ma section - normal

After trade talks on Tuesday, the European Union and South Africa are said to be close to finalizing a deal that would cut tariffs on cars exported to each other's markets. Reuters is reporting that if all goes well, the first changes are set to occur by the end of the year. South Africa will cut...

In a little over two years, BMW has managed to reach a significant milestone in its production of the 507bhp V10 that powers the sporty M5 and M6. A few days ago, output passed 20,000 units at BMW’s special production line in Munich, and since its introduction the motor has already won...

The crucial meeting between President Bush and the CEO’s of the Big Three concluded today, with talk centering on health care, energy and trade. Bush acknowledged that the companies involved were doing it tough and that their managers will have to, and are making some very difficult...

China's Chery Automobile Company has announced that it will be displaying its own hybrid vehicle at next week's Auto China 2006 event in Beijing. Previous reports have suggested that Chery was working closely with UK engineering firm Ricardo on a hybrid drivetrain, but local sources claim that the...

The Wildcat design concept is the third major project from Bulgarian based design group 12B Concept. Created by a core team of three members, the Wildcat is purely a design study but could form the basis of a production version if the company receives financial backing. Positioned as a mid-ranged...

Mercedes-Benz celebrated the tenth year of production of its SLK-Class with the "Edition 10” show car that was showcased at the Paris Motor Show recently. The car will now be made available to customers, with the first deliveries scheduled for January next year. Unique to the Edition 10 SLK...

Carroll Shelby, the name is synonymous with motorsport and high performance Ford Mustangs, and has been a mainstay in the automotive world since the 1950’s. Shelby first entered the limelight in the 1950s and early 1960s as both a performance tuner and race-winner with his famous win at Le...

General Motors has caught the electric bug and is now rumored to be unveiling a prototype plug-in hybrid at next year’s Detroit Auto Show as part of the company’s rekindled interest in the electric car. The Detroit News is reporting that GM CEO Rick Wagoner is set to deliver a speech at...

After the shock resignation on Tuesday of Volkswagen’s CEO Bernd Pischetsrieder, partial owner Porsche is now in the prime position to increase its stake in the company to around 30%. The move would cement the sports car maker’s control over Europe's largest car manufacturer...

Thanks to its Phantom saloon, Rolls-Royce is in its best financial position in decades, and according to the Star News Online the ultra luxury marquee from Goodwood has just added another 200 employees to meet rising demand for the $380,000 Phantom from China. Chief Executive Ian Robertson...

Swedish video game entrepreneur Bo Stefan M. Eriksson has pleaded no contest to embezzling two supercars and being a felon in possession of a firearm. You may recall that Eriksson, who has already pleaded no contest to drunken driving charges, was arrested after crashing a Ferrari Enzo at 162 mph...

Maybach's Exelero concept was released back in 2005, and stunned the motoring press with its crazy design and performance. The 700hp two-seater is fitted with a bi-turbo V12 engine from the 57 S and was a one-off design commissioned by Fulda Tyres. Despite weighing a whopping 2660kg and being...

One of BMW’s most prominent designers, Albrecht Graf Goertz, has passed away aged 92. The legendary designer was most recognized for his work with the German brand, but Goertz had also worked with Porsche, Nissan and Toyota. Some of his most popular works include the famed BMW 503 and 507 of...

Lexus originally introduced the L-Tuned name for their factory tuning arm back in 2000, but sales were dismal, and interest fizzled due to the mostly cosmetic upgrades. This time, Lexus is bringing more firepower to bring the fight to Mercedes’ AMG and BMW’s M division cars. In an...

Automotive research firm CSM Worldwide has looked into its crystal ball and forecast that worldwide vehicle production including cars and trucks will jump to 78 million units for 2012 from the 2005 level of 62 million. The biggest region for growth is China, whose output is expected to increase...

The motoring world is well aware of the performance potential of Audi’s diesel technology. We’ve already seen the diesel-powered R10 come first in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans race as well as the confirmation that a diesel engine will feature in the TT coupe. Now there are...

Chrysler Group may be in the thick of it but its parent, DaimlerChrysler, is enjoying its best results in years. The company saw operating profits jump 127% to 1.2 billion for the third quarter despite Chrysler loosing $1.5 billion over the same period. Sales are up 9.3% this year and according to...

General Motors, who collaborated with Jay Leno to build the EcoJet concept, has released new images that give us a better idea of what this stunning concept really looks like. The rear shares styling cues from the Cadillacs of old, and we had to look twice to check that the wheels weren’t the...

The winners of the 2006 SEMA Vehicle Design Awards have been announced and topping the list this year were three new vehicles and one hybrid. The award is given to the most accessory-friendly vehicles in four separate categories including Car, Truck, SUV and this year’s new entry, Hybrid...

Mazda unveiled a modified CX-7 SUV at this year’s SEMA auto show that was designed and built by the company’s US design team in Irvine, California. Codenamed the Adrenalin, the aggressively styled SUV is based on the all-new Mazda CX-7 but has been tweaked to give the vehicle a true...