Car News
-
When it comes to maximizing fuel savings, a vehicle like the Cadillac Escalade is probably one of the best platforms for a hybrid drivetrain. The SUV’s are big and heavy and are mostly found in and around city suburbs. This means mostly slow traveling speeds and plenty of stop-start acceleration and braking – the ideal situation for hybrid operation. Not surprisingly, the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid is 50% more fuel-efficient than the regular V8 model, and with a fuel-economy of 20mpg (11.7L/100km) around town the big SUV is almost comparable with a midsize sedan. The vehicle is also...
-
Alfa Romeo rolls out new MiTo VeloceAlfa Romeo will launch its high-performance MiTo GTA later this year but a second sporty variant of the stylish hatchback has just been unveiled. Making its debut at the 2009 AutoRAI in Amsterdam this week, the new hot hatch pick up Alfa Romeo’s longstanding ‘Veloce’ badging and...
Alex Kaufmann -
Audi offers A8 with new Comfort and Sport packagesAudi’s A8 flagship will have to soldier on in its current form for just a little while longer as the all-new 2011 model is a little more than a year away, so to help it along in showrooms Audi has released two new packages emphasizing the car’s comfort and sporting qualities. Starting...
Alex Kaufmann -
Early look at new Mercedes Benz E63 AMGThe all-new 2010 Mercedes Benz E63 AMG is scheduled to make its world debut in just a few days at the New York Auto Show but the performance saloon has already been revealed thanks to the premature leak of all the crucial details and images. Mercedes and its AMG engineers have tested prototypes for...
Ralph Hanson -
Hyundai takes the wraps off Prada edition Genesis SedanExpensive accessories, unique colors and premium materials - whether it's fashion or automotive, the formula for luxury is the same. The latest collaboration between the two fields comes from Hyundai and Prada, with the unveiling of the Hyundai Genesis Prada in Seoul yesterday. Prada's treatment of...
Nelson Ireson -
Ford goes X-Road at Amsterdam's AutoRAI ShowIt seems like every year the list of special-edition hatchbacks, sedans, wagons and SUVs grows for Europe while every year Americans see fewer and fewer on the road. Maybe it's a 'grass is always greener' syndrome, but there a definite sense of cross-pond jealousy when it comes to up-rated versions...
Alex Kaufmann -
Asian carmakers, especially those in Korea and China, have been moving into the stealth-armored car market for several years now. That's just about the only context in which the Hyundai i10 conversion released today makes sense, and it does - in a weird sort of way. Of course it's an April Fool's Day prank, but nevertheless, it's a good one, with first-rate pitch lines, including: "many global leaders are becoming concerned about the emissions from large limousines and adapted 4x4 vehicles which traditionally form the basis of all presidential, papal and prime ministerial transport." You can...
-
Ford, GM announce new buyer assurance incentivesAll the great deals on new cars going around are tempting to many who would be buyers but for the tenous state of the overall economy, but not tempting enough to overcome the fear of a lost job, repossession and the trouble that follows. So Ford and General Motors are both stepping up today with...
Nelson Ireson -
Honda develops technology to control robots using the mindWhile it may not be strictly car news, we just couldn't resist writing this story up about Honda'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...
Ralph Hanson -
Fritz Henderson, GM's new CEO, all but guarantees success in his first press conferenceAfter the ouster of Rick Wagoner from General Motors' top spot on Sunday, the world has been waiting to see what direction GM will head under its new leadership, Fritz Henderson, the company's COO. Today Henderson held his first press conference as CEO, and took a very clear stance on what will be...
Nelson Ireson -
Porsche posts €7.34 billion in profits after seeing sales drop more than 27%Porsche, coming off record sales and profits last financial year, has announced that for the first six months of the current year of business the company has experienced a 27.7% decrease in sales but miraculously profits have risen to €7.34 billion – up from €1.66 for the same...
Jeremy Weber -
Spy shots: 2010 Volkswagen Golf R20Following the success of the Golf R32, a replacement for the car based on the Mark VI platform was always going to have big shoes to fill. However, with news that the torquey 3.2L V6 engine from the Mark V model was being phased out, the outlook for the car’s successor was looking grim. That...
Alex Kaufmann -
It seems like almost every other day another fledgling car company announces plans for a new all-electric sports car. This time around its American start-up Sigma Motorworks, which is currently developing a new prototype for its GTE sports car due early next year. There must be something inherently appealing about electric sports cars that have venture capitalists lining up around the block, but at least there will be some interesting cars hitting the market in the next few years. According to Sigma, its GTE prototype is more innovative than other offerings on the market due to its twin DC...
-
China to be world's largest auto producer by the end of the yearDespite the global economic downturn, the nation of China is still on track to become the world's largest automaker by this year. Currently, China remains in second place to Japan, but last year the Chinese managed to overtake the U.S. to claim their current second-place position, and this trend is...
Alex Kaufmann -
Geely goes for the gusto with throne-equipped GE limoBuilding a successful hyper-luxury limousine is a tricky game. While brands like Maybach and Bentley are struggling to find success, Rolls Royce is posting year after banner year of sales improvements. Now a newcomer has entered the game, and the result is catastrophically interesting. Built by...
Kenneth Hall -
Gold Bugatti Veyron defines excessWe've seen gold-plated Aston Martins and even Fiat 500s, but until now the cars receiving the treatment have largely been worth less than their paint jobs once all was said and done, save rare specimens like the gold-ensconced Rolls Royce Phantom - but not this time. A gold Bugatti Veyron out of...
Ralph Hanson -
Detroit Electric and Proton sign deal to build new electric vehiclesHistoric electric car brand Detroit Electric (DE) confirmed early last year plans to launch a range of all-electric vehicles for sale in Europe and North America by the end of the decade. The company has now taken a major step forward in realizing those goals with the announcement today that it has...
Jeremy Weber -
Nissan GT-R chief engineer confirms ”high-performance” modelWhile the GT-R SpecV is one of the fastest and best-handling cars currently in production, it’s safe to say that almost every car enthusiast on the planet was hoping Nissan would pull out something much more extreme for the special edition model. In the lead up to the car’s unveiling...
Jeremy Weber -
While it never turned to be the April fool’s day joke we had all thought it to be, IKEA’s mysterious ‘Leko’ has turned out to be a new car sharing program launching in France next month. The new program is an online car-sharing service that will allow motorists to book vehicles via the Internet then pick them up at one of 26 IKEA stores located around France. The program is being run together with Comuto, a more established car-sharing business already in France, and is similar to the one already operating in Austria. While other car-sharing programs, like...
-
Canada follows U.S. lead and rejects GM and Chrysler viability plansCanada has followed the lead of the U.S. and rejected the respective viability plans of General Motors and Chrysler, claiming the plans do not go far enough in their current form. This means the carmakers may miss out on the initial $3.2 billion in loans pledged in December, though a small portion...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Report: Ford canceling Fiesta RSThe lamentations of American hatch fans - as few as they may be - over the unfairness of Europe's bounty are legendary. But soon it's European hatch fans that may be sobbing, mourning the stillbirth of Ford's tiniest hot hatch, the Fiesta RS. The initial report, sourced by an interview of Jost...
Kenneth Hall -
Obama throws weight behind car scrapping, new car tax incentivesThe 'cash for clunkers' type programs have proven hugely successful in Europe - particularly in Germany - and today President Obama put his support behind at $7,500 trade-in incentive for old cars. Along with the car scrapping push, Obama has also lent his support to a set of new car tax incentives...
Nelson Ireson -
Volkswagen makes switch from Rabbit to Golf officialVolkswagen’s Mark VI Golf hatchback will lose the Rabbit nameplate when it goes on sale in the U.S. later this year. VW of America decided to bring back the Rabbit nameplate three years ago after it was dropped following the demise of the first-generation Golf back in the early 1980s. The...
Ralph Hanson -
Wagoner nabs $20 million retirement package on forced exit from GMWhen you're Rick Wagoner, you get a golden parachute even when you're thrown out of the plane. The news today of Wagoner's $20 million retirement package might come as a surprise to some, following so closely on the heels of his Presidential ouster over the weekend. Wagoner won't get the cash all...
Nelson Ireson