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The symptoms of America's ailing carmakers don't recognize borders, and no nation is more keenly aware of that fact than Canada. That's doubly true after today's announcement of General Motors' planned closure of 42% of the company's Canadian dealerships. In all about 300 dealers will be shuttered. Like their far more numerous American counterparts, the axed Canadian dealers will have until the expiry of their franchise agreements in October 2010 to liquidate inventory and other holdings. The dealership cuts were explained as a necessary reduction, focused largely on over-saturated urban...
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Rats blamed for a Ferrari's fiery demiseWalking the tightrope of packaging, power and technology the way exotic carmakers like Ferrari and Lamborghini do is a delicate act. Sometimes that act comes tumbling down, occasionally in a ball of flame. This week in Moscow, however, it's rats that are taking the blame. Yes, rodents are bearing...
Alex Kaufmann -
Volkswagen will preview electric future with new Frankfurt Motor Show conceptFollowing in the footsteps of last year’s Golf TwinDrive and Space up! Blue concept vehicles, Volkswagen will reinforce its electric car image with the unveiling of a brand new concept car at this September’s Frankfurt Motor Show. The latest concept is described as a rival to General...
Ralph Hanson -
ABT Sportsline adds AS5 package to new A5 CabrioABT Sportsline is a long-time Audi tuner with very close ties to the German carmaker’s motorsport division. The firm was recently enlisted by Audi to help develop its R8 LMS race car and the experience gained from the high-level of engineering and testing that went into the car has now been...
Jeremy Weber -
Report: GM planning ‘Bumblebee’ Camaro to coincide with Transformers 2 movie launchWith the sequel to last year’s Transformers hit – Revenge of the Fallen - set to open across cinemas in the U.S. on June 24, Chevrolet is reportedly planning to start production of a new special edition Camaro based on the ‘Bumblebee’ version that very same day. Expected to...
James Martinez -
Paris court declares FIA's 2010 rules legalA Paris court on Wednesday ruled against Ferrari, which last week requested an injunction against the FIA's budget cap rules for 2010. A one hour hearing was held on Tuesday at the Tribunal de Grande Instance, the equivalent of a high or crown court. In the media statement issued on Wednesday...
Kenneth Hall -
There are many things not to like about the motoring climate in Europe, not the least of which are emissions taxes, omnipresent speed cameras and a dearth of open roads. But there is much to like as well, including the truly inspiring factory custom rally cars like the Mitsubishi Evolution X FQ-330 SST. Mitsubishi's FQ line of hotted-up rally cars has long been a fan favorite, and for good reason. The latest iteration pumps power to 329hp (242kW) at 6,500rpm and churns torque up to 322lb-ft (437Nm) at a comfortably mid-range 3,500rpm. That's enough to shoot the beastie to 62mph (100km/h) in...
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Toyota unveils LF-A race cars for 24-hour Nurburgring raceThough over a year has elapsed since the Lexus LF-A was first spotted in testing, and it's been almost a year since it last ran the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, the crew at Lexus are prepping the perpetual prototype for yet another running of the ADAC Zurich 24h Race, and now they've released photos of...
Nelson Ireson -
Brabus-tuned Mercedes E-Class Coupe bangs out 456hpThe brand-new E-Class Coupe may be based on the old C-Class's underpinnings, but it's styled like the new car and is priced aggressively, making it a perfect car to buy and then build on. And that's exactly what Brabus has done. The primary upgrade to the standard E550 Coupe is the addition of a...
Alex Kaufmann -
Fiat merger with Opel could mean the end for LanciaItaly's Lancia has had a turbulent past and has only been back on the automotive radar for a short while now, however, the relatively niche brand may be on the outs again following news of Fiat's interest in Opel. Fiat, which has already formed an alliance with Chrysler, is now attempting to form a...
Ralph Hanson -
McLaren Automotive announces plans to build new production center in UKEver since news of McLaren Automotive's birth broke, fans have been eagerly snatching up any news of the car that will succeed the venerable F1 supercar. Today McLaren revealed its plans to build a new UK production center where it will build the car along with two new high-end sports cars. Ron...
Nelson Ireson -
Volkswagen teams up with Garmin for portable GPS navigation systemCarmakers are working closely with electronic component suppliers to develop a new generation of low cost navigation and infotainment systems designed for both vehicle and personal use. Renault recently launched such a system in its facelifted Clio hatch called the Carminat TomTom GPS and soon...
Alex Kaufmann -
As technology evolves a whole array of new features for cars become available for almost every aspect of the vehicle - from tires, to engines to powerful in-car entertainment systems. Now, specialist company Icon has just unveiled its modern-day take on the humble speedometer, and the new design opens up a whole range of possibilities about how we might drive and be entertained in our cars in the future. The project, known as 'Icar', was undertaken in conjunction with renowned computer graphics company NVIDIA, and the new technology essentially replaces analog speedometers with new digital 3D...
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Subaru expands Legacy range with new Touring wagon and B4The fifth-generation Legacy (Liberty) and Outback were recently unveiled and to coincide with the car’s launch in Japan Subaru has added the new Touring wagon and sporty B4 to the range. Before you get all excited, the latest iteration of the B4 name only applies to a sports package in this...
Jeremy Weber -
New Toyota Prius gets sporty Modellista restyleToyota’s third-generation Prius officially went on sale in Japan this week and to coincide with the launch the company also revealed several new styling packs under the guise of its in-house accessories brand Modellista. Three different Modellista styling packs are available for the Prius -...
Jeremy Weber -
Porsche and VW merger back on the tableLike the Ouroboros, Porsche and Volkswagen have been considering an arrangement that would have heavily indebted Porsche Automobil-owned Volkswagen purchasing Porsche AG. A tentative solution was reached earlier this month that would have seen Porsche and VW combine to put 10 brands under a single...
Alex Kaufmann -
Ford says no to dealer cuts, consolidationOn Monday Ford made it clear that it had no plans to consolidate Lincoln and Mercury dealerships with existing Ford-brand outfits, and today it has come out against any big cuts in its dealer networks. The Blue Oval's franchise owners will be glad to hear it, as they've seen their compatriots at...
Ralph Hanson -
Video: Volkswagen shows off GLORIA advanced infotainment systemCars playing music and movies with touch-based interfaces isn't news - but doing it the way Volkswagen is with its new Global Open Infotainment Architecture System (GLORIA) is definitely something different. It's being developed by VW's Electronics Research Laboratory (ERL), and it features some...
Alex Kaufmann -
Concerned parents use it to keep an eye on their kids. Government conspiracists think it's tracking our every move. Insurance companies want to use it to make more money. Drivers follow it blindly. Yes, GPS is a powerful part of our daily lives, but it's in jeopardy. The U.S. Department of Defense, which owns and administers the GPS satellite system, is over budget and behind schedule in its maintenance. A thorough revamp of the equipment is scheduled to take place through 2013, but costs and technical hurdles could delay that timeline. Why the bother? Because the equipment currently orbiting...
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Camaro too popular for GM's own good?There's no denying the new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro is an eye-catcher, and it has the performance to match it, with even the V6 variant checking in at over 300hp. But all that mean and too little green could be making it harder for General Motors, despite over 18,000 sales so far. GM's new de facto...
Ralph Hanson -
UK buyers swap clunkers for Nissan GT-RsIn a move that can only be described as brilliant by anyone with a love of all things four-wheeled and fast, at least two buyers in the UK have swapped their clunkers in for cash, and used that cash to buy Nissan GT-Rs. They were among the very first to take advantage of the new scrappage...
Nelson Ireson -
Daimler Acquires 10 Percent Stake In Tesla To Spur Electric Car DevelopmentElectric vehicles are popularly perceived as the front-runner of the alternate fuel competition, but successfully developing EVs has proven to be a difficult and expensive task. To help share the burden and the expertise necessary to get an electric car to market, Daimler AG, parent company of...
Alex Kaufmann -
GM ties with Saab will remain in future modelsThe future of Saab is starting to look much brighter, thanks in part to important concessions from General Motors to help it build and design its own range of cars in the future, as well as a likely extension from Swedish courts for its restructuring deadline. For a while it looked as though Saab...
Alex Kaufmann -
Toyota design chief gives insight into future lineupGauging the future of automotive design is a tough and tricky business. Anyone that's ventured through the winding courses of Disney's famed Autopia knows exactly how easy it is to get things wrong. But Toyota is charting its own course to the future, and it's using efficiency as its North star. A...
Nelson Ireson