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Mitsubishi has given the green light for a production version of the five-door Lancer Sportback, which was first displayed as a concept car back at the 2005 Frankfurt Show. If designers stick with the styling of the concept version, we think the wagon-based Sportback would actually look better than the sedan. The new model will join Mitsubishi’s lineup next year, following the release of the sedan and Evo models that will hit showrooms by the end of the year. The Lancer range will kick off with a 1.5L petrol engine, followed by another 1.8L petrol unit and Mitsubishi’s new 2.0L...
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Mercedes: we don't want to work with BMWMercedes-Benz has rejected a proposal from BMW that the two luxury carmakers should work more closely in the future, as revealed by DaimlerChrysler’s head of marketing for Mercedes, Klaus Maier. Last month, BMW director Michael Ganal told reporters that BMW execs were hoping for a tie-up with...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Daimler launches the facelifted Super EightHot off the launch of the refreshed Jaguar XJ comes the near-identical Daimler version. Not to be confused with Germany’s Daimler-Benz, the Daimler Motor Company is a British car brand that’s currently under the ownership of Ford’s Premier Auto Group. Its latest model, the Super...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Toyota planning second hybrid brandToyota is planning to launch a second dedicated hybrid brand in 2009 that will be sold alongside the current Prius and is expected to sell up to 100,000 cars per year. The information comes from Japanese newspaper The Nikkei, which also confirmed that Toyota is hoping that by 2010 its hybrid sales...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Saab drops its sales predictionsIn a move that’s sure to upset shareholders, Saab has reduced its annual sales targets and is aiming at just breaking even this year. The news comes from parent company General Motors’ European boss Carl-Peter Forster, who spoke with reporters from Automotive News. "There is a natural...
Kenneth Hall -
Ferrari accuses technician of criminal behaviourFerrari has commenced legal action against its veteran technician Nigel Stepney, a spokesman for the Maranello based team confirmed on Friday. The details have not been divulged, but team principal Jean Todt admitted to La Gazzetta dello Sport that the action relates to alleged "illegal" behavior...
Siddarth Raja -
The US Senate has approved a bill that calls for all new cars and trucks to meet a corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) rating of 35mpg by 2020, up 40% from the CAFE levels of today’s fleets. The bill will now proceed to the House of Reps, which is expected to vote along the same lines. The milder proposal put forward by Detroit Senator Carl Levin and the allied carmakers, which called for a standard of 36mpg for cars by 2022 and 30mpg for trucks by 2025, didn’t even make it to the voting round. Under the new approved proposal, regulators would be able to void the 35mpg standard...
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Alfa Romeo launches the 159 Turismo InternazionaleAlfa has applied its classic Turismo Internazionale option to its svelte 159 saloon and Sportwagon, with both cars set to feature the famous TI initials. The cars will include a unique body kit, lowered sports suspension, 19-inch alloy wheels, red Brembo brake calipers, and chrome effect on the...
Kenneth Hall -
Ferrari unveils eco-friendly FXX Millechili studyFor Ferrari’s 60th Anniversary celebration at its headquarters in Maranello this week, the supercar company has unveiled its future strategy for improving its image in the eyes of environmentalists. Apart from the official formalities and the release of the 60th anniversary edition of the 612...
Ralph Hanson -
Michael Schumacher to race againMichael Schumacher will compete once again in this year’s Race of Champions (ROC) at Wembley Stadium on the 16th of December. The unique event will see the stadium transformed into a custom-built tarmac race track where drivers from several different categories compete in a series of...
Ralph Hanson -
Renault and Volvo trucks consider buying Volvo carsAB Volvo is the second largest truck manufacturer in the world and is the former of owner of Volvo cars before selling it to Ford back in 1999. According to Swedish newspaper Dagens Industri, the truck company may join Renault in a potential buy-out of Volvo from Ford’s Premier Auto Group...
Ralph Hanson -
Kimi to leave Ferrari - reportsKimi Raikkonen could depart Ferrari as soon as the end of this season, according to reports. Germany's Auto-Bild-Motorsport said the beleaguered Maranello based team has already commenced its search for the Finn's successor, after failing to live up to his reputation and newfound status as the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Mercedes-Benz might unveil up to 18 different eco-friendly vehicles at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show, including a range of diesels, hybrids, Bluetec-diesels and fuel-cell vehicles. The star of the Mercedes’ showcase will be a new Bluetec-diesel model that will feature a mild-hybrid system, a car that is expected to hit the market by the end of the decade. Other green models will include an ultra-efficient diesel C-class that’s due to hit the market by 2011 and is reported to sip less than five liters of fuel per 100km, while emitting less than 130g of carbon-dioxide per...
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Audi strikes back: BMW is "arrogant"Last week we published a report, which revealed that BMW execs weren’t very concerned about Audi as a potential threat in the luxury market because it doesn’t build any RWD models and it has to discount its cars to lift sales numbers. It hasn’t taken long for Audi to strike back...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Spy Shots: 2009 Opel VectraOpel’s aging Vectra sedan is well overdue for a major overhaul, but a replacement vehicle isn’t due until the second half of next year. Several prototypes, such as this one, have been spotted by spy photographers that reveal the new Vectra will have a wider and taller body than the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
9ff's 910hp Porsche 911 Turbo TRC 91Porsche specialist 9ff has dropped its potent 4.0L biturbo flat-six into the Porsche 911 Turbo Cabrio, and in doing so has created the world’s fastest convertible. Developing 780hp in the Cabrio, the modded 911 drop-top can reach a top speed of 381km/h. Reserved for the coupe is a more...
Alex Kaufmann -
Video: Mazda 2If we had to pick one mass-market car company making cars that exceed their price in quality, style, and refinement that company would have to be Mazda. The recently announced Mazda 2 is their latest model and continues on the zoom-zoom theme. More importantly, Mazda has made this new model 100kg...
Siddarth Raja -
Porsche boss speeds up development of new CayennePorsche was first to the market with an SUV model based on the vehicle architecture developed jointly between Volkswagen, Audi and itself. The original Cayenne was released back in 2002, one year ahead of the VW Touareg and four years ahead of the Audi Q7. The sports car brand is now reported to...
Ralph Hanson -
Engineers at 9ff have the Bugatti Veyron clearly in their sights with the new Porsche GT9 set to take on the world’s fastest with a top speed target in excess of 400km/h. Production of the GT9 will be limited to just 20 copies at €476,000 a piece, but one car has already been reserved for a buyer in the Middle-East who plans to purchase the car only if it can break the 400km/h mark. Back in March, EVO Magazine published details about the car’s unique mechanical package. Ditching the 911's rear-engine layout, 9ff engineers created a custom mid-mounted engine design utilizing...
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Audi modular design to spawn next-gen VW Phaeton, Bentley Continental GT and ArnageDevelopment work for the second generation Volkswagen Phaeton is already well underway with the new model expected to share the same platform as the next Audi A8, due one year prior to the release of the VW flagship. The new Phaeton should hit the market in 2010 and will once again be produced at...
Alex Kaufmann -
Jaguar XK range expands with 3.5L modelJaguar is set to expand its XK range with the introduction of a new entry-level model powered by the same 3.5L V8 engine currently used in the XJ saloon. The new model will be launched around October or November, reports AutoWeek Netherlands, but there’s no word on pricing. Early estimates...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Cerberus joins Ford PAG sale rumor millThe Jaguar and Land Rover brands may be next in line to be acquired by American private equity firm Cerberus, which recently bought the struggling Chrysler Group from its German parent. According to a report from German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Cerberus is interested in...
Siddarth Raja -
Supercars selling like hot-cakes in the Middle EastIt used to be that the US was home to most of the European exotics but today more and more ultra-exclusive supercars are ending up in the deserts of the Middle East, namely the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Demand for European sports cars is surging in the region, with some dealers...
Alex Kaufmann -
More details on Ford's hybrid plansFord is hoping to expand its hybrid range beyond that of its current Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner models but is being held back by engineering problems surrounding the development of rechargeable electric cars. The head of its hybrid and sustainable vehicle programs, Nancy Gioia, has revealed...
Kenneth Hall