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Toyota may be the world's biggest carmaker but that title appears more and more likely to pass on to Volkswagen as the Japanese carmaker announces another round of production cuts and plans to change up to 40% of its senior management. The news comes as Toyota reports its first operating loss in 71 years, as well as its lowest production rates in seven years as the financial crisis continues to provide difficult business conditions. First and foremost will be the appointment next month of the grandson of Toyota's founder, Akio Toyoda, as the company’s new CEO. Toyoda will replace...
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Mini celebrates 50 years with special Beatles ‘Magical Mystery Tour' Cooper SMini is resurrecting one of its most famous models, a car that once belonged to Beatles member George Harrison. Decked out in psychedelic paintings, the legendary Beatle Mini Cooper appeared in the rock group’s 'Magical Mystery Tour', and now Mini is dedicating a reinterpretation of...
Jeremy Weber -
Ford offers 100,000 test drives of new Fiesta in lead up to next year’s U.S. launchFord's new Fiesta won’t be arriving in local showrooms until early next year, but the company is pulling out all the stops to promote the small car with various social marketing campaigns to build excitement. To further this, the Blue Oval has announced that it has set a goal to get 100,000...
James Martinez -
Flying cash stops traffic in GermanyIn a new case of a driver having more dollars than sense, or in this instance more Euros, a 23-year old man in Germany managed to shutdown a highway when an envelope full of cash he was carrying sprayed all over the road. The man was out testing an Audi A3 Cabrio and carelessly left the envelope of...
Alex Kaufmann -
Chrysler reveals more details on plans to cut 789 dealers by June 9Cutting back production and right-sizing brands and lineups is just one aspect of the restructuring underway at the hands of the U.S. federal government. Earlier this week hard cuts in both labor and dealership numbers were discussed, foreshadowing the next steps to come, and today a Chrysler memo...
Ralph Hanson -
Wimmer custom Porsche GT2 puts down 680hpWith the tight tolerances, high-quality materials and top-level engineering that goes into today's cars, there's often a surprising amount of potential left inside their engines. It appears the Porsche GT2 is no exception, with the tuners at Wimmer Rennsporttechnik Solingen finding another 150hp...
Alex Kaufmann -
Staking out a very safe place as Ferrari's highest development of the production mid-engine V8 berlinetta - thus far, at least - the F430 has seen a five-year lifespan, and will soon be replaced. When the final car rolls off the line later this year, it will be auctioned off to support the people impacted by the recent earthquake at Abruzzo. The auction will be conducted by RM Auction this Sunday, May 17, and will be for the rights to the last F430, which will be painted with a unique two-tone livery in the colors of Aquila, the city hit hardest by the earthquake. Ferrari Chairman Luca di...
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Electric Volkswagen up! minicar coming in 2013Volkswagen's upcoming up! minicar project is destined to go electric but the first examples won’t be around until 2013. Currently, the up! is being developed with conventional petrol and diesel options and will be sold under various guises through the VW, Seat and Skoda brands by 2011. The...
Alex Kaufmann -
Renault joins Ferrari, threatens to quit F1 in 2010As was expected on Wednesday, Renault confirmed that it too is threatening to quit formula one over the budget cap issue. The Flavio Briatore-led outfit said it is the two-tier element of Max Mosley's 2010 rules that has caused its French parent to "reconsider its entry in next year's" world...
Ralph Hanson -
Better Place shows off its automated EV battery switching stationShai Agassi's ambitious Better Place project has been rolling out plans for test-market EVs around the world for over a year now, and today the project took a huge leap forward with the demonstration of its first automated battery swapping station. The proof-of-concept facility was demonstrated in...
Nelson Ireson -
Crooked Lamborghini dealer pleads guilty to fraudYou may recall in November of last year the biggest Lamborghini dealership in the world, the prestigious Lamborghini Orange County, suddenly shut its doors without any reason apart from speculation that the owner was involved in several unsuccessful side-ventures. It appears there was a great deal...
James Martinez -
Volkswagen Reveals Smaller Engines For Golf And Polo Range At Vienna Motor SymposiumWhile the horsepower wars may or may not be over, the efficiency wars are just shifting into high gear, with every carmaker on the planet searching for ways to get more power for less fuel. Volkswagen is well-positioned to break new ground in the segment, and it has unveiled a pair of new engines...
Alex Kaufmann -
As predicted as the budget cap row escalates, Ferrari’s Board of Directors, chaired by Luca di Montezemolo, has confirmed that the Italian company won’t be competing in Formula 1 next year. The announcement comes following the FIA’s decision to introduce two different sets of regulations based on arbitrary technical rules and economic parameters. Ferrari considers that if this ‘two-tier’ system for Formula 1 remains, then the company’s uninterrupted participation in the sport over the last 60 years – the only constructor to have taken part ever since...
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AEV making Jeep J8 MILSPEC available for U.S. civiliansImagine it: the sheer irony of a Jeep - the quintessential American military vehicle - being available only to foreign militaries and governments. Until American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) stepped in to supply the Jeep J8 to regular people, that's exactly how things stood. But now American civilians...
Nelson Ireson -
Toyota could have hydrogen fuel-cell car on the road by 2014Honda's FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle has grabbed lots of headlines, as has BMW's combustion-powered Hydrogen7 and Mazda's rotary RE line of vehicles, including the RX-8. But Toyota is working on a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle too, and it could be on the streets by 2014. Well, the streets of...
Kenneth Hall -
Nissan loses $2.4 billion in 2008, Mazda down $736 millionRenault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has often been praised for his job turning around the two companies nearly a decade ago, and since then Nissan has shown nothing but profits. But in 2008, Nissan returned its first loss in 8 years, showing $2.4 billion in the red. Operating losses were a somewhat...
Nelson Ireson -
Study finds burning crops for electricity more efficient than converting to biofuelHybrid and electric cars are often criticized for the fact that they still use electricity generated by fossil fuels, and often environmental groups will advocate the use of biomass-powered cars, such as ethanol vehicles, as opposed to the electrics. Now, however, a study run by Stanford biology...
Ralph Hanson -
GM's OnStar will automatically give 911 services your location in emergency situationGeneral Motors' OnStar in-car information service can already automatically slow down a stolen vehicle, as well as monitor traffic situations in real time. Now, GM has upgraded the functionality of OnStar to electronically transmit a vehicle’s precise longitude and latitude co-ordinates...
James Martinez -
Porsche itself has recently gotten into the game of modifying its Cayenne SUV, so it's no wonder the vehicle has been a favorite of the tuner crowd for years. Though MAFF Design's latest creation may not have the exclusivity of the GTS Design Edition 3 revealed earlier in the year, it does have a flavor all its own. Based on the 957 Porsche Cayenne, the MAFF Design Muron is primarily an appearance upgrade program. LED daytime running lights, an aggressive front, side and rear body kit with flared and vented fender wells to house the widened track. That's right, MAFF Design did do some...
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First Lamborghini LP560-4 Spyder raises $270,000 for charity auctionAuctioning off hot cars for good causes never gets old, and further proof of that fact came this past weekend as the 16th Annual Race to Erase MS charity event in Los Angeles auctioned off the first Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder. The car, a unique Spyder ordered especially for the even six...
Nelson Ireson -
New Chrysler vehicles won't just be rebadged FiatsChrysler and Fiat have already tied the knot but now questions are emerging as to how the two companies will conceive new Chrysler vehicles based on Fiat's current stock. A Chrysler-Fiat vehicle won't just feature a Chrysler badge slapped on the bonnet, but instead it will have to be re-engineered...
James Martinez -
No Chance Of Super Aguri F1 ReturnThere is "absolutely no chance" that Super Aguri could return to formula one even with a low budget cap next year. That is the insistence of co-owner Fumio Akita, despite former co-owner and team boss Aguri Suzuki recently suggesting to Japanese press that he is interested in reviving the collapsed...
Jeremy Weber -
American launch of Fiat 500 may pave way for Ford KaAs Wall Street tumbles and Americans deal with the tough times, Ford is eying its global minicar, the Ka, for U.S. sale. The car had previously been rejected as incompatible with the American taste for large, powerful vehicles, but with the signing of the Fiat-Chrysler alliance earlier this month a...
Nelson Ireson -
New cars are the most affordable on recordThe purchase of an average-priced new vehicle took only 21.5 weeks of median family income in the first quarter 2009, according to Comerica Bank's Auto Affordability Index. This reading is down 1.3 weeks from the fourth quarter of last year, which is quite a substantial change over such a short...
Ralph Hanson