SUVs
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Toyota is building battery plants as fast as it can to help it meet its goal of putting a million hybrids on the street each year by 2010. GM is considering buying out its troubled battery supplier, Cobasys. Now Chrysler and General Electric are considering teaming up to develop the technology that will underpin a next-generation plug-in hybrid. Built around GE's dual-battery energy storage system, which has been used at the heart of a hybrid railroad locomotive that generates 6,000hp, the new car would help GE explore the technology's real-world applications while providing a much-needed...
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Fuel crunch pushes Nissan to build more cars, fewer pickupsAlthough Nissan hasn't been as hard-hit by the downturn in the American car market as the domestic manufacturers, it is still moving to shift production from its Titan and Armada to the Altima sedan. Nissan's May sales were up 8.4% across all models, but the Titan and Armada dropped over 50% each...
Nelson Ireson -
Arden Range Rover AR7 packs 520hp punchElegance, discreet sportiness and understatement have always been characteristics of British cars. However German tuning house Arden hasn’t quite taken these into consideration while tuning Land Rover’s Range Rover, giving it an aggressive new look and the performance to match. The...
Ralph Hanson -
All 2009 Cadillac Escalades get E85 FlexFuel capabilityOne of the biggest vehicles on the road is now available with flex-fuel capability across the range following the announcement on Friday that all 2009 Cadillac Escalades will be able to run on E85 ethanol blended fuel as well as petrol or any combination of the two. Cadillac won’t be charging...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Infiniti announces U.S. pricing for 2009 FX lineParent company Nissan saw sales growth of nearly 6% in May while the luxury Infiniti brand slipped by a similar amount. The new G37 Coupe and EX crossover sold well, however, and similar hopes are held for the recently announced FX. Pricing details of the new model have just been revealed ahead of...
Nelson Ireson -
Update: Mercedes adds G55 AMG to facelifted G-Class rangeUpdated: Less than a week after the updated G-Class range was first revealed, Mercedes-Benz has taken the covers off its new 2009 G55 AMG performance SUV. Like the regular G-Class fleet, the new model sports a 5.5L V8 engine but thanks to the addition of a supercharger and a new ECU power is bumped...
Alex Kaufmann -
Despite having to drastically cut its SUV and pickup truck production in North America and shutdown several plants, GM CEO Rick Wagoner has defended criticism that Detroit’s carmakers have relied too heavily on SUV and truck sales and have been reluctant to develop more compact vehicles. Speaking with the Financial Times, Wagoner pointed out that Japanese carmakers spent more than a decade trying to compete in the fullsize SUV and truck market, singling out Toyota, which he claims spent billions of dollars to develop and market its Tundra just before demand for such vehicles died. Light...
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More details on BMW's future compact SUVsConsumers may be turning away from fullsize SUVs in most parts of the world but that doesn’t mean they’re completely turned-off by the SUV concept. Carmakers are counting on consumers who still want the taller seating position and better visibility, AWD safety and practical interiors...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Nissan releases official teaser for 2010 compact SUVNissan has confirmed it will launch a new compact SUV model in 2010 that will be manufactured at its Sunderland plant in the UK alongside the current Qashqai crossover. The decision was announced following a visit today by the British Prime Minister to the site and the promise of a £6.2 million...
Kenneth Hall -
Hybrid SUVs proving to be hard sell for U.S. carmakersThe Detroit 3 have been berated from every direction for failing to anticipate the growth in sales of fuel-efficient vehicles, and now the trio are engaged in an uphill battle to reclaim market share largely lost to foreign rivals that offer a range of compact models and advanced hybrids. Catching...
Ralph Hanson -
BMW to build X1 small SUV in Leipzig plantRising production costs and tighter margins are leading BMW to shift production of its vehicles to their most popular markets. Because BMW expects the X1 small SUV to sell primarily in Europe, and especially Germany, the company has announced it will produce it at the Leipzig plant. The X1 small...
Nelson Ireson -
Porsche testing Cayenne diesel ahead of 2009 launchPorsche has stated in the past it would not fit any diesel powerplants to its cars but with toughening fuel economy and emissions regulations looming in both the U.S. and Europe the sports carmaker may not have a choice. Industry experts are predicting Porsche will use an upgraded Audi V6...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
The PanTerra Concept created by Australian designer Filip Tejszerski has taken top honors at this year’s Californian Off-Road Machine design competition organized by Local Motors. The goal for designers was to create an ‘exciting design for an exceptionally capable off-road vehicle which is also functionally practically.’ Tejszerski’s PanTerra was picked because of its combination of functionality and all-around comfort and style. The new design will now enter a finals competition that will conclude on the 17th of June and includes a $10,000 cash prize. Other strong...
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Ford cuts pickup and SUV production as demand dropsAs GM moves to boost production to recover what was lost to the American Axle strike, Ford is cutting back its output of pickups and SUVs in the face of rising fuel prices in the U.S. Sales of the spacious and functional yet very thirsty vehicles have dropped sharply and consumers and businesses...
Nelson Ireson -
GM study attempts to predict future of SUV and pickupsAs sales of heavy SUVs and pickups continue to dwindle and at the same time pull down the market share of the Detroit 3, product planners are now contemplating the final demise of truck-based designs and doing as much as they can to pick up the pieces. We saw earlier today that Ford is planning to...
Ralph Hanson -
GM may end truck-based SUV designSharp increases in demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles has seen customers ditch cumbersome fullsize SUVs in droves. For years, American carmakers had a stranglehold on the market for gas-guzzling SUVs and pickups, but as sales dwindle and market share continues to erode executives are keen to...
Ralph Hanson -
Obama dismisses fuel tax holiday, blames SUVs for Detroit 3 woesPresidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama has slammed pleas from opponent Hillary Clinton to grant a summer holiday from federal fuel taxes. Obama defended his position, stating that America's dependence on foreign oil was the product of a greedy domestic auto industry and reducing the tax will...
Kenneth Hall -
Spy Shots: Land Rover LR3 Packing 5.0-Liter V-8With all the commotion and buzz over recent spy images of a high-performance Range Rover and Range Rover Sport testing at the Nurburgring it’s easy to forget Land Rover’s smaller Discovery 3 SUV is also due for an update. Exterior-wise the update will only be a minor one but according...
Siddarth Raja -
The new Audi Q5 was revealed less than a month ago but already we have images of the new S-Line package from quattro GmbH for the midsize SUV. The S-Line pack helps to improve the Q5’s handling thanks to the addition of a stiffened suspension kit as well as optional 20in alloy wheels wrapped in 255mm performance tires. Other modifications to the car’s exterior include black exterior window trim roof rails, a polished grille and matching mesh pattern air vents surrounding the fog lights. Inside, the car gets new sports seats with electrically adjustable lumbar support and layered...
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Land Rover turns 60When the original Land Rover Series 1 made its public debut at a motor show in Amsterdam back in 1948, few would have suspect the brand would go on to become a major player in the international luxury SUV market. Today, Land Rover features a five-model lineup and is selling vehicles at a record...
Alex Kaufmann -
Hongqi reveals SUV concept at Beijing auto showBucking the trend of China's copycat design regime, the Hongqi SUV concept revealed at this week's Beijing auto show is a fairly unique creation, and though it isn't groundbreaking, it's not a barely-disguised imitation either. Tending firmly toward the production-ready end of the concept car...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Honda unveils new Li Nian budget brandHonda has given us the first taste of its new budget brand with the unveiling of an unnamed hatchback concept at this weekend’s Beijing Motor Show. The new brand is designed along the lines of Toyota’s Scion sub-brand and will be testing the waters in emerging markets such as China and...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Porsche boosts power for Cayenne Turbo SPorsche has updated its Cayenne range with the addition of the most powerful model yet, the 2009 model Turbo S powered by a 550hp (404kW) forced induction 4.8L V8 engine. The Turbo S’s enhanced performance relative to that of the regular Turbo model is due to its modified exhaust system and...
Ralph Hanson -
Mercedes-Benz GLK revealed ahead of Beijing debutUpdated: New images The new Mercedes-Benz GLK is set to make its debut at this weekend’s Beijing Motor Show but the first images and details of the car have already been leaked. The compact SUV was first previewed at the Detroit Auto Show back in January in concept form and as expected the final...
Ralph Hanson