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  • Ford Explorer rollover case: $82.6m award confirmed

    The U.S. Supreme court asked a California appeals court to review the amount awarded to a woman who was paralyzed when her Ford Explorer rolled over. An inordinately weak roof structure was to blame for the injury, and according to the appeals court's review, the award will stand. Of the $82.6 million awarded, $55 million consists of punitive damages against the auto maker. The accident that gave rise to the case occurred when Benetta Buell-Wilson was driving east on an interstate in San Diego, CA in 2002. She swerved to avoid an object in the road, and the vehicle rolled, collapsing the...

  • BMW looking for partner to build electric car for U.S.
    BMW looking for partner to build electric car for U.S.

    Skyrocketing petrol prices and concerns over the state of the environment have previously driven BMW to focus on hydrogen power. However that focus is not so narrow as to exclude petrol-electric hybrids, or even all-electric vehicles. In fact, BMW is currently weighing its options for introducing...

  • Keating to unveil pair of supercars next month
    Keating to unveil pair of supercars next month

    British sports car manufacturer Keating is planning to launch two new supercars on the 23rd of next month and is already boasting that one of the cars will be able to rival the performance of the Bugatti Veyron. Both cars will be based around the same basic chassis but one will be a...

  • Dodge builds 25,000th Viper
    Dodge builds 25,000th Viper

    Today Chrysler announced that its iconic Dodge Viper muscle car hit a production milestone of 25,000 cars, and to celebrate the achievement officials have planned a number of events including the presentation of a brand new 2008 Viper SRT-10 to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch. The Viper...

  • X3 concept based on Mazda RX-7
    X3 Concept Based On Mazda RX-7

    Reuben Zammit has created a number of stunning designs over the past 12 months but unlike most designers he has been fortunate enough to have some of his designs approved for production. His Bugatti Type 12-2 Streamliner concept, which we saw earlier today, is pure fantasy but his new X3 sports...

  • Toyota mulls Prius eco-brand
    Toyota mulls Prius eco-brand

    Toyota is looking to take advantage of the green image its Prius petrol-electric hybrid vehicle enjoys by building upon the ‘Prius’ name and launching a new family of eco-friendly vehicles under it. Earlier reports claimed Toyota could launch a second dedicated hybrid brand but now its...

  • Microsoft Sync considering in-car ads

    For many the daily commute is one of the last refuges of peace and solitude, one of the last places where we control our environment almost absolutely. We choose the music (or roar of the engine), we choose the temperature, we choose the view outside our windows by choosing our route. But Microsoft envisions a future where sat-nav and DVD display screens pop up ads to support services such as traffic and local information - while you're driving. Sure, there are billboards hawking everything from mattresses to legal services along most populated routes in many countries. But we've grown...

  • Strong demand causes Jaguar XF delays
    Strong demand causes Jaguar XF delays

    Dealerships around the world have been taking in pre-orders of the model that many hope will revive Jaguar’s ailing sales and reputation but the hotly anticipated car, the all-new 2009 XF, is proving so popular that high demand for the car has led to delays in some deliveries. The XF...

  • Talks on for US GP return in 2009
    Talks on for US GP return in 2009

    Talks between the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) and Bernie Ecclestone to resurrect the US grand prix may have begun. Tony George, the famous Indy 500 venue's chief, told an audience at the IU business conference in Indiana this week that he is pursuing options to patch up the relationship with...

  • Man goes on 3,800 mile test-drive across Outback
    Man goes on 3,800 mile test-drive across Outback

    A man in Australia who took a new Honda Accord sedan for test-drive was arrested after he took the car over 3,852 miles (6,200km) across the Outback. Starting off in Melbourne, 30-year old Tam Thai Luu headed west to Adelaide before venturing north into the Northern Territory and ending up at...

  • Toyota looking past lithium batteries
    Toyota looking past lithium batteries

    By now most of us are well aware of the benefits that lithium-ion batteries are purported to bring to hybrids: lighter weight, longer range and better power. We've also heard the downsides of lithium-ion batteries: unexpected fires and explosions, heat, and high costs. Toyota, already slow to join...

  • Tata boss backs Jaguar F-Type
    Tata Boss Backs Jaguar F-Type

    There have been plenty of rumors circulating about Jaguar planning a new lightweight sports car to rival the likes of the Porsche 911 but until now we haven’t had any substantial evidence that officials were even contemplating the car. Speaking at this week’s Geneva Motor Show, Tata...

  • Consumer Reports American Top Picks 2008

    Last week we were treated with Consumer Reports list of the worst 11 cars of the year plus its annual Top Picks list. Today the influential magazine has released its Top Picks of American autos and as expected GM has once again dominated the field although there were a few surprises as well as some glaring absences. To be rated as a Top Pick, a car has to have performed well in a test-drive, be relatively trouble-free to own, and be safe as well. More specific criteria include average or better reliability, stability control fitted as standard and decent crash test results. Since adequate...

  • Renault staying upscale with help from Korea
    Renault staying upscale with help from Korea

    The global trend toward more luxurious, safer and more powerful cars is not lost on Renault. Despite cutting back production due to slow sales of the Laguna, the company is moving forward with plans to go even further up-market. One of the cars Renault will use to get there is the product of a...

  • Update: Jaguar and Land Rover costing Tata $3 billion?
    Update: Jaguar and Land Rover costing Tata $3 billion?

    Updated: Latest reports are claiming Tata is seeking $3 billion dollars in loans to acquire the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. The information comes from people close to deal, who told Bloomberg Tata has contacted investment banks Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase about securing the loan. Ford...

  • Alfa Romeo considering Mexican plant
    Alfa Romeo considering Mexican plant

    The spreading exchange rate differential between the strengthening euro and weakening U.S. dollar means importing European manufactured models to North America is now significantly more expensive than just a few years ago. Established import brands like Volkswagen and Audi are already finding it...

  • TH!NK Ox electric concept rolls into Geneva
    TH!NK Ox electric concept rolls into Geneva

    Think Global is a Norwegian based manufacturer of electric vehicles and is the company behind the original ‘Th!nk’ electric car that went on sale in the U.S. during the late ‘90s. Back then, Think was owned by Ford, which sold it in 2003 to Swiss company Kamkorp Microelectronics...

  • K.O 7 Spider unveiled at Geneva
    K.O 7 Spider unveiled at Geneva

    Ken Okuyama Design has introduced two limited production cars at Geneva. The industrial design studio and coachbuilder unveiled the K.O 7, a lightweight two-seater roadster with a 2L, four-cylinder, 240hp engine. While there have been Caterhams and Lotus 7's around for years now, as a package, none...

  • Super Aguri saved by mystery British buyer - report

    The financially embattled formula one team Super Aguri has been saved by a mystery investor, reports on Tuesday said. The German specialist magazine Auto Motor und Sport is claiming that the Honda backed outfit, run by former Japanese grand prix driver Aguri Suzuki, will make the trip to Melbourne for next weekend's season opener after reaching a deal with the rumoured buyer. The publication said the deal, believed to be headed by a British company and a Middle Eastern sponsor, and possibly some German involvement, could be confirmed this week. Auto Motor und Sport added that while Suzuki has...

  • Ford considering Fiesta hatch for North America
    Ford considering Fiesta hatch for North America

    Ford’s official statement on the new Fiesta hatch is that it likely won’t be arriving in North America, which will instead receive a sedan model based on the recent Verve 3 Concept, but that doesn’t mean the new hatchback has been completely ruled out. On hand at the launch of the...

  • Briatore, Prost, slam modern F1
    Briatore, Prost, slam modern F1

    F1 stalwarts Flavio Briatore and Alain Prost have hit out at the current state of the sport. The pair, collectively with nearly half a decade of experience of the inner workings of the formula one spotlight, separately argue that grand prix racing has become boring and too easy. "The races are too...

  • Smart unveils 'limited two' fortwo
    Smart unveils 'limited two' fortwo

    Smart has unveiled its 'limited two' model at the Geneva Motor Show. The limited two is a special edition version of the Smart fortwo and will only be produced as a limited series of 2,000 units. The limited two will get a number of high quality upgrades to the exterior and interior, including...

  • MANSORY 'Bel Air' Rolls-Royce Drophead
    MANSORY 'Bel Air' Rolls-Royce Drophead

    Rounding out the trio of modified cars from Mansory on display at this year’s Geneva Motor Show is the ‘Bel Air’ Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe, which gets dressed up with a striking bodykit and even more luxury items in the already opulent cabin. Not like the standard Rolls’...

  • Magna Steyr to build Aston Martin Rapide
    Magna Steyr to build Aston Martin Rapide

    Aston Martin has used the backdrop of the Geneva Motor Show to announce a partnership with independent vehicle manufacturer Magna Steyr to build the upcoming four-door Rapide at a plant in Graz, Austria. The new model is expected to bow in around late 2009 and officials are hoping to sell up to...

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