Car News
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With the launch of the 2010 Mustang countdown mini-site just a few weeks ago, Ford began its pre-launch hype-machine, working to build anticipation over the upcoming pony car. Hoping to keep that momentum rolling, Ford today released its new 2010 Mustang badge. Featuring a sharper, more chiseled look for the famed running horse, the badge may foretell some of the design characteristics of the new Mustang itself. A more defined, sharp-edged look than the current car's smooth lines and soft curves would give it a different 'feel' while still allowing the use of most of the same shapes. The...
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Spy shots: 2011 Chevrolet BeatUpdated with new images. General Motors is scrambling to bring some of its small-car concepts to life as global preferences and oil price pressures drive interest in the segment to new highs. Near the top of the list is the Beat concept, currently in development by GM Daewoo in South Korea. These...
Nelson Ireson -
Sportec-tuned Audi RS6 AvantThe sheer number of specialist-tuned Audi RS6 Avants is a clear measure of just how compelling a vehicle it really is. Already one of the most inexplicably powerful wagons in existence, the human instinct for more finds a perfect outlet in the RS6, and Sportec's addition to the ranks finds a...
Siddarth Raja -
2009 Hyundai Genesis earns 5-star NHTSA crash ratingTargeting the world's luxury carmakers with an all-new, unknown product and a less-than-ideal brand reputation will make for a tough sell for Hyundai's Genesis sedan, despite favorable early reports. That job will, however, get a little bit easier now that the car has earned a five-star safety...
Nelson Ireson -
Formula Zero kart series driving fuel-cell developmentRacing and competitive motorsports have long been some of the primary avenues of automotive research and advancement, and that tradition is set to continue with the Formula Zero kart racing league. The series' first race took place in the Netherlands this past weekend, featuring the first...
Nelson Ireson -
General Motors picks top 10 concepts of first 100 yearsJust a yesterday we brought you General Motors' top 10 production car picks from its first 100 years of operation, and now we have the top 10 concept choices from the company as well. Like the production car selections, the list is not so much an exhaustive enumeration of stand-out designs, but...
Nelson Ireson -
In the current trackside discussions about possible new rules for the future, some teams are pushing for a radical change on the engine front. According to the largest Austrian daily, Kronen Zeitung, Renault and also BMW are fully behind the push for small turbo-charged engines for the 2012 season and beyond. The newspaper said those teams have proposed a 1.5L capacity for the turbos, with 1.5 bar boost. Ferrari's current reliability problems aside, it is no surprise the Italian marque's rivals are pushing for the end to the current 2.4L normally-aspirated V8 era. One key speed trap at the...
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BMW X1 & 7-series hybrid headed to Paris Motor Show, next-gen Z4 to be revealed in L.A.This October’s Paris Motor Show is expected to be very busy for BMW as the carmaker is reported to be preparing no less than four different reveals for the upcoming show. The lineup is set to include the world debuts for the 2009 facelifted 3-series range and the recently revealed 7-series...
James Martinez -
EuroNCAP to toughen safety standards next yearWhen the EuroNCAP (European New Car Assessment Program) was established back in 1997 the achievement of a five star rating in any of the categories seemed almost impossible. Just over ten years later, 97% of vehicles tested scored either a four or a five star rating in the crucial adult occupant...
Siddarth Raja -
Preview: Honda’s 600HP V10 NSX-replacementUpdated: Honda’s replacement for the NSX is still more than two years away but a number of key details about the car have been revealed by an inside source at Honda. According to the insider, the styling of the new car will be very similar to the Advanced Sports Car Concept from last...
Kenneth Hall -
eBay watch: Ultra-rare pre-production Ford GT owned by Steve SaleenAnother rare Ford GT has come up for sale on popular Internet auction house eBay just days after a 1000hp (746kW), 235mph (376km/h) Hennessey-tuned Ford GT appeared on the site. This time, the Ford GT in question is a pre-production Ford GT that was owned by Steve Saleen, of Saleen fame. The car is...
Alex Kaufmann -
City of Flint grants multi-million dollar tax break for GM engine plantGeneral Motors has been granted a multi-million dollar tax break by the officials of the Flint city council in Michigan in order to build a new engine manufacturing facility for the upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. The new facility, slated to start production in early 2010, will build the...
Alex Kaufmann -
The Jensen Interceptor was a car born out of the 1960s, with glorious Italian coupe styling and a nickname of "The Gentleman's Express." While the British-based Jensen Motors may have ceased trading in May 1976, engineers at Britain's 'V Eight' have revived the Jensen Interceptor sport car and are currently in the process of rebuilding it in a limited run of just 50 cars. The latest version has been updated with a number of modern appointments, including an LS2 V8 engine and fresh styling, but the guys at V Eight are now planning a much more powerful version. The new version will be called...
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GM's Reconfigurable Performance Display shows real time stats for ECOtec enginesWhile General Motors’ new ‘Reconfigurable Performance Display’ may be nowhere near as involving as the multi-function display system used in the Nissan GT-R, the performance feedback tool provides a number of vital vehicle statistics for very little money. The dealer-installed...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Report: GMC Considering Dropping The Acadia, Envoy Or CanyonGeneral Motors Company's [NYSE:GM] truck-focused brand, GMC, has been hit hard by changing consumer preferences, which has led to several reports that certain scheduled GMC products could be scrapped altogether. While GM continues to deny the rumors, the most likely candidates on the chopping block...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Report: BMW drops plans for E92 M3 CSLSince the new E90 series BMW M3 was revealed at the Frankfurt Auto Show last year, true BMW enthusiasts have been intrigued, but waiting for the CSL to come along. Standing for Coupe, Sport, Lightweight, those three letters name the most track-focused and pure driver’s cars BMW has to offer...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2009 Volkswagen Routan comes with college tuition voucherThis year has seen a larger-than-normal number of advertising and marketing gimmicks as carmakers work to rally sales despite tough conditions. Fuel incentives, loan incentives and employee pricing are just a few of the methods that have been employed. But Volkswagen is taking the idea a step...
Nelson Ireson -
MG's TF roadster canceled for North AmericaExcitement over the revival of the long-dormant MG brand of sports cars has been cyclically built-up and dashed as the Chinese ownership, Nanjing Automobile Corporation, has repeatedly hit delays in the process. Now the word was come from company officials that the TF roadster won't be making it to...
Nelson Ireson -
The partnership between Mercedes and McLaren for the SLR supercar is drawing to a close, but there is still at least one new model in the works. A speedster version of the SLR 722 Edition is expected to be released in time for the Paris Motor Show this October, but until then this video of the standard hardtop 722 Edition serves to sharpen anticipation for the new topless model. The '722' moniker is derived from the start time of Sir Sterling Moss's record-setting 1955 Mille Miglia run - 7:22 a.m. Mercedes-McLaren 722 Edition Speedster Preview Mercedes-McLaren 722 Edition Speedster spy...
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Insurance rates climb despite drop in distance drivenAmericans are driving less and less as oil prices continue to hold at relatively high levels, but despite the decrease in road usage, insurance companies aren't dropping their rates. Typically, distance driven is directly correlated with the likelihood of crashes - that's the basic theory that...
Nelson Ireson -
Ford spending $75 million to retask Michigan Truck plant with small carsWhen oil prices continued shooting skyward and the U.S. economy faltered through the second quarter of this year, Ford announced it would be shifting its focus from trucks to cars. One of the first major steps toward the new product balance is now underway, with $75 million earmarked for retooling...
Nelson Ireson -
Fiat Portofino concept re-creates 1960s beach carsNamed for the sunny Italian town with its legendary beaches, the Portofino vehicle concept, based around the coachbuilt Fiat beach-cars of the 1960s, features an odd yet attractive marriage of form and function. Built from a Fiorino Combi van, the Portofino strives to offer utility with five-person...
Nelson Ireson -
O.CT Audi S3 with 550hp RWD powertrainThe last time we heard from the Austrian tuners at O.CT they were working their magic on a Fiat 500, boosting power by 20% and giving it a new appearance. Now they've turned their efforts onto a last-generation Audi S3, but with more extreme modifications in mind - including a switch from AWD to...
Nelson Ireson -
BMW USA announces 2.1% price rise on all 2009 modelsBMW has announced an average 2.1% price increase for the U.S. market across its 2009 model year range as a response to rising raw materials costs and exchange rate pressure. The price rise will affect those models that go on sale from October as well as a number of their related options and...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran