizations and companies that hand out awards to the automotive industry for its various technical and design achievements, but few are so lauded as the winner of the International Engine of the Year competition. Judged by a panel of 62 of the world's top automotive...
Nelson Ireson -
Roewe releases new pictures of 550China's auto design industry has been lambasted for being everything from farcical to downright plagiaristic, and it has largely deserved the criticism. Nevertheless, makers like Roewe - the Chinese owners of what used to be MG Rover - soldier on, producing cars that look vaguely like the...
Nelson Ireson -
New LED tire valve cap monitors pressure for youNew valve-caps, called P-eyes, which monitor the air pressure of the tire they're attached to have hit the market. Pitched as a handy tool for commercial fleet owners, we don't see why the tire-pressure monitoring caps wouldn't work equally well on your personal vehicle. The caps use LEDs combined...
Nelson Ireson -
Ford launches new website aimed at performance fansFord and its motorsports division have launched a new website aimed at connecting performance enthusiasts with the scores of enthusiast clubs around the world as well as providing a forum for the latest information on aftermarket accessories. The site is also geared up to get enthusiasts from all...
James Martinez