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For more than a year now, Mercedes' parent company Daimler has pursued a copyright infringement case against Chinese carmaker Shuanghuan for its Bubble, a blatant knock-off of the Smart ForTwo minicar. A recent holding in a Milanese court has put the German company on the back foot, however, and reports now indicate it is considering settlement to avoid paying huge sums in damages. The doubt that has crept into Daimler's outlook on the matter comes courtesy of an Italian court's holding on a similar case between BMW and Shuanghuan on the distribution of the CEO, an SUV that bears a striking...
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More Details On Splinter Wooden SupercarThe Splinter, a wooden car designed by a group of college students, has made the rounds to the recent International Woodworking Fair, where it met with acclaim, and now the project is nearing the final stages of development. It is being run by Joe Harmon Design and North Carolina State University...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
New Renault-Nissan V6 diesel to power wide range of cars, SUVsDiesel engine sales have stagnated in the U.S. because of lingering perceptions of the clattering, foul-smelling contraptions of the 1970s and earlier. Many carmakers have been reluctant to even offer them in America because of the cost of emissions certification and small profit margins, but...
Nelson Ireson -
GM starts seeking concessions from UAW, bondholdersThe UAW's near-stranglehold on the domestic auto industry has taken a lot of the blame for the current condition of the carmakers. Whether it's a fair conclusion or not, however, for companies like General Motors to survive, there will have to be concessions from labor and investors alike. Formal...
Ralph Hanson -
Video: Behind the scenes of BMW's X6 M developmentLast week BMW gave us a behind-the-scenes look at the development and testing of the 2010 Z4 roadster, and this week we get a look at what's going on in the X6 M high-performance SUV's development. The latest video shows BMW's engineers and development team as they mold the coupe-like SUV into a...
Nelson Ireson -
Race Car Replicas offers Superlight Coupe kit carAmerican company Race Car Replicas (RCR) has unveiled its handsome Superlite Coupe sports car that starts at just $43,995 for a rolling kit package. The package includes hung suspension, steering, fitted brake calipers and rotors, brake lines, the body, and fitted wheels and tires, while the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
In-car multimedia specialist Blaupunkt is teaming up with Internet radio company miRoamer to unveil what they claim is the "world's first Internet car radio". The two companies state that the newly-developed system will enable drivers of vehicles fitted with Blaupunkt Internet stereos to tune into miRoamer's vast array of online radio stations from almost anywhere around the world. The companies' claim of creating the world's first Internet radio for the car must be taken with a grain of salt, however, as Internet radio has been available in cars for a couple of years now - albeit not with...
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Chrysler receives $4 billion in restructuring loansLate Friday evening Chrysler received its first $4 billion in government loan money from the $17.4 billion approved as an emergency measure late in December, pushing its bottom line closer to the $2.5-3 billion minimum it needs to remain in operation. Covering debts and meeting supplier payment...
Ralph Hanson -
1,000hp Dodge Challenger SRT8 by RDP PerformanceOhio tuning firm RDP Performance has cooked up a special version of the new Dodge Challenger SRT8 for last month's Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show in Florida. Taking a stock SRT8, which comes with an already impressive 425hp when it rolls out of the factory, RDP Performance has extensively...
James Martinez -
Huet Brothers Unveil 1950s-Inspired HB Special RoadsterHuet Brothers is a Dutch company that specializes in nostalgic driving tours of Europe, and to truly recreate an authentic experience the outfit has unveiled its new HB Special roadster. The roadster has been inspired by the Le Mans racers of the mid 1950s, as well as Barchetta racing cars that...
Kenneth Hall -
Electric Porsche conversions available from Florida companyA company based in Florida has found itself an interesting niche in the automotive world - converting Porsche models into electric vehicles that combine sports car handling ability with the economy of a battery-powered electrical motor. On top of this, the company also specializes in making their...
Jeremy Weber -
Hamann announces upgrade program for Bentley Continental GT and GT SpeedGerman tuner and custom coachbuilder Hamann is perhaps best known for its work with BMW's machines, but now it has unveiled its plans for an upgrade program for the Bentley Continental GT and GT Speed. Full details of the upgrade kit are yet to be revealed, but so far Hamann has released these four...
Kenneth Hall -
In a filing today with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) GMAC revealed that it will no longer have the exclusive right to finance all of General Motors vehicles, and it will cease all lease financing as well. The new business arrangements are part of the terms of GMAC's agreement with the U.S. government to secure federal aid. The new deal displaces a previous agreement under which GMAC agreed to pay GM an exclusivity fee each year through 2016 for the privilege of being the company's sole lender for new sales and leases. Other details of the agreement include a two-year window...
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Honda developing electric motorcycle for 2010Honda announced today that it will be developing an electric-powered motorcycle, with sales of the bike expected to begin some time next year. The news will be pleasing for those of you who remember Honda's electric moped concept that was unveiled back in 2004 but failed to see production. Honda's...
James Martinez -
Lotus working on range-extending electric vehicleLotus is working on an electric sports car to battle the likes of Tesla's Roadster and Fisker's Karma. According to its CEO, Michael Kimberley, the company is already "working on the technologies that will go behind" the electric Lotus, and that consumers should not be "surprised to see an electric...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
GM gets first $4 billion in aid money, Chrysler waitsThe $17.4 billion bridge loan package signed into action by President Bush late in December has begun disbursement, with General Motors receiving $4 billion on Wednesday. Chrysler is still waiting on the finalization of details with the U.S. Treasury before it will be able to tap into the loans...
Nelson Ireson -
Report: Toyota secretly working on solar carThe Toyota Prius has spent a decade as the world's preferred hybrid, but now competition is arising from all quarters. A new plug-in version of the Prius is expected soon, but already Toyota is thought to be working on a project to bring solar power to mass production automobiles in an effort to...
Ralph Hanson -
San Francisco congestion charge under considerationEfforts to duplicate London's much maligned congestion charge system in New York earlier this year failed dismally, and now a similar move in California's more progressive city of San Francisco is being met with similar disdain from residents. Currently, San Francisco city officials are considering...
James Martinez -
Nissan's performance and tuning arm, Nissan Motorsport - or Nismo - is prepping an S-Tune package for Japanese buyers of the all-new 2009 370Z, but so far there's been no official word that the kit would be headed to the U.S. Now a report has emerged that the kit will be coming to America, and it will be here by June 2009. The report is still unofficial, but according to the gang at GTChannel, the kit will indeed be sold in the U.S. in about six months. The 370Z was just released for official sale in the U.S. yesterday but it has been on sale in Japan for most of December. For the 350Z...
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Video: Behind the scenes prototyping BMW's new Z4Developing an all-new iteration of a beloved car is no easy feat. Improving on the existing strengths while introducing as few new weaknesses as possible and at the same time improving value and performance is as tough a balancing act as you're likely to find. But BMW thinks it's done the job with...
Ralph Hanson -
Geiger Hummer H3 V8 KompressorHummer's troubled present and uncertain future are no impediment to tuners hell-bent on creating the most insane vehicles possible, and this blown V8 Hummer H3 is a prime example. Today the Germans at Geiger Cars, already known for some outlandish Hummer creations, have unleashed the H3 V8...
James Martinez -
GMAC drums up $21.6 billion in debt-for-equity swapsGMAC has leveraged the recent promise of U.S. Treasury funds to boost its lending capacity, and now it has generated another $21.2 billion in cash via debt-for-equity swaps with its bondholders. The fund raising is part of the company's' effort to raise enough cash to meet the regulatory...
Nelson Ireson -
Pininfarina exits contract building, focusing solely on electric vehiclesThis year has been a hard one for a lot of people, companies and industries. It has been an especially tough one for Pininfarina, losing its CEO, Andrea Pininfarina, to a traffic accident in August. Today news is breaking that the company has decided to end its stint as Italy's last contract...
Alex Kaufmann -
Vijay Mallya in running for Honda F1 purchase as Slim denies interestEarlier this week reports emerged that Mexican billionaire and second-richest man in the world Carlos Slim had all but purchased Honda's F1 team as the Japanese carmaker exits the sport, but Slim has since denied any such interest. That leaves the door open for another possible buyer in the form of...
Nelson Ireson