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Just like their U.S.-owned counterparts, Toyota's trucks are not selling like they used to. Sales of the Tundra fell 34% in May, a figure similar to Ford and GM's full-size truck sales downturns. Cuts in production will not be as deep as the U.S. carmakers, however, since Toyota isn't as reliant on the cargo-haulers for sales volume. A 14-day idle of the Tundra plant in San Antonio, Texas is expected to set right inventories of the full-size pickup, while a six-day shutdown of the Tundra and Sequoia SUV plant in Princeton, Indiana will help as well. More days may be cut from the Princeton...
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Porsche announces U.S. pricing for 2009 CayenneJust a few days ago word broke that Porsche would be rescinding its 'no diesels' policy for the 2010 Cayenne, and today the company has released pricing for the 2009 model. Small increases across the board reflect the weak U.S. dollar and rising materials costs, but are well within normal price...
Nelson Ireson -
Bumper stickers linked to road rageIt's not easy to drive through most cities without encountering at least one or two people at once dangerously oblivious of the traffic around them and yet hostile toward anyone that points it out, but a recent study by a scientist at Colorado State University in the U.S. may have found a way to...
Nelson Ireson -
VW announces new hybrid and electric modelsPlug-in hybrids and electric cars are just around the corner, with 2010 set to be a banner year for the industry. Volkswagen's latest news adds to the anticipation with the announcement of hybrid drive to be extended to three models and a new electric car. The three hybrids will be the Golf (Rabbit...
Nelson Ireson -
Porsche 911 posts quicker Nurburgring times with PDKNissan’s new GT-R supercar has proven how beneficial a quick-shifting dual-clutch gearbox can be at shattering race track lap times, posting a blistering 7m 29s lap time for the Nurburgring Nordschleife and beating most other supercars on the planet including Porsche’s 911 Turbo and...
Ralph Hanson -
Car-free zone trial planned for New YorkNew York mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced plans to create car-free zones in parts of Manhattan for three Saturdays this August as part of a new trial to see the effects on the number of pedestrians and cyclists. The no car zone will run along a 6.9-mile stretch of streets through Manhattan...
Ralph Hanson -
Mercedes-Benz has confirmed today that it will release four new compact cars to replace the current A and B-Class models when they reach the end of their product cycles in 2010/11. The family of compact cars will be built at a new plant in Kecskemét, Hungary, and will likely include a coupe, cabriolet, MPV and soft-roader. The new plant will cost more than €800 million ($1.24 billion) to establish and will create some 2,500 jobs. Moving to a plant in Hungary will allow Mercedes to manufacture the cars at a lower cost than if they were produced in Germany, and the fact that it’s a...
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Chevrolet Camaro SS to get 500HP supercharged LS8GM is counting on V6 equipped Camaros to account for the bulk of its sales but there’s talk of a turbocharged four-cylinder engine among the ranks as well the usual V8 lineup. Latest reports suggest that the flagship Camaro SS will be powered by GM’s 6.2L LS8 small block V8 with a...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Update: Chevrolet reveals pricing and performance numbers for 2009 Corvette ZR1Updated with new video of the 2009 Corvette ZR1 being constructed. Chevrolet has already revealed horsepower and torque figures for its mighty Corvette ZR1 supercar, and now we know what those performance numbers are capable of. The new ZR1 is officially the fastest production Corvette ever...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Subaru Unveils New Seven-Seater ExigaSubaru’s new Exiga seven-seater MPV officially went on sale in Japan today, after first appearing in concept form at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show. The new Exiga sits on a 2750mm wheelbase and is powered by a 2.0L four-cylinder boxer engine mated to either four or five-speed automatics...
Ralph Hanson -
Update: 2009 Audi S4 Avant spy shotsUpdated: Audi’s new supercharged S4 range is set to be revealed at November’s Paris Motor Show but a number of barely disguised prototypes, both the sedan and now the Avant wagon, have been spotted testing on public roads in Germany. The new S4 is also confirmed to receive a 350hp...
Nelson Ireson -
Update: Hamilton denies spending $400,000 on "LEW 1S" number plateLewis Hamilton blankly denied reports he blew nearly $400,000 on a personalised number plate. Reports earlier this week suggested the 23-year-old McLaren driver is now the owner of the plate 'LEW 1S'. At a news conference ahead of the French grand prix, Briton Hamilton said the reports were untrue...
Siddarth Raja -
As a strategy to help keep sales high through a model's lifetime, Ford is moving to a three-year restyling cycle. The first indication of Ford's new short program is the freshening of the 2009 Ford Flex, which is already underway. That's right, the Flex is not even on dealer lots yet and it's already being redesigned. Ford's own design director, Peter Horbury, admits that it feels odd to be working on the redesign so soon after completing the original. The normal wait time would be five years before a redesign. But to meet a three-year product cycle, work on the next version must begin...
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Honda to back American F1 team - reportsFollowing Super Aguri's demise, Honda may soon have another satellite formula one team up and racing. Reports from Portugal claim that Ken Anderson, a well-known US engineer who has worked in prominent F1 roles, is in promising talks about setting up an American outfit. The reports said that while...
Ralph Hanson -
Nissan could build Chrysler's new compact carRising fuel prices, which have led to flagging sales of SUVs and pickups, have also forced the Detroit 3 to cut production and layoff thousands of workers. At the same time, Japanese carmakers, which lead the industry in the compact car segment, have been benefiting from record sales as consumers...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Update: Volkswagen Reveals European Scirocco Pricing And SpecsUPDATE: Volkswagen has announced that its new Scirocco coupe will go on sale in Europe this August with prices starting at £20,500 (approximately US$40,258) for the base 1.4L TSI petrol variant with 120hp (90kW). The entry-level model also comes standard with 17in alloys, leather trim for the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Mazda to show new concept car at Moscow International Automobile SalonMazda has announced it will show a new concept car at this year’s Moscow auto show that previews a sporty, compact crossover SUV designed especially for the Russian market. Following in the footsteps of its previous concepts, the Nagare, Ryuga, Hakaze, Taiki and Furai, the new car is modeled...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Toyota UK reveals Aygo 'Crazy' conceptToyota will present a one-off sports concept based on its Aygo hatch at next month’s London Motor Show, which has been designed from the onset as a pure driver’s car. As such, the car is devoid of all electronic handling aids and has no power steering or ABS and is more akin to a...
Ralph Hanson -
Tesla has reportedly signed a technology deal with Daimler according to latest comments from the electric car company’s Chairman Elon Musk. The new deal is in its early stages but according to the Tesla exec it could potentially grow into something major. Elon Musk reportedly told Fox Business News that Tesla has a “small deal that could potentially lead to a very big deal.” Some of the possibilities include a new parts or technology sharing deal, joint-development of future vehicles, or even shared production facilities. Lotus in the UK currently builds the chassis for the...
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Chrysler CEO expects company to remain private, confident of CerberusChrysler CEO Robert Nardelli revealed yesterday that he expects the carmaker to remain in private hands for the next three years at least and was confident in the decisions being made by current owners, Cerberus Capital Management. Under its guidance, Chrysler has adopted a streamlined strategy...
Siddarth Raja -
Mitsubishi reveals production Lancer SportbackMitsubishi will use October’s Paris Motor Show to display the final production version of its all new Lancer Sportback wagon before the car goes on sale in Europe in the following weeks. The carmaker will also be displaying the Lancer Ralliart (first displayed at January’s Detroit Auto...
Ralph Hanson -
Dell CEO sees plenty of opportunity in car industryThe U.S. auto industry may be going through its worst slump in decades but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good opportunity for investors. That’s the belief of Michael Dell, CEO of the Dell computer company, who together with former Sonic Automotive President Jeffrey Rachor plans to...
Ralph Hanson -
Spy Shots: 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt (Nubira)GM’s next global small car, a new sedan and hatch to replace the current Chevrolet Cobalt in North America, has been spotted testing in Europe recently. Due next year as a 2010 model, the new model will be sold in Europe as a Chevrolet Nubira and in Asia as the Daewoo Lacetti. The new car is...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Chrysler's 'Lets Refuel America' offer a dud?Chrysler updated its $2.99 per gallon ‘Let’s Refuel America’ fuel offer late last month to extend through until July but the incentive program has proven to be a flop despite fuel prices continuing to rise. The program offers buyers of particular Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep models a...
Ralph Hanson