Car News
-
Automotive quiz question: Which automaker has had the worst engine on the market for, oh, the last decade or so? Surprisingly, the answer is Lexus. The Japanese luxury brand's 2.5-liter V-6 offered little in the way of power, and made up for that shortcoming by delivering mediocre fuel economy. And yet, some 80 percent of IS sport sedan buyers chose it over the much stronger and not much thirstier 3.5-liter V-6. That changes for the 2016 model year. The 2.5 has finally been thrown onto the scrapheap of history where it can wallow with Chrysler's 3.7-liter V-6 and Nissan's supercharged...
-
VW may buy back diesels, offer $5,000 to ownersAccording to a report from Reuters, Volkswagen and United States regulators have reached an agreement on the "Dieselgate" issue that has plagued the company for months. The deal could involve buying back up to 500,000 diesel cars in the U.S. The official announcement is expected tomorrow, the day...
Kirk Bell -
How to change your spark plugsIt's been fun learning more about how cars work with Engineering Explained. Now, though, it's time to dive into some basic maintenance tips that will help you grow ever closer with your own machine. Working on your own car can be a joy, but it can also be a pain in the backside, which is why so...
Jeff Glucker -
The Ford Mustang is your global sports car sales leaderThe world has spoken. It has used its various forms of currency to declare the Ford Mustang as the best selling sports car on the planet. Last year marked the first time that the Mustang has ventured out into the world at large. As a result, more than 140,000 people snapped them up and embraced the...
Jeff Glucker -
2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia previewBy now you’re probably tired of reading about Alfa Romeo’s new Giulia, whose introduction in the United States seems to be taking forever. Recall Alfa Romeo showed us the Giulia—in high-performance Quadrifoglio trim—for the first time in the summer of 2015. The good news is...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Ford GT racks up more than 7,000 applicationsFord Motor Company [NYSE:F] last week fired up the ordering process for its new GT supercar. The process involves filling out a lengthy online application form at the website www.FordGT.com, which Ford will then vet to determine who the limited run of GTs to be produced will end up with. ALSO SEE...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Buick will start selling this summer a mid-size crossover SUV sourced from China. The crossover is called the Envision and starts at a hefty $42,995. Lower-cost versions will arrive by the end of the year, though. Yesterday Alfa Romeo finally started production of its long-awaited Giulia. The stylish sports sedan should be in showrooms in the third quarter of the year, though initially it will only be available in 505-horsepower Quadrifoglio trim. A prototype for BMW’s next-generation X3 has been spotted and this time we have video footage. The new X3 will be the first SUV to ride on...
-
2017 Aston Martin Vantage previewThe Aston Martin Vantage is on its way out after a run that’s lasted more than a decade. The car was first previewed in concept form as far back as 2003 and made its debut two years later as a 2006 model. A successor is coming next year, one based on the all-new platform debuting in the 2017...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2016 Buick Envision starts at $42,995, lower-cost versions coming for 2017Buick’s made-in-China Envision crossover SUV goes on sale this summer. It arrives as a 2016 model and only in two well-equipped but pricey options. The good news is lower-cost options will be offered once the 2017 model arrives in the fall. The base option for 2016 is the Envision Premium I...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Mazzanti EV-R stops from 186 mph in 7.0 seconds thanks to carbon brakesFresh from an appearance with its updated Evantra supercar at the 2016 Top Marques Monaco, Mazzanti has released a video teasing its next major announcement. That next announcement will be the reveal of a new, much more potent version of the Evantra code-named the EV-R. The car is due for its world...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Alfa Romeo Giulia production gets underway in ItalyThe 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia is finally in production. The first examples rolled off the line yesterday at a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles [NYSE:FCAU] plant in Piedimonte San Germano, Italy. The first car off the line was a dark gray example of the base Giulia. Production of Giulia sedans for the United...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Tesla to offer free Autopilot month-long trial for current ownersOwners of Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] Model S and Model X electric vehicles who didn't pony up for the automaker's Autopilot semi-autonomous system can test it out for a month for free. If they like it, they can add the software—the hardware is already there—for $3,000. The prize for...
Andrew Ganz -
A new report suggests Jaguar is looking at shoehorning a V-8 engine, presumably a supercharged one at that, into its new F-Pace crossover SUV. The F-Pace is Jaguar's first high-riding model, and while the brand says it has given up on wagons based on sedans, that doesn't mean that it has no intentions of making a high performance crossover to square off against rivals from BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz, among others. Car and Driver reports that Jaguar's SVO (Special Vehicle Operations) division is hard at work on a new F-Pace range-topper that would offer considerably more power than the...
-
Dutch look to ban gas, diesel car sales by 2025The parliament of the Netherlands has passed a motion which would require that all new cars sold by 2025 will have to be electrified in some way, rather than fueled solely by gasoline or diesel. The Dutch government hasn't yet banned gas and diesel-powered cars, however, and the motion does allow...
Andrew Ganz -
2016 Porsche 911 R hits the streets of MonacoPorsche plans to build just 991 examples of its new, back-to-basics, naturally-aspirated 911 R, possibly including these four spotted recently driving around Monaco. It's not clear what the 911 Rs were doing there, but it appears by the dirt and road grime collected on them that they had been...
Andrew Ganz -
50th Anniversary Camaro SS named official pace car of 2016 Indy 500The Chevrolet Camaro turns 50 this year—the actual anniversary is September 26—and as part of the celebrations a special anniversary version of the current, sixth-generation model will serve as official pace car for the 2016 Indianapolis 500. It will be the ninth time a Camaro has paced...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2017 Audi R8, 2017 Lexus IS, 2017 Mercedes-Benz SLC: Today’s Car NewsWe’ve now spent considerable time with the second-generation Audi R8. For our latest drive we took to North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. We concluded the trip with some time spent at the Daytona International Speedway where we could fully unleash the supercar’s 610 horsepower...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Ford's F-150 pickup reports for police dutyPerpetrators now have another vehicle to look out for. The Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] F-150, America's best-selling vehicle, will soon be available in a police-oriented configuration. The F-150 Special Service Vehicle fulfills a unique duty for police departments in need of something both capable...
Andrew Ganz -
Apple in recent years has been poaching staff from the auto industry, including from firms such as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles [NYSE:FCAU], Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] and battery supplier A123 Systems. This has all led to speculation the tech giant is developing its own car. The latest out of the rumor mill is that Apple has established a secret lab in Berlin and hired top staff from Germany’s auto industry to help develop a car, whose code name has previously been reported to be Project Titan. Frankfurter Allgemeine, citing an anonymous source, reports that around 15 to 20 staff with...
-
2017 Mercedes-Benz SLC first drive reviewRoadsters like the 2017 Mercedes-Benz SLC aren’t exactly in vogue right now. The Honda S2000 faded away a few years ago. BMW Z4 sales have fizzled to levels far below those of the more expensive 6-Series Convertible. Porsche’s pushed the Boxster upmarket. And the only bright spot on the...
Bengt Halvorson -
Legal tussle involving Victoria's Secret boss and classic Ferrari finally settledA legal tussle involving the billionaire boss of the Victoria's Secret underwear brand and auction house Bonhams over a rare Ferrari [NYSE:RACE] has been settled after 18 months. Les Wexner, Chairman and CEO of L Brands, which owns Victoria's Secret, was the highest bidder of a 1954 Ferrari...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Lexus to debut updated IS at 2016 Beijing Auto ShowThe IS sports sedan is a crucial model for Lexus as it tends to be the brand’s third best-seller. Last year Lexus sold 46,430 examples in the United States, compared to 64,969 examples of the ES and 100,610 examples of the RX. Given its importance, it’s no surprise Lexus has continued...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Feds seeking forfeiture of luxury cars being exported to ChinaBack in 2012, a couple in Memphis, Tennessee found out the hard way that U.S. Customs and Homeland Security agents, not to mention automakers themselves, are paying close attention to what's leaving American ports. The feds in 2012 seized a dozen BMW X5s being exported by Yifan Kong and his wife...
Andrew Ganz -
Jaguar won’t do wagons anymore, says design chief--updateUpdate: Jaguar Design Director Ian Callum said he was misquoted in the "Automotive News" article claiming he had ruled out Jaguar ever launching another wagon. Full details here. Jaguar is done with wagons, the automaker's head designer says. "The [wagon] market is massively shrinking," Jaguar...
Andrew Ganz