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After shutting down its storied Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1 back in 2007, Ford has kicked the site back into life with production of its brand new EcoBoost engines starting today. The plant is the first manufacturing site in the world to build the EcoBoost engine and the first examples are destined for the 2010 model-year Lincoln MKS, Lincoln MKT, Ford Taurus SHO and Ford Flex crossover. Ford has invested more than $55 million for tooling and equipment upgrades at the Ohio plant, and approximately 250 employees are needed for each shift. To ensure top level quality and reliability, a new...
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Lexus returns to top spot for dealer service qualityGetting your car serviced at the dealership, whether it be for warranty repairs or regularly scheduled maintenance, is an often-overlooked part of the car ownership experience, but it is one of the most important aspects when it comes to retaining customer loyalty. A positive dealer experience can...
Ralph Hanson -
Dubai's F1 theme park delayedIn late 2007 one of Dubai’s leading property investment developers won the exclusive rights to build several F1 inspired theme parks around the globe, the first of which was expected to open its doors in Dubai around the middle of the year. The company behind the project is Dubai’s...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
HSV releases cut-priced Senator sports saloonIn the battle for supremacy in the Aussie performance saloon market, the respective performance divisions for both Holden and Ford have unveiled two new special edition cars at this week’s Melbourne Motor Show. Representing the Ford camp is the F6 E concept car, which the Blue Oval is using...
James Martinez -
Cruze global sedan launches in Australia, U.S. debut more than a year awayHolden has given us a preview of its future small car plans with the unveiling of its own version of the Cruze compact sedan at the Melbourne Motor Show today. As most of you would know, the Cruze is General Motors’ new global small car and has already been launched in South Korea. The Aussie...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Ford introduces facelifted Territory SUV at Melbourne Motor ShowA new look Ford Territory SUV has been introduced at the Melbourne Motor Show today, featuring key exterior design changes, fresh interior environments, a revised model lineup and a host of additional equipment now fitted as standard. The Territory is a midsize SUV engineered and manufactured for...
Jeremy Weber -
Hosted by celebrity game show host and Mr. Clean look-alike Howie Mandel, the 3rd Annual Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance was a smash hit. The event saw the first U.S.-spec Audi R8 V10 and Ferrari California go under the hammer, and those two cars alone managed to raise a grand total of $850,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs charity. Bidding for the unique R8 V10 was intense but it finally went for $500,000. However, to help raise more money, the winning bidder at the Boca Raton auction offered to give up his rights to the first R8 V10 if Audi would give him the second model available in the U.S...
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Arden presenting four cars at the 2009 Geneva Motor ShowMarch 3 will be a very busy day in Geneva, and around the world, as carmakers everywhere converge to display their latest and greatest creations. Even as the globe negotiates one of the roughest economic patches it has seen, the show is expected to be impressive. Custom car builder Arden will be...
Kenneth Hall -
Imports dominate <i>Consumer Reports'</i> choices for 2009America's resurgence in quality, reliability and performance can't be denied - the cars built today are light-years better than the cars built even just 5 years ago - but foreign carmakers are rising to the challenge. The latest results from Consumer Reports bear that out, with many import...
Ralph Hanson -
Stillen building Nissan GT-R for Targa Newfoundland rallyEpic rally racing has lost some of its luster in the world scene, though rallies like the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio and Carrera Panamericana were once the premier motorsports events in the world. One place where that spirit lives on is in the Targa Newfoundland. This year, one of the entrants will...
Nelson Ireson -
Caractere modified Audi A3 balances taste with tuningUnlike many of their competitors, the Belgians at Caractere 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 A3 offers a range of front and...
Ralph Hanson -
Toyota to add 1.3L four to iQ lineup at Geneva Motor ShowThe 2009 Geneva Motor Show will play host to a wide range of concepts and production vehicles, from speedy supercars to family sedans and even raw engine technologies. One of Toyota's additions to the show will be a new variant of the iQ, powered by a peppy 1.3L gasoline four-cylinder. The current...
Alex Kaufmann -
Audi tuning specialist ABT Sportsline has released a teaser image of its new performance kit for the A5 coupe, which it plans to unveil at next month’s Geneva Motor Show alongside its previous Q5, R8, and Volkswagen Scirocco modified range. ABT’s latest kit for the A5 builds on its previous AS5 effort, adding extra grunt and a more aggressive bodykit. The top-of-the-range kit is the new AS5-R, which features a 510hp (375kW) version of the Audi S5’s 4.2L V8. The result of this extra power is a 0-100km/h time of 4.5 seconds and an unrestricted top speed of 292km/h. In spite of...
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GM posts $9.6 billion fourth quarter loss, $30.9 billion loss for the yearGeneral Motors today announced its fourth quarter and calendar year 2008 financial results, confirming what everyone already knew – that the ailing carmaker is haemorrhaging cash by the billions and is unlikely to turn a profit anytime soon. Citing a dramatic deterioration in global economy...
Ralph Hanson -
Vizualtech envisages future of hot-roddingVizualtech, a Swedish design and engineering firm that specializes in constructing virtual 3D models of cars and boats, has just released a new set of images of a futuristic hot-rod. Depicted is a computer generated rendering of the company’s Delithium, a speedster designed to run on...
James Martinez -
HKS working on Lancer Evo X Time Attack ProjectTuners and fan boys the world over have pored over Best Motoring DVDs, debating the finer points of lap times around Tsukuba's circuit. And some of the best and hottest laps have been turned in by HKS's tuned Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions. Now a new one is in the works, dubbed the CZ200S. The new...
Kenneth Hall -
Lotus Engineering shows off Omnivore concept engineImagine being able to pull up to a fuel station and take your choice of the cheapest or highest-performing fuel, without limitation by your engine. Lotus Engineering is working to deliver an engine that can efficiently use both alcohol and gasoline fuels to help promote sustainable transport...
Nelson Ireson -
Lumma Design to show CLR X 650 GT at Geneva Motor ShowSometimes more isn't a good thing, and that's often the case with aftermarket mods. Even BMW's own factory designs have come under fire for adding needless elements - the recently-released 5-series Gran Turismo being a prime example. But none of that has fazed the likes of Lumma, which has moved...
Ralph Hanson -
Like bell-bottom jeans, tie-dyed shirts and shoulder-length hair - on men - some things capture the style of an era. It's easy to look back and see what defined the hippie culture, or the beatniks or even the mods, rockers and punks of the '80s. But looking forward is an altogether different task. So Audi has enlisted the help of the evolution-based game SPORE to fuel its competition for an Audi design from 2025. The core thesis of SPORE is to create a microcosm of one's own design, and then guide it through five stages of evolution, from cell, to creature, to tribal to civilization and...
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Smart unveils Edition Limited Three ForTwoNo one anticipated the smashing success the Smart ForTwo would have in the U.S., despite its warm reception in Europe, making the car one of parent company Daimler's biggest hits, at least in terms of popular opinion. Even the aftermarket has taken after the ForTwo with gusto. Now Smart is...
Nelson Ireson -
Rinspeed shows off dual power mode E2 concept carAs carmakers strive to improve the fuel efficiency of their powertrains, more and more innovative and technical solutions are coming to light. Take Rinspeed’s latest E2 concept car based on the sporty Fiat 500 Abarth. Instead of opting for a complicated and expensive hybrid or electric...
Alex Kaufmann -
Ford execs take 30% pay cutFord has been one of the most active of the Detroit 3 carmakers when it comes to cutting executive pay and white collar jobs, and today the Blue Oval announced its latest measure for weathering the economic storm and turning around its slumping performance. Hourly workers at Ford will get yet...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Gold plated Aston Martin up for saleThe transmutation of base metals into gold has been the centuries-long quest of the alchemist and now tuning company Alchemist has achieved the goal - after a fashion. Painstaking work and attention to detail, not to mention a great deal of gold and platinum leaf, went into the final result, and...
Ralph Hanson -
Detroit City Council rejects plans to expand Cobo CenterLast month’s Detroit Auto Show saw a number of carmakers pull out for the first time, with many citing a lack of suitable facilities and display space at the event’s venue, Detroit’s Cobo Center, as one of the main reasons for the exodus. To overcome this problem approval was...
Ralph Hanson