Car News
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Car buyers are faced with a number of vehicle attributes at purchase time, including styling, performance, safety and quality just to name a few of the popular ones. However, the one attribute considered above all else by consumers according to a new study conducted by America’s AAA is a car’s fuel-economy. The results show that a majority of consumers, in the U.S. at least, are not buying cars based mostly on emotional decisions such as looks and brand, but rather financial reasons in order to fight back at the fuel station. Respondents of the survey were also asked whether they...
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Chrysler asks public to help design future carsChrysler announced today that it’s recruiting members of the public for its new 'Customer Advisory Board', an online forum where individuals can voice their ideas about what they want to see in a new car. Anyone can join the forum, including consumers who have never previously owned a...
Ralph Hanson -
Next Mustang And Falcon To Share New RWD PlatformIn a move similar to GM's plan to bring rear-drive Australian vehicles to U.S. shores, rival carmaker Ford is also planning to beef up its product lineup with some much needed RWD models. The new cars will be based around a single platform, in line with Ford’s new strategy of global platform...
Ralph Hanson -
Hyundai confirms Avante hybrid for 2009Hyundai has announced that it will begin to mass produce hybrid cars next year in a move certain to please an environmentally conscious market and which is likely to cement its position as a top five automaker. The new Hyundai hybrid vehicle will be called the ‘Avante’ and it will...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Most expensive states for car ownershipThere’s nothing surprising about the fact that the actual cost of owning car, basic taxes and insurance costs that everybody has to pay, can vary across all 50 U.S. states. What comes as a bit surprise is that this variance can top roughly $10,000 between some states over a five year period...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Jenson Button Takes The Civic Type R Around The ‘Ring: VideoHonda F1 star Jenson Button takes a Civic Type R around the famed German widow-maker, the Nurburgring, and just to make things a bit more interesting he does it while its raining and answering questions from an interviewer. Even for a man used to the fast pace of F1, the ride around the 'ring is...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
The low U.S. dollar has caused a number of carmakers to readjust their strategies, including canceling models and moving production. The latest vehicle to fall victim to the falling dollar is Audi’s upcoming Q7 hybrid, which will no longer be offered in the U.S. The green SUV was originally meant to reach the U.S. early next year but its launch in the world’s biggest car market has been ruled out indefinitely because there was no business case for it given the state of the dollar. The information comes from Audi’s U.S. chief Johan de Nysschen, who told Automotive News it...
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Peugeot and Citroen consider SUV based on Concept-cXFrench carmakers Peugeot and Citroen could be developing a second SUV model based around Mitsubishi running gear, just as they did with the current 4007 and C7 cars which are based on the Outlander midsize SUV. Mitsubishi is planning to launch its own compact SUV along the lines of last...
Alex Kaufmann -
Chrysler working on in-car InternetWorking and thinking like a small company is how Chrysler hopes to weather the current economic storm. We told you just last week about Chrysler's plan to implement new technologies and product updates on-demand rather than waiting for product refresh cycles, and now it looks like one of the first...
Nelson Ireson -
Update: Rusting Mazdas to be scrappedUpdate: Almost two years after the Cougar Ace carrier tipped over off the coast of Alaska, damaging 4,703 brand new Mazdas, management have finally decided to scrap all the cars. The Associated Press reports that officials were planning to salvage as many vehicles as they could but rust caused by...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
370HP Golf R32 by ABT SportslineThe Golf R32 is by no means slow but the sheer number of tuning kits available for the torquey hot-hatch reveals there are a lot of people out there who disagree. The latest kit is from Germany’s ABT Sportsline, and although it’s not as nearly as potent as HGP’s 640 twin-turbo...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Kelley Blue Book 2008 Brand Image AwardsInfluential auto resource Kelley Blue Book (KBB) and its marketing research team have compiled a list of vehicles based its consumer perception data. Researchers look at carmaker’s achievements in creating and maintaining brand attributes that consumers look for when buying a new car, and is...
Ralph Hanson -
This ominous, retro-inspired design study is the creation of automotive engineer Arturo Alonso from Bentley Boys USA and is tipped to enter production if it receives enough interest. Alonso and his team are planning to build just three cars, each at a cost of $150,000, at a the painstakingly slow rate of just one every eight months and plans to promote them to possible buyers in cities like Dubai, New York and Moscow. The car is styled after the original Bentley S3 from the 1960s and includes the same four-headlamp layout design, vertical grille and a V8 powertrain. In this case the...
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Infiniti reveals FX35We saw the new FX50 hit the web just a short while ago, but news of the FX50's smaller-motored sibling was suspiciously absent - leading many to speculate an all-new 3.7L FX37 was coming. Unfortunately for displacement-heads, that's not the case. Still, the motor shared with the G35 sedan provides...
Nelson Ireson -
Abt tunes the VW Touareg TDITurbodiesel motors are getting lots of press lately, and VW group vehicles are garnering much of that attention. Audi's R8 looks to be getting a V8 TDI motor soon, and the Jetta TDI Cup in the U.S. is helping to bring diesels back into the American public's consciousness, albeit slowly. German...
Nelson Ireson -
Perrin-powered Subaru Impreza WRXWith cars like the new GT-R and IS-F getting all the attention, Japan’s other performance thoroughbreds, the Impreza WRX and Evo X, have quickly fallen out of the limelight. However, American tuner Perrin Performance hasn’t forgotten about the potential of one of the world’s most...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Majority of Londoners support £25 emissions chargeIn the latest round of the battle between London Mayor Ken Livingstone and Porsche over the UK capital’s new congestion charge, a survey has found that most of the city’s residents are in favor of the scheme. According to the results, 61% of Londoners support the updated scheme, which...
Kenneth Hall -
Chrysler expects to be profitable within 3 yearsWith Chrysler’s new owners Cerberus Capital Management making the hard and fast decisions, the carmaker is now on track to return to profitability. Even with the worsening U.S. economy and fluctuating exchange rates and commodity prices, CEO Bob Nardelli is confident Chrysler will be...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
After a bright start six years ago Scion’s sales have tanked and unless action is taken things are set to get worse. The Toyota budget brand sold just 130,000 cars last year, down 25% on the previous year, and officials are predicting volumes to remain unchanged this year. Most of the blame has been directed towards Scion’s limited lineup, although a weak car market was also a factor in the equation. Scion has developed a new turnaround plan, which involves adding a host of new models and several technological innovations. Speaking with The Detroit News, Scion vice president Jack...
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Carmakers forced to raise pricesWe could be in store for a sharp rise in vehicle prices as carmakers are forced to deal with unfavorable exchange rates, rising raw material prices and new fuel-economy and emissions regulations. These factors are increasing cost pressures on carmakers and it appears the burden will likely be...
Alex Kaufmann -
Subaru announces EV partnership with N.Y. Power AuthoritySubaru used the backdrop of the New York Auto Show to announce a formal partnership between it and the New York Power Authority for the start of a new testing program of R1e electric vehicles in the U.S. Based on the R1 petrol minicar, Subaru’s new R1e has been in testing in Japan since 2006...
Ralph Hanson -
Milner Plug-In And Flying Car Concepts At New York Auto ShowMilner Motors unveiled its ElectriCar plug-in hybrid concept and its AirCar advanced-composite flying car today at the New York Auto Show. The new plug-in hybrid (pictured) features a modern petrol engine mated to an electric motor and features its own unique battery technology and computer...
James Martinez -
Ford planning more Shelby GT500KR Mustangs for 2009If you missed out on one of last year’s 540hp 40th anniversary Shelby GT500KR Mustangs you’re in luck because the Ford tuner is planning an additional run of 746 cars for the 2009 model year. Demand for the car worldwide has surged, no doubt spurred on with the help of the car’s...
Ralph Hanson -
Half of Americans unwilling to help environment by paying more for fuelIf you asked someone whether they would be willing to help the environment, more often than not they would give you a resounding yes as their answer. Ask them if they would be willing to pay extra for fuel to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and nearly half would say no. That’s the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran