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The annual Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas is a little more than a month away but already we have a number of details for several of this year’s highlights. We’ve already seen renderings for a widebody Mercedes Benz GLK, as well as a street racer Hyundai...

Since its humble beginnings as an optional feature on cars in the 1970s, the airbag has become a must-have safety feature for any new car on the market. The development of curtain airbags have also increased the number of airbags in new cars to eight – or more – however Toyota is...

Lexmaul is a German tuner that specialises in modifying vehicles from General Motors, specifically those wearing Opel badges. The latest project from Lexmaul, however, hails from Sweden and is based on the stylish Volvo C30 three–door hatchback. Lexmaul has nicknamed the car...

The saga that has become the Porsche takeover of the Volkswagen Group faces two new key issues in the coming year, both relating to Audi. Already several high-tension situations have arisen, and bad blood between VW chairman Ferdinand Piëch and Porsche CEO and VW board member Wendelin Wiedeking...

Genres like motorcycle, car and all-terrain vehicle are becoming increasingly blurred as more manufacturers make forays into three-wheeled territory. Like a more athletic version of the Can-Am Spyder, Norway's Brudeli Leanster 654L has finally entered production. Based around the KTM 690 Supermoto...

Those most critical of the hybrid and electric vehicle segment often highlight the huge expense of battery replacement as a primary reason to avoid the electron-peddling powertrains. Thanks to Toyota's latest round of price drops, however, there's less to crow about on the expense front, with the...

The high-performance arm of BMW has provided quite a lot of fodder for speculation recently, with the M1 Homage concept, an expected 1-series tii vehicle, and its somewhat bizarre focus on SUVs and crossovers. To help clear the air - if only somewhat - BMW's M Division development head Albert...

Aston Martin has won the award for being the “coolest brand” in the United Kingdom for the third year running, beating rivals such as Ferrari and Lamborghini to top the list of 20 best brands. The awards are put together by Superbrands, a branding consultancy. The annual CoolBrands poll...

Earlier this week we saw reports emerge claiming that Germany’s RUF was working on an all-electric version of the Porsche Cayman, and now we have details about a Porsche Boxster that has been converted to run on compressed air. The converted Porsche is called the MIIN-AER Boxster and it made...

This oddly designed catamaran is the creation of Swedish design and engineering firm Vizualtech, which was contacted by a customer from Dubai who was seeking a new design for a race boat. Starting with an R8 as its inspiration, Vizualtech set about creating what it is now named the Biocat R8 racing...

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering altering the way it determines mileage figures for hybrid vehicles, which could ultimately result in much higher mileage figures being awarded to hybrids. Currently, the EPA test cycle involves city and highway driving, as well as high speed...

The German race car builders at Zauber have unveiled an all-new track-day car designed from the ground up for low cost, high-performance racing. The car will also feature as the vehicle for a one-make series for drivers over 40 years of age, called Top40. Not to be confused with the music world's...

A century-old problem in the physics of aerodynamics, known to scientists as fluid dynamics, has been solved by MIT scientists, both on paper and in the lab. The breakthrough makes it possible to calculate when the otherwise smooth flow of air over a complex surface will cease and separate, hugely...

Known not just for its strong automotive business, but for its engine, aviation, robotics and motorcycle arms as well, Honda entered its 60th year as a corporation this week. Honda's official existence began on September 24, 1948, when Soichiro Honda incorporated the company. Starting with a...

Bees are not the first animal most people would think of when looking to the biological world for automotive inspiration, but the engineers at Nissan are uncommon people. Those engineers are developing a collision avoidance system based around the same principles that bees use to navigate their...

Acura unveiled its completely redesigned 2009 TL sedan earlier this month, adding the company’s SH-AWD system to the lineup and introducing two new V6 engines. Both cars were announced with a Sequential Sportshift five-speed automatic gearbox as standard but Acura has now revealed that its...

With the 2010 Ford Mustang facelift just months away from being revealed, niche carmaker and specialty tuner Saleen has announced a new tuning package to mark the end of the line of the current model. The new car is called the ‘Dark Horse’ and is based on the 45th anniversary 2009 Ford...

Lotus, though its engineering and consultancy division, has teamed up with several companies in the past year to collaborate on a number of different projects ranging from concept and electric vehicle development to performance and chassis tuning. The engineering group’s latest collaboration...

Next week’s Paris Motor Show will see the world debut for Kia’s upcoming Soul hatchback, a car that was first previewed in concept form as far back as 2006’s Detroit Auto Show. For Paris Kia will present no less than seven versions of the car, including an advanced hybrid concept...

General Motors today announced that it will invest $370m for a new small engine manufacturing plant located in Flint, Michigan. The plant is an important step towards preparing GM to introduce the crucial Volt and Cruze products to the North American marketplace and attempt to gain leadership in...