Car News

Flights of fancy in the automotive design world are common, if vain, but occasionally they yield some treasure that shows what might have been. Rafael Reston, a Milanese designer, has done just that, capturing a Viper that might be from a parallel universe where the car made its debut in 1967. The...

American engineering firm Scuderi has announced the completion of the first prototype of its new ultra-efficient engine design called the ‘split-cycle’. The design uses a revolutionary new system to provide engines that release significantly fewer emissions than current offerings and is...

Tuner cars are often examples of the worst sort of overkill, but occasionally a car will sneak through with less-than-typical appearance modifications and a monstrously re-engineered heart. Such is the case with the Vath V58K, an extreme take on the SLK 55 AMG. The Germans at Vath decided that 5.5L...

Luxurious yet well-armored vehicles are nothing new, but the innovations being made in materials and techniques are nearly as rapid and multifarious as the weapons employed against them. Mercedes-Benz's latest armored car, based on the new E-Class and dubbed the E-Guard, is an example of the latest...

With AMG no longer focused on chasing big horsepower numbers, efficiency could quickly become the new performance benchmark for the Affalterbach tuner. To that end, Mercedes' performance arm may be cutting the displacement of its engines in addition to the debut of new direct-injection and...

In a sign that Americans may truly be ready to embrace electric vehicles, including living with any shortcomings and paying a significant price premium, demand for BMW’s Mini E electric vehicle has outstripped supply by 4-to-1. Unfortunately, the plethora of applicants for the 450 available...

Australian Red Bull Formula 1 driver Mark Webber was still limping from a broken leg suffered just after the end of last season, but teammate Sebastian Vettel was hale and hardy for the launch of the 2009 Red Bull RB5 Formula 1 car today in Jerez, Spain. Powered by the Renault RS27 engine, the car...

Bob Lutz, the iconic and often polemic Vice Chairman of General Motors' global product development team, has announced he will be retiring from the company at the end of 2009. Until then, Lutz will adopt a new role as Vice Chairman and Senior Advisor starting April 1. During his 46 year career in...

Shifting into a higher gear in Audi A4 and A5 models for European drivers could take as little as 0.2 seconds from this month as the S tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission is now available in the base 2.0L TFSI quattro versions of the A4 Sedan and Avant models as well as the A5 Coupe. In Sedan...

Kia rolled out an oddly styled pickup concept based on its new Soul compact car at last month’s Detroit Auto Show as way to drum up excitement for the regular hatch model which is set to go sale in March. The concept, called the Soul’ster, was never intended to be produced but strong...

We rarely cover news about commercial vehicles on this site but Ford’s new 2010 Transit Connect has some significance as it is the first of a new range of globally designed and engineered vehicles being brought over to the U.S. market. Aimed at small business users, the Transit Connect is a...

Having recently parted company from Mercedes Benz, hired a new design director and started work on a successor to the vaunted F1, the team at McLaren is busy as ever. But that hasn't deterred Ron Dennis, the man who guided Lewis Hamilton to an F1 World Championship win last year, from building up...

After a 40 year hiatus the Chevrolet Camaro is set to return to the ‘Great American Race’, starring as the Official Pace Car for the Daytona 500. The annual event, now in its 51st year, is regarded by many as the most important race on the NASCAR calendar and a Camaro has paced the...

Bugatti's cars are today one of the most cherished in existence, whether old, like the Type 57S Atalante left by a British physician in his will this week, or new, like the Veyron Sang Noir, which is dedicated to that very classic. The incredible 1937 Bugatti left to the doctor's nieces and nephews...

Factory-upgraded versions of typically sedate sedans and hatchbacks have become de rigeur for most major carmakers. Mitsubishi's have been largely hit-or-miss, but the company's next trio of factory specials promise to be on target. The much-lauded Lancer Evolution X gets FQ400 treatment, pushing...

The current Seat Leon hatch has been in production for a little over four years and in that time we have seen the launch of a number of special edition models and even a TwinDrive hybrid concept. The Spanish carmaker has now revealed details about a facelifted version of the Leon, which will be...

If you can't wait for Land Rover to eventually launch its own coupe-crossover but are still burning with desire for a two door premium SUV, then tuning firm ARK ReDesign may have the solution. The British workshop currently has a two-door version of the Range Rover Sport SUV under development that...

Toyota has forecast its first operating loss in 71 years, citing falling demand and an appreciating yen as the key factors leading to its poor performance. Despite predicting late last year that its loss would only amount to ¥150 billion ($1.7 billion) in the year through March, the carmaker has...

The RX line of SUVs has been Lexus' best-selling luxury utility vehicle since its launch in 1998, and the new generation takes the vehicle into a larger, more powerful realm, while at the same time adding new efficiency-enhancing measures in the hybrid model. Launched in Los Angeles at last year's...

In the middle of last year, Ford decided to extend production of the Ranger beyond its expected 2009 sunset to help meet fuel efficiency targets. This year, the Ranger gets a range of upgrades to help it carry on until hopefully a redesigned model can take its place around 2011. The upgrades focus...