ma section - featured
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Nissan teased us with the unveiling of an extravagant sedan concept at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show but then went silent when it came time to talk about production details. Now, on the eve of this month’s Beijing Motor Show, Nissan has released an official teaser for a new sedan that shares some of the lines of the previous concept. The concept was the Nissan Intima sedan, a coupe-like four door with swiveling seats and rear-opening suicide doors. Officials haven’t released any details about the new production model destined for Beijing, but given the number of recent...
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Unique Performance victims sue Carroll ShelbyJust days after the liquidation of the shady car customizer's assets, Carroll Shelby has been served with a suit brought by the former customers of Unique Performance, the Texas company that engaged in title-washing and other scandalous behavior that eventually led to its bankruptcy and criminal...
Nelson Ireson -
GM upgrades OnStar with XM NavTraffic and eNavGM has upgraded its OnStar monitoring and tracking system with two new navigational services for all 2009 models equipped with the subscription-based service. Working in conjunction with the existing Turn-by-Turn feature, OnStar now comes with a new ‘Destination Download’ service that...
Kenneth Hall -
Toyota establishes $100m U.S. research facilityToyota today announced the establishment of a new North American research facility located in Ann Arbour, Michigan, which will spearhead research on advanced areas including powertrain technologies, energy systems, and partnerships with government and academia. The carmaker plans to spend $100...
Kenneth Hall -
Ford fitting electric power steering to 90% of modelsFord has made a commitment to fit 80 to 90% of its future vehicles with electric power steering (EPS) systems by 2012. Currently the 2008 Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner, and their respective hybrid models are fitted with EPS, and next in line to receive the fuel-saving device are the Ford Fusion...
Alex Kaufmann -
Bidding War Over Bertone Heats UpJust a few weeks after Mahindra & Mahindra expressed their interest in purchasing the legendary coachbuilder and design house Bertone, China's FAW is throwing its hat in the ring. Both companies see the purchase as their ticket into European markets. A failed deal with Fiat for production of...
Nelson Ireson -
Small-scale Malaysian car manufacturer Proton is developing a new range of in-house engines, including diesel engines for the first time, as part of a strategy to increase its export program. Proton has traditionally relied on Mitsubishi engines, but a new requirement for diesel mill and several petrol units has forced the Malaysian company to look towards new foreign partners to provide it with technology. Proton intends to sell to export markets such as India, where a high demand for diesel engines means any carmaker looking for success in the rapidly expanding market must have a diesel in...
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Jaguar and Land Rover pose a number of problems for TataWhile Jaguar and Land Rover will be getting a much-needed resuscitation from Tata and its deep pockets, stricter emissions and fuel-economy regulations set to roll in over the next decade as well as continual reliability and quality issues are likely to prove to be problematic for the new Indian...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Geely CE concept headed for BeijingChinese car designers are rarely lauded for their efforts, mostly because of the country’s reputation for 'borrowing' designs from other carmakers, but one company, Geely, is helping to turn around the bad rep with a number of interesting concepts it has planned for the upcoming Beijing Motor...
Alex Kaufmann -
Knight Rider KITT Mustangs sell for $300,000This weekend’s Barrett-Jackson Auction in Palm Beach, Florida, saw a pair of Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR muscle cars from the new Knight Rider series go under the hammer for $300,000. The cars were sold together as a pair and the buyer was also offered the chance to snap up a brand new 2009...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Entire Hummer fleet to be E85 capable by 2010GM has been spending up big to promote the benefits of E85 and to convince customers the ethanol blend is the solution to ending the world’s dependence on fossil fuels. The carmaker has already announced plans for an E85 Corvette race car and hosted several events where it sold E85 fuel for...
Kenneth Hall -
Spyker loses €72 million in 2007Dutch supercar company Spyker has had a tumultuous past year. After buying a F1 team and joining the backmarkers on the grid, it ran into financial trouble and was forced to refinance the company. The F1 team was eventually sold to an Indian businessman and Spyker was forced to drop plans for a...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
The 500 ‘Cinquecento’ has proven to be a runaway success for Fiat, with the entire 2008 production run selling out in just three weeks and order books for next year already starting to fill. Customers from all walks of life are lining up to get behind the wheel of the classic-styled hatch, including some who see the car as a blank canvas in need of some serious performance mods. That’s where tuning firms like Austria’s O.CT step in. Not wanting to mess with the classic lines of the production model, O.CT engineers focused on lifting the performance of the car via a...
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Lamborghini ends Gallardo Superleggera productionWith the introduction of the new Gallardo LP 560-4 at the recent Geneva Motor Show, Lamborghini has officially ended production of its Superleggera model. The lightweight Gallardo was only introduced one year prior but was always meant to be a limited edition model, and room was needed at the Sant'...
Ralph Hanson -
BMW to build Alfa Romeos in U.S.?Earlier this week Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne revealed his desire to partner with an American carmaker over a deal to build Alfa Romeos in the U.S., but according to latest reports BMW could be the carmaker Fiat signs up with. Alfa Romeo has been planning its 2009 North American relaunch for years...
Ralph Hanson -
Preview: 2011 Audi A1 super-miniIt’s been well documented BMW is developing a new minicar to rival cars like the Mercedes Smart and upcoming Volkswagen Up! (Lupo) family, but Audi too has confirmed it will be joining the fray with the launch of its new A1 compact hatch. The new super-mini is slated to arrive in late 2010...
Siddarth Raja -
Hengst Ford Mustang GT with 365HPGerman-tuner Hengst, led by BMW-specialist Peter Grassl, has released a new tuning kit for the Ford Mustang GT that draws obvious inspiration from the customizing scene where the car originally came from. German firms are recognized mostly for improving performance, be it aerodynamic upgrades or...
Kenneth Hall -
GM powering its cars with Chinese enginesThe fledgling Chinese auto industry has been embroiled in scandals of stealing designs and producing poor quality cars but despite this one major carmaker has already been selling vehicles in the U.S. with engines sourced from China. The truth of the matter is Americans may already have a Chinese...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
More clues about the upcoming Camaro have emerged, this time from GM’s Global Accessories Design Manager Larry Sully who gives us a sneak peak at some of the performance accessories planned for the muscle car in this latest clip. High-res spy shots from earlier this week led to fears the Camaro will look a little dull but as Sully points out there will be a range of new ground effects body parts, spoilers, custom grilles and oversized wheels to dress up the basic production car.
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Preview: 2009 Audi Q5 to make Beijing debutWith Audi’s Q7 proving to be too expensive for the North American market officials are keen to release the mid-level Q5 to help spur sales in the world’s biggest car market. According to a leaked product schedule the new Q5 won’t officially go on sale until July but the car is...
Kenneth Hall -
Mosler Challenge European MT900 spec seriesMosler is sponsoring an MT900 spec racing series for its cars, including the MT900 GT3 and the newly announced MT900 Challenge car. The series will take place across some of Europe's most storied race tracks, and with over 20 teams already signed up, it's sure to be exciting, difficult racing all...
Nelson Ireson -
Qatar to upgrade MotoGP circuit for F1Qatar is reportedly the latest country that could soon be scrambling to join F1's ever-dynamic race calendar. We reported one year ago that the Middle Eastern state was planning to follow in the footsteps of neighbours Bahrain and Abu Dhabi in bidding to become a grand prix host. On Wednesday, the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Official: Ford sells Jaguar & Land Rover to Tata for $2.3bAfter months of speculation, leaked information and hearsay, Ford has finally confirmed it will sell its Jaguar and Land Rover operations to India’s Tata. The sale is expected to close by the end of the next quarter and still requires approval from several European regulatory bodies, but...
Alex Kaufmann -
Nissan GT-R mods hit the marketDespite fears Nissan’s new GT-R wouldn’t tolerate anyone tinkering around with its innards, Japan’s industrious tuning firms have managed to develop a number of aftermarket parts claimed to boost performance of the supercar. Initial testing showed that even simple mods such as...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran