Car News
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General Motors may be losing market share in North America but winning here remains crucial for the viability of the automaker, so much so that its CEO Fritz Henderson will personally run operations in the all-important market. Henderson has long said GM must make money in North America to survive, but with the company running on billions of dollars loaned by the U.S. government, the automaker now has another key reason to see its local operations become viable. Speaking at a press conference late last week, Henderson said GM is in a do-or-die situation. "This is it. You get two chances. You...
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Ten ton Audi TT on display in IngolstadtA new landmark has arrived in the city of Ingolstadt, Germany just in time for Audi’s 100th anniversary. The landmark is a giant Audi TT, which was presented this morning in the grassy area just outside the company’s headquarters by Audi exec Dr. Werner Widuckel and Ingolstadt mayor Dr...
Alex Kaufmann -
Official: Honda CR-Z and Fit hybrids on sale in 2010Honda today announced plans to begin sales in Japan of the CR-Z hybrid sports car in February 2010 and a Fit hybrid before the end of 2010. By combining these two models with the currently available Insight and Civic Hybrid, Honda will further enhance its lineup of compact hybrid models and help it...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Cobra N+ develops factory-backed parts for Nissan’s 370ZNissan’s new 370Z is shaping up to the be the next big tuner special, with one of the first aftermarket firms, Cobra N+, revealing its new kit for the stylish coupe today. With a punchy 3.7-liter V6 up front, a quick-shifting 6-speed with Nissan’s innovative Synchromesh feature and a...
Jeremy Weber -
Report: Ford looking to spawn three sedans from new platformFord’s future models are to share common vehicle platforms across the globe, a practice that is the keystone of CEO Alan Mulally’s strategy to help shed costs and turn around the fortunes of the company. The first of these new global cars has already been launched in the form of the...
Ralph Hanson -
2011 Jaguar XJ previewThough the current Jaguar XJ is only about 7 years old - a pretty typical vehicle lifespan - the body styling is derivative of the same basic shape that's been around since the 1970s, causing many to think the car lacked technical sophistication despite an all-aluminum chassis and an impressive...
Nelson Ireson -
With reigning Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton starting at fifth on the grid at this weekend’s German GP at the Nurburgring, and team mate Heikki Kovalainen just one position behind, many were expecting McLaren to achieve its best result of the season. Unfortunately for fans of the Brit team, the drivers of the four cars in front had other plans. Even after having to serve a drive-through penalty, Mark Webber dominated the German grand prix, becoming the first Australian in 28 years to win a formula one race. The Red Bull driver was penalized during the race by stewards for...
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Spy shots: Next-gen Volkswagen Touareg prototype caught in U.S.The Volkswagen Touareg has achieved only modest sales since its launch in 2003, mostly because of its lack of seven-seater capability and premium price tag compared with many of its Japanese rivals. The second-generation model is now in the works and will hopefully address many of the issues of the...
Alex Kaufmann -
Live Shots Of Aston Martin’s One-77 SupercarThe era of epic supercars is certainly not over at Aston Martin, with the carmaker confirming the development of a brand new flagship model late last year. A life-size mock up was then put on display at the 2008 Paris Motor Show to tease the public and start building interest for the car, which is...
Kenneth Hall -
Spy shots: BMW's next 5-series up closeWith the 2009 Audi A6 facelift now on sale and the 2010 Mercedes Benz E-Class starting to hit showrooms, attention now turns to the next-generation BMW 5-series. A class leader since its inception, the 5-series Sedan and Touring wagon remain crucial vehicles in BMW’s lineup and with the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Bob Lutz stays on at GM, switches to marketing roleBob Lutz, the iconic and often polemic Vice Chairman of General Motors' global product development team, announced back in February that he would be retiring from the company at the end of the year. With GM emerging from bankruptcy protection earlier this week as a leaner and more focused company...
James Martinez -
Report: Porsche Panamera Turbo lays claim to 7:56 Nurburgring lap timePorsche's intense rivalry with Nissan over Nurburgring lap times may have cooled off in recent months, but a new rivalry appears to be in the works, this time with Cadillac and the CTS-V. A report emerging from Germany today has the Panamera Turbo lapping the Nurburgring in 7:56 minutes - just over...
Kenneth Hall -
In the tumble of Fiat and Chrysler's alliance following Chrysler's bankruptcy, the future of the Viper has been a back-burner issue, but today, Dodge President and CEO Mike Accavitti announced that the Viper will in fact see continued production under the company's new leadership. In the video below, Accavitti makes it plain that the new leadership is fully behind the continued production of the Viper at the Conner Avenue assembly plant. "The Viper lives. The new leadership team the Chrysler Group gets it," he said. Since its introduction in 1989 at the Detroit Auto Show, the vehicle has had...
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Nissan opens official shop at the NurburgringNissan's 370Z has turned heads and changed minds when it comes the future of the Z-car, and to help push the company's sporting reputation even further, Nissan has opened a shop featuring the car alongside the already proven GT-R at the infamous Nurburgring. Though it's known around the world as...
Alex Kaufmann -
Aston Martin releases new high-res shots of V12 Vantage in actionAggressive carbon fiber louvres, a bold engine note and the sheer speed of the thing are all that's needed to distinguish the Aston Martin V12 Vantage from its V8 sister. These latest high-res photos help capture all that's changed, and all that's stayed the same, adding to the photos previously...
Alex Kaufmann -
There's a new carmaker in town, and its name is...General MotorsLighter, smaller, quicker and more responsive to customer needs - that's how the new General Motors Company is comparing itself to the now-defunct General Motors Corporation it replaces. Today's emergence from bankruptcy - just 40 days after it went in - marks the start of what the new GM hopes...
Nelson Ireson -
Walkinshaw Releases New WP190 Supercharger Kit For GM LS3 V-8As if the massive V8s from GM were short of power to start with, Aussie-based Walkinshaw Performance has made a new supercharger kit that’ll pump an LS3 V8 up to 566hp (422kW) and 727Nm (537lb-ft) of torque. The kit is also available for the 6.0L L98 V8. Either one will run you somewhere...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Chinese bureaucrats cause a ruffle by approving Mercedes and BMW cars for government useChina is now the single biggest market in the world for new cars but that doesn’t mean the government is slowing down on the purchase of cars for its official fleets. While this usually would not be worthy of reporting, the fact that the Chinese government has approved luxurious Mercedes Benz...
Kenneth Hall -
Anyone who's played a modern video game knows there's 3D and then there's 3D. Many GPS systems already provide for virtual 3D displays of buildings and surface features, but now technology is getting ready to push in-car navigation systems to true 3D. The display technology uses a dual-image LCD to shows pairs of slightly offset images that compose to form a 3D image with actual depth. The possibilities the technology could have for interface design, augmented reality and mapping have sparked the interest of some of the biggest names in the business. Garmin, Tom-Tom and Navman are all working...
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Cargraphic next in line to modify Porsche's new Cayenne DieselHot on the heels of the modified Cayenne Diesel from Techart come a new power and styling package for the big Porsche from fellow German tuner Cargraphic. Priced from a reasonable $1,650, Cargraphic engineers will install a new ECU upgrade to boost power output from the SUV’s Audi-sourced...
Alex Kaufmann -
First Ride: 2010 BMW 5-series Gran TurismoThis week Motor Authority had the opportunity to take a ride along in the new 2010 BMW 550i Gran Turismo at BMW's Performance Driving Center with chief instructor Jim Clark at the wheel. So what is our first impression? In a word, surprised. Looking a lot like a lower, less aggressive X6, the 2010...
Nelson Ireson -
China overtakes U.S. as world’s biggest auto market for first half of 2009America’s days as the world’s biggest auto market are coming to an end, with China for the first time ever overtaking the U.S. in vehicle sales for the first of 2009. On the back of strong sales in the month of June, which itself was up 36.5%, China’s total vehicle sales for the...
Jeremy Weber -
Gemballa adds Matt Edition to Mirage GT stableSince 2006, Gemballa has been building custom interpretations of the Porsche Carrera GT supercar, making it perhaps the foremost Carrera GT tuner in the world. For its latest iteration, Gemballa has decided to relax the power output and focus on a decisively seductive matt black finish. Some of...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Lexus IS C production struggling to keep up with demandIn the midst of its U.S. marketing blitz for the 2010 IS C, Lexus is working hard to build enough cars to meet consumer demand. Currently about 1,200 cars are leaving the Kyushu factory each month, but according to a Lexus official, that's just barely enough. The IS-C was introduced last October at...
Ralph Hanson