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Volvo has revealed the latest addition to its sporty R-Design lineup with the introduction of the all-new XC60 R-Design SUV. Set to go on sale shortly after its debut at this September's Frankfurt Motor Show, the modified XC60 has been spruced up with a specially tuned lowered sports chassis and a distinctive bodykit. On the outside it's easy to recognize the typical R-Design attributes: door mirror housings, trim mouldings and trim in matte silk metal finish, skid-plates and twin chrome tailpipes. The five-spoke 'Cratus' aluminum wheels are also unique for the R-Design models. In standard...
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Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M completes Goodwood Hillclimb in 59 secondsFerrari showcased three of its latest supercars in the Sunday Times Supercar Runs at this past weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed (FoS), with cars like the new California, 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE and the limited edition Scuderia Spider 16M all making an appearance. To the appreciation of packed...
Kenneth Hall -
Beijing Auto offers $923 million for Opel, but race could already be overThree companies have submitted bids for Opel so far, but another, China's Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation (BAIC), has now joined the fray with an offer of more than $923 million. However, Opel front-runner Magna International's consortium partner Sberbank believes the bidding war is already...
Alex Kaufmann -
Volvo offers S60 SE run out specialProduction of the Volvo S60 finally came to an end last month, marking the end of a eight year product cycle that saw more than 580,000 cars roll off the line at the car’s Ghent factory in Belgium. To celebrate this milestone and clear any remaining stock before the all-new model arrives next...
Jeremy Weber -
Range Rover, HUMMER H2, other luxury cars costly to insureThat luxury sport-utility vehicle you're eyeing could come with lots of street credentials - as well as a hefty insurance bill. It's no surprise that expensive rides can cost a lot at the showroom, but a new study by Insure.com drops the other shoe on costs of ownership for the finest, most capable...
Martin Padgett -
Mini One D bests Honda Insight with 60mpgThe Mini Cooper isn't the first car you'd associate with the environmental movement, but with its frugal four-cylinder engines and the new Mini E battery-operated version, the Cooper's green credentials are considerable. Now Mini's buffing the inexpensive, high-miler Cooper it sells in Europe as...
Martin Padgett -
Whatever you make of Aston Martin's wacky plan to take the Toyota iQ city car and turn it into a swan of its own, you have to credit the British luxury automaker. Not only will it take on the green movement with a four-seat, 1.0-liter car badge engineered from the Toyota - it will do it with the bespoke ordering customary to all Aston Martin owners. Britain's Auto Express magazine reports that Aston Martin Cygnet owners will be able to outfit their very, very small Astons with as much special trim as any other of the company's models, from the new Rapide to the stunning Vantage roadster...
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Last Saab 9-5 rolls off the line after 12 years of productionThe Saab 9-5 is one of the oldest vehicles still in production, having first appeared as far back as 1997 and only experiencing one major update since then. Now, just months out from the debut of the all-new 2010 9-5 at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show, Saab has ended production of the...
James Martinez -
New images of Jaguar’s lime green XKR ‘Goodwood Special’The UK's historic Goodwood Festival of Speed has just completed another running of its famous show and hillclimb events, and today Jaguar has released new images of its unique XKR 'Goodwood Special' that made a showing at the event. The car, finished in a custom lime green paint scheme, is...
Kenneth Hall -
Report: Toyota plans to mass produce plug-in hybrids by 2012Toyota has already confirmed it will release a plug-in hybrid vehicle powered by next-generation lithium-ion batteries in Japan, the U.S. and Europe sometime next year but production of these will be limited and only commercial and government fleets are expected to receive the cars. Mass production...
Jeremy Weber -
Mini sells 1.5 millionth new generation modelJust weeks after celebrating Mini’s 50th birthday, another milestone was reached today as the 1.5 millionth car rolled off the Oxford production line, since the launch of the new generation Mini back in 2001. BMW CEO Ian Robertson as well as British politician Ian Lucas were on hand to see...
Kenneth Hall -
Hyundai plug-in hybrid sports car coming to U.S. in 2012Hyundai is moving into the hybrid business quickly, with its first petrol-electric model expected to debut in South Korea this July and the U.S. by next year. A couple of years after that the automaker sees itself launching more advanced plug-in hybrid vehicles, with a sports car variant expected...
Ralph Hanson -
While it may not be strictly car news, we just couldn't resist writing this story up about Toyota’s new 'Brain Machine Interface' technology. While it may sound like something out of the Terminator movies at first, the technology is an amazing step forward and could have huge implications for almost any product on the market right now. Hot on the heels of Honda’s own version of the technology, which we reported on earlier, Toyota’s new system allows a person to steer an electric wheelchair through simple thought, using a helmet-like device that measures their brain waves...
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Restructured ‘Chrysler Group’ completes formation of new boardWith Chrysler’s bankruptcy process now well and truly behind it, and the appointment of a new name and CEO taken care of, the final steps of the company’s restructuring are finally coming to head. Today the company announced the appointment of additional members to its board of...
Ralph Hanson -
Britto-Bentley combines traditional luxury with modern pop-artFor his exhibition "Come to my World" in Berlin, famous artist Romero Britto chose a Bentley Continental GT as a canvas for his latest work. For those who don’t know, Britto is a Brazilian neo-pop artist that specializes in cheerful and vivid signature motifs and is now based in Miami...
Kenneth Hall -
Report: Buick LaCrosse hybrid in the worksThe new 2010 Buick Lacrosse has made waves with its attractive design and overall build quality since its unveiling at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Soon after that General Motors increased the appeal of the car by announcing that it will be available with not only a 3.0L and 3.6L V6, but also...
James Martinez -
Japan looking to make hybrid vehicles noisyAlthough the relative silence of hybrid vehicles has made them the choice of TV gangsters for drive-by shootings, the rest of the world is less than enamored with the difficulty involved in hearing one coming - especially when trying to cross the street. This phenomenon has inspired companies like...
Jeremy Weber -
Power and style with latest Senner Tuning Audi A5 upgradeUnlike many of their competitors, the designers at Senner Tuning don't do the European version of tacky, flashy tuner cars. Instead, they focus on adding minor enhancements that give the owner a unique look without clamoring for attention. The design program for the Audi A5 offers a range of front...
Alex Kaufmann -
As the global economic recession bites, two prominent motor racing series are in dire straits. For the Middle East and Asia-based stock car series Speedcar, the end of the road has come. The official website is off the air amid reports the organisation has been closed down after just two seasons. Speedcar featured stock cars driven by mainly ex-F1 drivers, including Jacques Villeneuve, Jean Alesi, Johnny Herbert, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Vitantonio Liuzzi. Meanwhile, it is reported that the future of the A1GP series is in serious doubt, following the collapse of the British arm of the...
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Britain's Lightning Company plans three more electric carsAmerica’s Tesla Roadster is currently the electric car king when it comes to zero emissions performance cars but British car company Lightning is hard at work preparing a new 700hp (522kW) rival for the Tesla Roadster that it hopes to have in production next year. After that Lightning will...
Kenneth Hall -
Report: Porsche planning hardened Panamera GTS flagshipAutomakers love to build as many models as possible from a single platform as this helps them spread initial investment costs, as well as risk, that can often run up into the billions of dollars. This is especially true for smaller automakers with limited budgets and low production volumes. Case in...
Alex Kaufmann -
Trio of rally-spec Ford Fiestas to tackle X GamesFord's Fiesta small car is just beginning to make its mark in the U.S. with a trial-run for social-media types ahead of its expected American debut early next year. To help get the car's identity - if somewhat loosely interpreted - out to its target audience, Ford is taking on ESPN's X Games with a...
Ralph Hanson -
Bridgestone scraps 'tire gap' policy for remainder of 2009 F1 seasonBridgestone has scrapped its policy of leaving a gap between the two types of tire compounds supplied to formula one teams in 2009. At the remaining rounds of the season following next Sunday's German grand prix, the sport's official tire supplier will instead revert to supplying consecutive...
Kenneth Hall -
Porsche bringing collection of legendary 917 race cars to GoodwoodThe Porsche 917 is one of the most stark raving mad automotive creations ever dreamt up by humanity, offering a performance level that remains as impressive today as it was during the 1970s. That historic car and its success at Le Mans will be playing a central role in Porsche's activities at the...
Alex Kaufmann