Car News
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After first previewing its modified Mark VI Golf at last year’s Essen Motor Show, Germany's equivalent to SEMA, Volkswagen tuning specialist ABT Sportsline has unveiled the final production specifications for its range of enhancements for the popular hatch. A mild package by ABT's standards, the new range nevertheless gains about 30% in power for most engine applications and also gets an upgraded appearance. Boosting output of the 1.4L TSI petrol engine from 122hp (91kW) to 160hp (119kW) in base form and from 160hp to 200hp (149kW) in up-spec guise, the ABT kit adds considerably to the...
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Nissan closes Michigan design studioIn its efforts to further reduce costs and streamline is business, Nissan has announced that it will be shutting down its Michigan design studio and cutting back on roughly 100 white-collar jobs in North America, mostly from its sales and marketing operations. The plan will see the carmaker...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Automakers, legislators to meet concerning EPA emissions waiversPresident Barack Obama this week kept a campaign promise that could potentially allow California and other states to set their own fuel economy and vehicle emissions standards by signing a memorandum to the Environmental Protection Agency requiring it to reconsider California's application for a...
Ralph Hanson -
AM General layoffs could spell end for Hummer H2General Motors yesterday announced it would be laying off 2,000 workers and reducing production at 10 North American plants over the coming months. At the same time, AM General, producer of the Hummer H2, laid off 200 workers from its Mishawaka, Indiana plant. Now GM's extended production halts...
Nelson Ireson -
Jim Press: Chrysler 'viable' by spring, but profit still too far off to gaugeThe recently announced alliance to be forged with Fiat notwithstanding, Chrysler's current position in the market is regarded as precarious by buyers and analysts alike. Vice Chairman Jim Press is more optimistic, however, stating that Chrysler will be 'viable' during the first half of the year. He...
Ralph Hanson -
G-Power modified BMW M3 cranks out 635hpA high-revving, sweet-sounding V8 is a marvelous thing, and BMW's 4.0L V8 in the M3 is a capital example. The tuners at G-Power weren't satisfied with the factory-supplied 414hp (309kW), and decided to strap on a supercharger and boost output to a tire-vaporizing 635hp (473kW). About what you'd...
Nelson Ireson -
Japanese tuning house Wald International has a wide range of styling and performance kits for nearly every Japanese-made car on the market. It's no surprise, then, the company has turned its hand to one of the most recent high-performance sedans to issue from Lexus, and the resulting restyle shows some characteristic Wald touches along with a flair unique to the IS-F. The IS-F kit offers a significantly more aggressive look for the IS-F owner not satisfied with the reserved yet muscular look Lexus imbued the car with at the factory, while the Black Bison kit goes one step further and adds...
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Bloodhound SSC May Break Land Speed Record In AustraliaLate last year we saw Britain’s Bloodhound Project announce plans to smash their current land speed record of 763mph (1,227km/h) with their new SSC speedster, which they claim is capable of reaching a top speed of 1,050mph (1,690km/h) under a combination of rocket, jet and piston power...
Kenneth Hall -
Hulme Conducts First Public Shake Down Test For Can Am SupercarCaparo has shown how close you can get to the reality of driving a road-legal F1 car with its T1, and now New Zealand’s Hulme has revealed that development of its equally extreme Can Am Supercar has been completed. Hulme’s race car built for the road made its first public shake down...
Jeremy Weber -
Jaguar’s next sports car likely to be a lightweight roadsterThere are numerous reports about Jaguar working on a brand new sports car, with some speculating that the car will be a mid-engined supercar to take on the likes of the Audi R8, while others claim it is more likely to be a lightweight roadster designed along the lines of the Porsche Boxster or BMW...
Kenneth Hall -
Michigan International Speedway looking to start vehicle connectivity trialsVehicle-to-vehicle communication is the next big wave in active vehicle safety but the technology is still in its infancy and will require substantial cooperation between carmakers and governments to get off the ground. Several carmakers have taken the initiative to develop the technology already...
Ralph Hanson -
Financial crisis hits electric car company Think GlobalThink Global is a Norwegian based manufacturer of electric vehicles and is the same company behind the original ‘Th!nk’ electric car that went on sale in the U.S. during the late 1990s. Back then, Think was owned by Ford, which sold it in 2003 to Swiss company Kamkorp Microelectronics...
Alex Kaufmann -
Launching a new vehicle - especially a luxury vehicle - is a difficult thing to do at any time. Doing it during the worst economic downturn of the past several decades is all the more challenging. And when that ill-timed luxury vehicle happens to be a de facto member of the much-hyped but ultimately smaller-than-expected crossover segment, things are downright tough. Which is a roundabout way of saying that while flying down to San Antonio to get a taste of the new 2010 Lexus RX 350 and 450h, I wasn’t expecting to be bowled over. Sure it's the segment-defining mid-size luxury crossover...
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Mini launches ‘Minimalism’ green brandingMini is the latest car brand to launch a new green labeling system for its vehicles, with the company revealing this week its new ‘Minimalism’ tag. The new branding will be used to designate base models that have been fitted with several features to help reduce fuel consumption. Similar...
Kenneth Hall -
Infiniti confirms new M, QX, and hybrid modelEarly last year Nissan product boss Carlos Tavares revealed that he would like to see Infiniti’s lineup expand to “10 or so” nameplates in the next couple of years, and soon after this speculation about a new Q flagship sedan and super-sports car based on the Nissan GT-R platform...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Luso Motors reveals working LM23 prototypeDespite a plunging global economy and tough economic times for the car industry as a whole, there are small bright spots where innovation and development are still burning brightly. Luso Motors appears to be one of those, as it has recently unveiled a working prototype of its LM23 mid-engined...
Nelson Ireson -
Toyota to build more cars in North America than ChryslerToyota's North American car output will surpass Chrysler's for the first time during the first quarter of 2009. The two companies' downward trajectories will soon cross, leaving Toyota as the third largest domestic producer behind Ford and General Motors. Both Chrysler and Toyota are sharply...
Ralph Hanson -
Honda officially cancels S2000Earlier this month word of Honda's decision to cancel its Honda/Acura V8 program, the CR-Z convertible and the next-generation S2000 emerged, but today Honda has officially announced that the 2009 S2000 will be the last. Produced for a full decade, from 1999 (as a 2000 model year car) through 2009...
Nelson Ireson -
The ongoing economic recession continues to impact the car industry and General Motors Company [NYSE:GM] with reduced revenue and the need to cut production. Reducing production means cutting back on labor, resulting in today's announcement of 2,000 jobs to be cut. Along with the lost jobs, GM will be cutting back on output of specific models and doing away with the Cadillac XLR altogether. The Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 will both see their numbers reduced as 800 jobs leave the Lordstown plant where they are built, reports Automotive News. Heavier losses of 1,200 jobs at the Delta...
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Porsche offers new sport exhaust system for 911Sometimes a growling, heady exhaust note is just what the doctor ordered - and sometimes it's just annoying. Porsche has both situations covered with its new sport exhaust system, which allows the driver to choose the exhaust's tone with a single button press. The new exhaust features a set of...
Nelson Ireson -
IDING Power Ferrari F460GT conversionWith more power and even more aggressive aerodynamics than the factory-built 430 Scuderia, IDING Power's new F460GT offers a new take on a super-performing F430 variant. Boring out the engine and replacing stock parts with carbon fiber are the primary modes of improvement. As the name suggests, the...
Kenneth Hall -
Ford confirms it won't need any loan moneyAs the economy and the car industry transform to lighter, more compact versions of their previous selves, the primary agent of change is cash. Ford CEO Alan Mulally took an opportunity this weekend to re-affirm his company's ability to stand on its own, without government-backed loans, however...
Ralph Hanson -
Kicherer releases Evo II kit based on the R230 Mercedes Benz SLStraight out of the box the Mercedes Benz SL is already one of the most stylish and sporty models in the luxury carmaker’s lineup, but it was never going to satisfy the guys at German tuner Kicherer. Applying lessons learned from its previous K60 Evo, the tuner has developed a new aerodynamic...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Maybach sales drop 25%, company insists it’s immune to global economic crisisDespite the global economic crisis, no customers have canceled their Maybach orders but sales last year were still down on 2007’s levels. Maybach sold just over 400 vehicles in 2007 but this dropped to 300 vehicles last year, with the United States once again accounting for the bulk of sales...
James Martinez