Car News

  • Porsche to launch ‘PDK’ dual-clutch gearbox

    Porsche is set to launch its own DSG-style dual-clutch gearbox that will be called ‘PDK’, short for Porsche Doppel Kupplungen or Porsche Double Clutches. Though Volkswagen was one of the first carmakers to offer dual-clutch systems on its cars, Porsche was actually one of the pioneers of the innovative transmission. The sports carmaker used the design for some of its race cars during the 1980s, and now it’s set to be available in Porsche’s production cars, as reported by What Car? magazine. Gear changes will be activated via F1-style paddles behind the steering wheel...

  • Spy Shots: 2009 BMW 7-series
    Spy Shots: 2009 BMW 7-series

    Due for introduction late next year, BMW’s 2009 model-year 7-series saloon has been spotted once again undergoing testing at Germany’s Nurburgring. More of an evolution of the current model rather than a complete redesign, the new 7 should feature a smoother more muscular look...

  • Saab ending 9-7X production next year
    Saab ending 9-7X production next year

    Saab will cease production of its 9-7X next year with just three years of sales under its belt because of the model’s lackluster sales performance. The 9-7X shares its underpinnings with the Chevrolet TrailBlazer and is currently manufactured at a GM plant in Moraine, Ohio. The TrailBlazer is...

  • Cheaper V8 Lamborghini Gallardo in the works?
    Cheaper V8 Lamborghini Gallardo in the works?

    Lamborghini is rumored to be developing a new entry-level model powered by the Audi R8’s 4.2L FSI V8 engine. A suspicious looking Gallardo test-mule has been spotted by spy photographers circling the Nurburgring with a modified exhaust outlet, which suggests that there could be a different...

  • Update: Audi RS4 production set to continue
    Update: Audi RS4 production set to continue

    Updated: It appears the initial report by Autocar, which stated that Audi would be ceasing production of the RS4 in the near future, is likely to have been greatly exaggerated. Audi’s Media Relations and Motorsport Specialist Patrick Hespen has revealed to Winding Road that the claims are...

  • Mercedes to present 18 green models at Frankfurt
    Mercedes to present 18 green models at Frankfurt

    Mercedes-Benz might unveil up to 18 different eco-friendly vehicles at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show, including a range of diesels, hybrids, Bluetec-diesels and fuel-cell vehicles. The star of the Mercedes’ showcase will be a new Bluetec-diesel model that will feature a mild-hybrid...

  • Audi strikes back: BMW is "arrogant"

    Last week we published a report, which revealed that BMW execs weren’t very concerned about Audi as a potential threat in the luxury market because it doesn’t build any RWD models and it has to discount its cars to lift sales numbers. It hasn’t taken long for Audi to strike back with its own claims that it is one of the fastest-growing premium brands and that BMW has already been discounting its volume selling 3-series. Speaking at a press event last week, GoAuto reports that Audi’s Australian managing director Joerg Hofmann acknowledged that different manufacturers...

  • Google funding development of plug-in hybrids
    Google funding development of plug-in hybrids

    Google has launched its new RechargeIT initiative to promote the development of plug-in hybrid electric cars in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and global dependence on oil. Under the guidance of Google’s own philanthropic Google.org team, the new initiative will award $1 million...

  • Spy Shots: 2009 Opel Vectra
    Spy Shots: 2009 Opel Vectra

    Opel’s aging Vectra sedan is well overdue for a major overhaul, but a replacement vehicle isn’t due until the second half of next year. Several prototypes, such as this one, have been spotted by spy photographers that reveal the new Vectra will have a wider and taller body than the...

  • Scion planning a pickup truck for 2010
    Scion planning a pickup truck for 2010

    Last month we reported that Scion’s management was considering adding new models to meet demand from rising numbers of budget-minded consumers. Scion corporate manager Steve Haag revealed that a new model was possible and now Popular Mechanics is reporting that a Scion-branded pickup truck is...

  • 9ff's 910hp Porsche 911 Turbo TRC 91
    9ff's 910hp Porsche 911 Turbo TRC 91

    Porsche specialist 9ff has dropped its potent 4.0L biturbo flat-six into the Porsche 911 Turbo Cabrio, and in doing so has created the world’s fastest convertible. Developing 780hp in the Cabrio, the modded 911 drop-top can reach a top speed of 381km/h. Reserved for the coupe is a more...

  • Lancia to get new Aurelia flagship and Delta hatch
    Lancia to get new Aurelia flagship and Delta hatch

    Lancia’s portfolio is set to expand with several hot models supposedly making a return. Names like Aurelia and Delta are currently being tossed around the rumor mill, and AutoExpress is reporting that the brand will return to the UK with a new flagship model based on Maserati’s new...

  • 2009 mazda miata mx5 facelift 017

    If we had to pick one mass-market car company making cars that exceed their price in quality, style, and refinement that company would have to be Mazda. The recently announced Mazda 2 is their latest model and continues on the zoom-zoom theme. More importantly, Mazda has made this new model 100kg lighter than the previous one, which improves fuel economy and performance.

  • Mitsubishi i electric car to enter production
    Mitsubishi i electric car to enter production

    Mitsubishi will launch its first all-electric vehicle by mid-2010 in Japan with the first European sales expected to start in the following year. The car will be based on the current i car, which is sold in Japan with a 0.7L MIVEC three-cylinder engine. The electric version, currently undergoing...

  • Volvo planning R-line sports packs
    Volvo planning R-line sports packs

    Back in April we reported that Volvo would be dropping its ‘R’ performance range at the end of the 2007 model year due to lackluster sales. However, fans of the R range may not have to be sad for long if rumors about a new Volvo sports package prove true. Similar to Audi’s S-Line...

  • Porsche boss speeds up development of new Cayenne
    Porsche boss speeds up development of new Cayenne

    Porsche was first to the market with an SUV model based on the vehicle architecture developed jointly between Volkswagen, Audi and itself. The original Cayenne was released back in 2002, one year ahead of the VW Touareg and four years ahead of the Audi Q7. The sports car brand is now reported to...

  • 9ff GT9 to break Bugatti Veyron's 407km/h top speed
    9ff GT9 to break Bugatti Veyron's 407km/h top speed

    Engineers at 9ff have the Bugatti Veyron clearly in their sights with the new Porsche GT9 set to take on the world’s fastest with a top speed target in excess of 400km/h. Production of the GT9 will be limited to just 20 copies at €476,000 a piece, but one car has already been reserved...

  • Audi modular design to spawn next-gen VW Phaeton, Bentley Continental GT and Arnage
    Audi modular design to spawn next-gen VW Phaeton, Bentley Continental GT and Arnage

    Development work for the second generation Volkswagen Phaeton is already well underway with the new model expected to share the same platform as the next Audi A8, due one year prior to the release of the VW flagship. The new Phaeton should hit the market in 2010 and will once again be produced at...

  • Jaguar XK range expands with 3.5L model

    Jaguar is set to expand its XK range with the introduction of a new entry-level model powered by the same 3.5L V8 engine currently used in the XJ saloon. The new model will be launched around October or November, reports AutoWeek Netherlands, but there’s no word on pricing. Early estimates place its price tag around the €75,000 mark, which is €10,000 below the starting price of the 300hp 4.2L V8 model. Power levels will be similar to the XJ, with roughly 256hp on tap, but the engine is said to be specifically tuned to suit the XK and features the Coupe's sportier exhaust...

  • Apple set to join car industry with nav systems
    Apple set to join car industry with nav systems--report

    There's nothing like a small tidbit in a German newspaper to get the rumors started. This time it concerns technology brand Apple, which is reported to be developing a new in-car GPS navigation system that will debut in 2009. According to an article published in German magazine Focus, Apple will be...

  • New engine design could double fuel efficiency of cars
    New engine design could double fuel efficiency of cars

    The UK-based Nevis Engine Company is close to completing work on the second phase of testing of its functioning prototype of a new exhaust valve and intake system that’s claimed to be able to nearly double the fuel efficiency attained by conventional internal combustion engines. At the heart...

  • Cerberus joins Ford PAG sale rumor mill
    Cerberus joins Ford PAG sale rumor mill

    The Jaguar and Land Rover brands may be next in line to be acquired by American private equity firm Cerberus, which recently bought the struggling Chrysler Group from its German parent. According to a report from German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Cerberus is interested in...

  • ZF's new torque vectoring rear axle
    ZF's new torque vectoring rear axle

    Automotive supplier ZF has created a new torque vectoring rear axle drive system that has been designed to distribute drive torque individually between a car's rear wheels. This is said to improve agility and stabilize the vehicle, while also providing better handling in critical situations. When...

  • Is PSA planning a premium brand?
    Is PSA planning a premium brand?

    Peugeot-Citroen may revive the Panhard brand for a new range of premium vehicles based on shared platforms. The strategy has worked extremely well for Toyota and Lexus and PSA hopes to increase profits by implementing something similar. Panhard, for those of you too young to remember, was a large...

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