Car News
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Ford held talks with more than 300 plant managers and UAW officials in Detroit on Friday to discuss the future of manufacturing in North America and the shift from trucks and SUVs to cars. Other topics included the need for targeted buyouts of Ford’s manufacturing workforce and the elimination of more shifts as well as quality standards and the financial condition of the company. Ford expects to build between 280,000 and 350,000 fewer vehicles in North America this year, and plans to eliminate a number of shifts at its SUV and truck plants. The meeting between Ford managers and union...
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Renntech Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black SeriesStraight out of the box the Mercedes-Benz CLK 63 AMG Black Series is already one of the most extreme production cars on the planet. With a full DTM-style wide-bodykit, carbon-fiber lined interior and a thunderous V8 engine pumping out 507hp (373kW) and 465lb-ft (630Nm) of torque, few would feel the...
Kenneth Hall -
2009 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 UpdateThe Chevrolet Corvette was given a major overhaul for the 2008 model year, receiving a more powerful LS3 V8 engine, a new exhaust system and improved gearboxes, but for the car’s latest update engineers have kept the changes to a minimum. There will only be a few trim and content updates...
James Martinez -
GM reveals Camaro Convertible previewThe Camaro is one of GM's worst kept secrets at the moment, with details of its engine line-up, specifications and performance capabilities common knowledge around the internet. But until now, the convertible version has received less attention and fewer updates than its hardtop sibling. Thanks to...
Nelson Ireson -
Chrysler announces 2% price riseDue to take effect as of Monday, June 16, Chrysler has told its dealers most new production of the current 2008 models and next year's 2009 models will face a 2% price rise in the U.S. Increased prices on the raw materials used to build its cars are the driving force behind the rise. Chrysler isn't...
Nelson Ireson -
Japanese bridges to generate power from vibrationIt's not the first time the Japanese have taken the novel concept to reality. A bridge over the Arakawa River already uses the vibrations from passing cars to power some of its lights at night. The new project will expand the technology to the other four bridges on Tokyo's Shuto Expressway. Working...
Nelson Ireson -
Caparo is set to make its first ever appearance at the 24 hours of Le Mans this year, after signing a partnering agreement with the Barazi Epsilon team. The team will be competing in the LMP2 category and will provide Caparo with the opportunity to develop lightweight structures and components to further develop its T1 road car and future projects. The Barazi Epsilon entry is the 07S chassis with which the team won the LMP2 class at both Silverstone and Interlagos last season. The car will be driven by Juan Barazi, Michael Vergers and team newcomer, Stuart Moseley, who will be competing in...
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Exxon Mobil to quit retail service-station businessRising oil prices and increasing competition from grocery stores and hypermarts serving fuel have pushed service-station profit levels so low that returns are almost non-existent. The situation has now caused Irving oil giant Exxon Mobil to leave the retail fuel business in the U.S., announcing...
Alex Kaufmann -
Europeans saving thousands by buying cars in U.S.The weakening U.S. dollar compounded with low vehicle sticker prices is drawing more and more European consumers looking to make a hefty saving on the purchase of their next car. Savings of up to 30% of the cost of similar models in Europe, even after the costs of shipping it back home plus...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Toyota UK reveals Aygo 'Crazy' conceptToyota will present a one-off sports concept based on its Aygo hatch at next month’s London Motor Show, which has been designed from the onset as a pure driver’s car. As such, the car is devoid of all electronic handling aids and has no power steering or ABS and is more akin to a...
Ralph Hanson -
Tesla to partner with DaimlerTesla has reportedly signed a technology deal with Daimler according to latest comments from the electric car company’s Chairman Elon Musk. The new deal is in its early stages but according to the Tesla exec it could potentially grow into something major. Elon Musk reportedly told Fox...
Ralph Hanson -
U.S. DOE announces $30 million plug-in hybrid fundThe timing of the U.S. Department of Energy's $30 million plug-in hybrid funding announcement indicates it has been in the works for quite some time, but coming right on the heels of Ford's call for a government commitment to the technology, it looks like the Blue Oval got just what it wanted. The...
Nelson Ireson -
Toyota is building battery plants as fast as it can to help it meet its goal of putting a million hybrids on the street each year by 2010. GM is considering buying out its troubled battery supplier, Cobasys. Now Chrysler and General Electric are considering teaming up to develop the technology that will underpin a next-generation plug-in hybrid. Built around GE's dual-battery energy storage system, which has been used at the heart of a hybrid railroad locomotive that generates 6,000hp, the new car would help GE explore the technology's real-world applications while providing a much-needed...
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Saturn to drop 'Green Line' labelSaturn’s Vue hybrid crossover was one of the first petrol-electric models from an American carmaker when it was launched in 2006. Back then, marketers from Saturn decided to differentiate its eco and performance models by marking them as either ‘Green Line’ for the fuel-saving...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Toyota exec attempts to cool hybrid expectationsPopular hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid are lucky to get mileage figures above 50mpg (4.7L/100km) in real world tests, and in some cases are beaten by conventional diesel vehicles, but talk of next-generation hybrid models achieving up to 100mpg (2.35L/100km) are...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
GM to build hydrogen fueling station in L.A.General Motors has confirmed it will open a hydrogen fueling station in Los Angeles together with Clean Energy Corp. in a bid to promote the benefits of the clean-burning fuel as well as GM’s progress in the field of alternative fuels and powertrains. The two companies are also open to...
Ralph Hanson -
Mitsubishi to boost 'world' engine production 35%Mitsubishi is planning to boost production numbers for its new global engine family to meet soaring demand for the fuel-efficient and lightweight engine as well as prepare itself for the launch of several important models over the next 12 months. The engine range has been dubbed the...
Ralph Hanson -
Ford: Plug-in hybrids must become 'a national priority'Ford sees the survival of the American car industry resting on the backs of advanced hybrid and battery technologies, and has called on the government to make their advancement ‘a national priority.’ The comments came from Ford’s president of the Americas, Mark Fields, who told...
Kenneth Hall -
A Scottish company has developed a new transmission technology that it claims doubles in-town fuel efficiency. Artemis Intelligent Power's hydraulic hybrid powertrain replaces the traditional port and swash plates in its hydraulic system with computer-controlled solenoid valves. The transmission, called the HEDDAT (High Efficiency Digital Displacement Automotive Transmission), yielded twice the fuel efficiency of a standard manual transmission-equipped BMW 530i in a start-stop traffic environment, reports CleanTech. The technology stores energy in hydraulic, rather than electric, form, but...
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Chrysler CEO expects company to remain private, confident of CerberusChrysler CEO Robert Nardelli revealed yesterday that he expects the carmaker to remain in private hands for the next three years at least and was confident in the decisions being made by current owners, Cerberus Capital Management. Under its guidance, Chrysler has adopted a streamlined strategy...
Siddarth Raja -
Ford to retool U.S. truck plants to build Euro modelsLast month we reported that Ford would bring its European Kuga crossover and C-Max MPV to North America after the launch of the new Fiesta and next-generation Focus, and now latest reports claim Ford is set to retool its U.S. truck plans to build smaller passenger vehicles, including several...
Alex Kaufmann -
Production cars likely to benefit from new F1 hybrid systemThe company behind the new kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) currently being developed for F1 sees its new technology eventually being used in production cars and envisages a number of different applications for motorists. The hybrid flywheel system stores energy recovered when the car slows...
Kenneth Hall -
Chrysler to build Hornet compact carRising fuel prices, which have led to flagging sales of SUVs and pickups, has forced the Detroit 3 to cut production and layoff thousands of workers. At the same time, Japanese carmakers, who lead the industry in the compact car segment, have been benefiting from record sales as consumers downshift...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Spy Shots: 2009 Jaguar XK coupe and cabrio faceliftUpdated with new cabrio spy shots. Prototypes for Jaguar’s facelifted XK have been spotted testing in the UK and Germany ahead of the updated model’s debut at the Paris Motor Show in November. The new model will go on sale early next year as a 2009 model and will feature several styling...
Ralph Hanson