Car News
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The days when driving beyond a posted speed limit is impossible could soon be upon us with news coming out this weekend that Canada is trialling a new anti-speeding device that can automatically slow down a vehicle against a driver’s will. The new device uses a GPS locater, and a speed map and can override the car's manual controls. "The technology has the ability of just saying, 'OK the posted speed limit is 50, so we'll let you go 55, that's it,' " Transport Canada researcher Paul Boase told the Edmonton Journal. Ten volunteers have already tried the device, which for testing purposes...
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Maserati 'Cinqueporte' Shooting Brake ConceptPictured above is a one-off shooting brake version of the Maserati Quattroporte saloon that was developed as a 1:4 scale model and is dubbed the Maserati 'Cinqueporte'. The concept is the creation of StudioM and StudioTorino and was commissioned on behalf of an Arab customer who has in the past...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Fisker Karma convertible in the worksFisker surprised many at last month’s Detroit Auto Show when it revealed its striking Karma luxury plug-in hybrid sedan was headed for production and a 2009 launch. Here was a small coachbuilder promising to deliver a plug-in hybrid vehicle at least one year before heavyweights like Toyota...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Chrysler could cut lineup by halfChrysler’s lineup is in store for a massive upheaval with possibly half of all its models getting the axe. Under its new ‘Project Genesis’ turnaround plan, Chrysler wants to streamline the entire business from top to bottom, combining dealerships, dropping duplicate models and...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Chrysler dealer ultimatum: no full line without GenesisThe recently announced Project Genesis aims to put Chrysler's house back in order by chopping models and combining dealerships. Streamlining the entire business, from top to bottom, is the basic goal. To that end, dealerships will have to get with the program or face going without a full line of...
Nelson Ireson -
Video: 2009 Porsche 911 GT2Porsche has released a new promotional video for the fastest car in Porsche’s lineup for 2008, the 911 GT2. The video features the Porsche speedster driving in numerous places, but most appealingly at the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife under the trained hands of Porsche test driver...
Alex Kaufmann -
Hot on the heels of the newly revised standard SL, we can now show you pictures of AMG's top-of-the-line SL65 and it's V8-engined brother, the SL63. Both Mercs come with a slew of new technologies to keep the SL on top of the luxury convertible market until its eventual replacement. Official details place power figures of the twin-turbo V12SL65 AMG at 612hp and a mind-bending 1,000Nm of torque, no different from the previous generation. The recently leaked SL63 AMG gets the familiar 6.3L V8 engine developing 525hp (386 kw) and 630Nm. It also uses a new AMG SpeedShift MCT transmission, which...
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Force India reveals 2008 VJM01 liveryAt a gala event in India today, F1’s newest team, Force India, took the covers off its 2008 VJM01 race car revealing for the first time the team’s new livery of gold, tungsten and white. Attending the event was team owner Vijay Mallya and main drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
McLaren chiefs summoned as spy saga goes onLeading figures of the British formula one team McLaren have been summoned for questioning by Italian prosecutors, as the criminal espionage investigation involving Ferrari continues. Even though F1's governing body has drawn a line under the affair from a sporting point of view, the Italian...
Siddarth Raja -
Toyota ties brakes into nav systemToyota seems to be doing everything it can to take driving out of the hands of its drivers. Their Lexus brand has been pushing self-parking mechanisms (with varying degrees of success) for several years now. Now the world's biggest auto seller is tying its brake-assist technology in with satellite...
Nelson Ireson -
Chrysler will axe more models, consolidate brandsNow that Chrysler is in private hands the tough decisions are coming hard and fast. Last year we saw officials axe cars like the PT Cruiser convertible, Pacifica, Crossfire and Dodge Magnum and now there are reports that even more models will be dropped from the current lineup. Under its new...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Honda offers staff $2000 bonus for F1 winHonda has promised its hundreds of formula one staff a $2000 bonus should Jenson Button or Rubens Barrichello win a race in 2008. The move, which would cost the Brackley based team in excess of $1.5m per victory, would apply not only to mechanics and engineers but also to the cleaners of the...
Alex Kaufmann -
Both the RS4 and R8 have a thumping 420hp and AWD chassis but one’s a fully fledged mid-engined sports car and the other is a family sedan on steroids, so as you’d expect both perform very differently. Only about 0.2 seconds separates the two cars in the sprint to 60mph but as the reviewer reveals in this latest video speed isn’t the primary deciding factor when it comes to the track. Via: Autoblog.nl
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Porsche Cayenne GTS makes North American debutThe world is already familiar with the Cayenne GTS, Porsche's sportiest SUV. But until this week, this prime example of Teutonic excess was unavailable to North Americans. Shown today at the Chicago Auto Show, the Cayenne GTS is kicking things off in America with a price tag of $69,300. That's...
Nelson Ireson -
City [Zen] urban vehicle morphs on demandAlthough it's still in pure conceptual form, the idea is so innovative that it's worth a look. Based on the need for a vehicle that handles passengers like a sedan and yet parks like a subcompact, the City [Zen] is designed to do just that. With three modes, the [Zen] can adapt to almost any...
Nelson Ireson -
Dodge has high hopes for ChallengerThere’s been a lot of excitement surrounding the launch of the new Dodge Challenger, and officials are hoping this excitement won’t die off soon after the car hits the road as is often the case with hyped up sports cars. Chrysler lags its Detroit rivals in sales by a significant margin...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
VIC NaviSurfer is world’s first single-DIN carputerMost in-car PCs are generally too complicated for the average person to master and have for long been regarded as a gadget for tech-heads to boast about. Usually designed to run Linux or Windows, in-car computers, or ‘carputers’ for short, can be used as a replacement for a car’s...
Kenneth Hall -
ZAP and Youngman revive Detroit Electric brandThe joint-venture between America’s ZAP electric car company and China’s Youngman Auto is set to revive the 100- year-old electric car brand Detroit Electric for a range of new models set to appear from next year onwards. The first car to be sold under the Detroit Electric label will be...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Some carmakers are looking towards electric vehicles and hybrids to end the reliance on fossil fuels while other manufacturers are backing biofuel vehicles that run on ethanol or other renewable fuels. GM is sitting on both sides of the fence, developing both plug-in hybrid technology and a range of flex-fuel vehicles. GM is so confident of ethanol based fuels taking over that it’s expecting half of its fleet in the U.S. to be running on the clean fuel by as early as 2012, according to a report by the Associated Press. The report claimed that GM North America President Troy Clarke...
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PGO Cévennes gas powered turbo roadsterEuropean companies BRA and PGO Automobiles have revealed plans for the launch of a new roadster that runs purely on natural gas. The tiny car will be on display at next month’s Geneva Motor Show and will only go into production if enough demand is generated at the upcoming show. Its creators...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Chevrolet Volt will need big subsidiesProducing hybrid vehicles is expensive for carmakers but customers aren’t willing to pay huge premiums to cover the extra cost of the technology especially when they can get a comparable petrol or diesel vehicle for thousands less. The Toyota Prius is the current top selling hybrid but its...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
VW boss hints at next-gen BeetleVolkswagen’s new Beetle has been on the market now for just on ten years and has enjoyed relatively strong sales despite the lack of significant changes during its life. More than one million new Beetles have been built at VW’s Puebla plant in Mexico and it looks like developers have...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Subaru may launch third WRX modelThe Subaru WRX has always been a favourite of performance enthusiasts. Its combination of giant-killing performance, numerous World Rally titles and a relatively cheap price tag quickly earned it cult status around the world, and it also made it a halo model for the rest of Subaru’s lineup...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Genesis V8 could get supercharger and direct-injectionHyundai’s new Genesis flagship sedan was on display today at the Chicago Auto Show in full production trim for the first time. The car was previously shown at the Detroit show but it was presented with two different grilles, one with the regular Hyundai ‘H’ and the other with a...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran