Car News
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As this year’s Nurburgring 24 hour endurance challenge approaches several more carmakers have announced plans to enter the comp. The latest is General Motors, which plans to enter a race-prepped version of its Opel Astra OPC in the grueling event. The standard Astra OPC features a 237hp (177kW) 2.0L turbo motor and is already one of the fastest cars around the ‘Ring for its class. GM will contest a pair of 300hp Opel Astra OPCs that have been converted for racing by Opel’s partner Kissling Motorsport. Behind the wheel of one of the cars will be a number of newcomers...
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Production Chevrolet Camaro to debut at Sept. IndyWith all the excitement of the recently launched Dodge Challenger it’s easy to forget that another American muscle car is just around the corner. Chevrolet’s new Camaro, which first appeared in concept form at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show, is finally set to debut in production trim with...
Siddarth Raja -
Chevrolet Volt prototypes reach 40 miles in electric-only modeGM has reached another milestone with the development of its upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. Vice Chairman Bob Lutz revealed earlier this week that prototype versions, which started real-world testing only last month, have already reached the target electric-only driving range of 40 miles...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Toyota Prius sales top 1 million units worldwideToyota has managed to rack up one million sales of its petrol-electric hybrid since the car first went on sale in Japan back in December 1997. At the end of April, Toyota said it had sold 1,028,000 Prius models with 100,000 finding a home in anti-hybrid Europe. Only last year Toyota’s...
Kenneth Hall -
Update: Porsche denies Cayenne U.S. production plansUpdate: Porsche has confirmed that it has no need to build its Cayenne SUV in North America and has no plans to do so at a later date. A spokesman for the carmaker has revealed that Porsche will be immune to the negative effects of a weak U.S. dollar though until 2013 due to hedging so has no...
Kenneth Hall -
GM unlikely to build Cadillac CTS convertibleWhile the Cadillac CTS coupe is confirmed for production in June of next year a convertible version of the svelte two-door is shaping up to be just a dream as latest reports claim GM has dropped plans for such a model. Despite the positive reception received by the CTS Coupe Concept at...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Updated with official video. With the GT-R's recently lowered Nordschleife lap time set at 7m 29s, a drop of nine seconds from its previous 7m 38s lap, General Motors responded with speculation that the ZR-1 would handily take the production car lap record at any track in the world. While we have yet to see the General prove that claim, the latest showing from the upcoming CTS-V lends some credence to its possibility. The 5-series sized sedan with what is essentially a detuned version of the same motor that powers the ZR-1 lapped the Nurburgring's north loop in a scant 7m 59.32s - a time that...
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Ferrari Concept 2008 inspired by the F430Ferrari appears to be a source of inspiration for a number of up-and-coming young designers with the likes of Idries Omar, Emre Husmen and now Luca Serafini all using the Italian exotics as inspiration for some of their best works. The latest design, dubbed the Ferrari Concept 2008, is based on the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
AC Schnitzer Mini Cooper S ClubmanWe’re used to seeing the German tuners upgrade cars for the likes of BMW, Audi and Porsche, but it’s not often that you come across a Mini Cooper modified by one of Germany’s top customizers. This time it’s AC Schnitzer, whose engineers have created a beefed up version of...
Ralph Hanson -
Update: Spada Codatronca supercar enters productionUpdated with official images. The Spada Codatronca is the creation of designer Ercole Spada and his son Paolo as well Italian tuning shop UK Garage, and after months of testing the project has now officially entered the production phase. The first model will be the new Codatronca TS (Turismo...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Preview: Seat Ibiza three-door and cabrioSeat’s new Ibiza hatch is set for launch later this year yet the only model we’ve seen so far is the regular five-door. As was the case with previous generations of the Ibiza, Seat will likely offer a number of different variants including a performance model based on the Bocanegra...
Ralph Hanson -
Volkswagen may build motorbikes with KTMVolkswagen chairman Ferdinand Piech revealed last month his desire to expand the carmaker’s operations into the motorbike industry, telling German media that he regretted not acquiring the Ducati label during the 1980s when it was near bankruptcy. Piech’s dream could soon come true as...
Ralph Hanson -
Following the results of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) crash testing of the Smart ForTwo last month, which showed the tiny two-seater only achieved average results, comes a new round of test results, this time from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). In the latest round of testing the 2008 Smart ForTwo earned the top rating of ‘good’ for front and side crash protection. Its seat and head restraints earned the second highest rating of ‘acceptable’ for protection against whiplash in rear impacts, preventing it from gaining a...
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California willing to work with carmakers on emissionsWhile the U.S. government has implemented a fleet-wide fuel efficiency standard of 35mpg by 2020 for carmakers (plus an interim mandate of 31.6mpg by 2015), California is planning to implement its own ruling of 36.8mpg by 2016. The issue has been a major headache for carmakers as California...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Ford Australia Reveals New FPV Falcon RangeFord Australia has revealed a range of new high-performance six-cylinder and V8-powered muscle sedans and utes based on its recently launched FG Falcon. Two different engines are available: an entry-level 4.0L turbocharged straight-six with 415hp (310kW) on tap and a 5.4L ‘Boss’ V8 with...
Kenneth Hall -
Lamborghini to launch global certified used-car programLamborghini will soon have a certified used cars vehicle program in place with news today the Italian supercar manufacturer is planning to roll-out a worldwide dealer program with the U.S. and Europe first in line. CEO Stephan Winkelmann announced that the certified used cars will only be available...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
APS twin turbo kit pumps Pontiac G8 to 557hpThe performance bargain that is the Pontiac G8 is very nearly unparalleled in the American market. Eschewing the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' maxim for one more adulation-worthy the tuners at APS have seen fit to improve on an already good thing, increasing the output of the Pontiac G8's V8...
Nelson Ireson -
Fuel prices too high for some U.S. pumps to registerWhile the United States has some of the lowest fuel prices in the industrialized world, the rapid advance toward $4 per gallon is outstripping the ability of some older hardware to keep up. As many as 17,000 mechanical dial-based fuel pumps are still in use in America, and none can register a price...
Nelson Ireson -
As Europe's emissions restrictions tighten and pollution awareness climbs even higher, many customers are eager to adopt alternative fuel platforms. Ethanol - or at least E85 - is one such fuel, and Volvo has been among the leaders in offering a full line of flex-fuel engines. The new engine for the V70 and S80 increases capacity and power while maintaining its dual-fuel capability. Dubbed the 2.5FT, the engine is available with both manual or automatic transmissions - new to the flex-fuel V70 and S80. Fuel consumption with the manual gearbox works out to an EU combined cycle rating of...
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Chrysler-badged Chinese cars to be sold in Mexico next yearThe first fruits of the Chrysler-Chery partnership may be realized as early as next year with news today that a Chinese-built car will be sold wearing Chrysler badges in Mexico within the next 12 months. The new car is the Chery A1 hatch (pictured) and it will be the first global model spawned from...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
John McCain reveals plan to tackle greenhouse emissionsRepublican presidential candidate John McCain revealed this week his plan to fight global warming, promising to increase funding for alternative fuel vehicles and power generation as well as introduce a market-based cap on greenhouse gas emissions. Under his plan, McCain predicts by 2012 greenhouse...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Toyota delays launch of new U.S. plantDespite its status as the world's biggest and most successful carmaker, Toyota is far from immune to the effects of the slowing American economy and rising fuel prices. In fact, the Japanese giant has forecasted a 27% slump in profits for this financial year and this pressure has led to the...
Alex Kaufmann -
MCA ALA 50 supercar revealed in MonacoThe tiny Mediterranean province of Monaco is home to many of the world’s hottest and most-exclusive supercars and soon it may have a homegrown piece of exotic machinery running up and down its streets. Local carmaker Monte Carlo Automobile (MCA) recently took the wraps off a new supercar...
Ralph Hanson -
Nissan reveals 'GT 2012' five-year business plan, confirms Infiniti G37 convertibleNissan today announced its financial results for the 2007 financial year and released its official five-year strategy plan dubbed the Nissan ‘GT’ 2012 (‘G’ for growth and ‘T’ for trust). The carmaker made a net operating profit of $6.91 billion in the past year...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran