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Few automakers still build each element of a car by hand, four at a time, in a single workshop, and end up with a product anywhere near the league of the Pagani Zonda, but the Italian supercar brand has decided to one-up itself with the introduction of the Zonda R. Adding more performance, power and reducing weight even further, the Zonda R promises not just the luxury and quality of a hand-built supercar, but the outright performance of a race car. Powered by a very hot variant of the 7.3-liter AMG V-12 engine that underpins several other Zondas, the R model is an extreme...
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Obama, task force want to offer more help to U.S. industryNo one really knows what to make of the auto market right now, least of all the industry itself. Fiat is forecasting blue skies, GM is on the brink of failing to meet a restructuring deadline, and Ford is still chartering private jets - but President Obama and the task force on the industry are...
Ralph Hanson -
Fiesta Movement hits U.S. shores as sales in Europe, Asia remain strongFresh from a trip to number two on Europe's sales charts and a journey across the Atlantic Ocean, Ford's new Fiesta hatch has begun arriving on American shores. One-hundred forty of the cars made the trip over from the factory in Cologne, Germany. Ford's Fiesta Movement program is an experiment...
Nelson Ireson -
Tesla unveils the Model S electric sedanTesla's first all-original car, the upcoming Model S plug-in electric sedan, has just been unveiled. The surprisingly attractive vehicle also offers very good performance and, when technological features are taken into consideration, almost impossible value. The prototype was unveiled today at...
Nelson Ireson -
New Details On SAIC's Upcoming MG ModelsThe long-awaited resurrection of MG in the UK finally got underway late last year with the construction of MG TF roadsers at the Longbridge, UK plant. Last September SAIC announced it would be expanding the MG lineup with three new cars, and now the company has revealed the first will be coming by...
Ralph Hanson -
Ecclestone: Formula 1 could hatch three new teams for 2010After Super Aguri left the grid abruptly last season and Honda F1 announced its own pull-out - only to be re-formed as Brawn GP - and Toyota was considering withdrawal as well, confidence in the future of Formula 1 was at a low point. Since then, a host of rule changes and some very interesting...
Kenneth Hall -
For some time now the American environmental movement, especially in regards to CO2 emissions from cars, has been held back by state-specific legislation that makes it difficult to demand uniform change across the nation. A new proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), however, calling for the declaration of CO2 and other greenhouse gases as a 'public danger' may be the first step in creating a national emissions framework. The EPA submitted the proposal to the White House on Friday, and in an interview with The Detroit News government spokesman Robert Gibbs said president...
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BMW Z2 Roadster To Highlight New Project i FamilyIn March of 2008 BMW first announced plans to establish a new research division called ‘Project i,’ whose task would be to develop a number of solutions for a vehicle designed for congested city motoring. The goal of Project i was never to exclusively develop one type of vehicle or...
Ralph Hanson -
G-Power goes the supercharging route for new BMW X5 TyphoonGerman tuner G-Power is known for its lack of restraint when it comes to modifying BMWs – the firm’s modified M5 currently holds the title of the world's fastest street-legal sedan. Now, G-Power has turned its focus to another BMW stablemate, the X5 SUV. Known as the Typhoon, the...
Alex Kaufmann -
Volvo phases out S60 sedan in lead up to all-new modelProduction of the Volvo S60 is coming to an end as the current model will soon be phased out in the lead up to an all-new model due next year. Production of the car at Volvo’s plant in Ghent, Belgium, is scheduled to end next month, marking the end of a eight year product cycle that saw more...
Kenneth Hall -
More details on Volkswagen’s next-generation PassatVolkswagen's next-generation Passat is expected to up the stakes against Germany’s luxury carmakers, with the car’s designers hoping it will be mentioned in the same breath as the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes Benz C-Class and Audi A4. Under the hood, a replacement for the VR6 engine will be...
Jeremy Weber -
Audi celebrates 100 years with unique Tachoscope timepieceCelebrating an anniversary with a timepiece is a classic tradition, one symbolic of the years that have led to the moment. Audi's celebration of its 100th anniversary is no different, capturing the moment with a custom watch built in cooperation with Chronoswiss. The watch, called 'Tachoscope'...
Kenneth Hall -
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 JE Design's latest creation may not have the exclusivity of the GTS Design Edition 3 revealed today, it does have a flavor all its own. Based on the 957 Porsche Cayenne, the JE Design Progressor 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, JE Design did do some mechanical work on the...
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Fiat CEO says market is recovering, leaves Chrysler decision to Task ForceChrysler might seem like the ugly girl at the dance right now, but Fiat wants to partner up for the long haul, and it thinks it has made a strong case to be allowed to do it. While the company leaves the decision up to President Obama's Task Force on the Auto Industry, Marchionne has turned his...
Nelson Ireson -
Hyundai previews Blue-Will plug-in hybrid conceptHyundai is determined to turn itself into a leader in hybrid technologies and has already unveiled a number of hybrid concepts, including an LPG version, as well as a fuel-cell vehicle. This time around Hyundai is expanding into the burgeoning plug-in hybrid segment, and will be presenting a new...
Jeremy Weber -
Spy shots: First test-mules for Ford’s global Focus?In Europe, the Ford Focus is an affordable, well-engineered and stylish small car available in hatch, sedan, wagon and convertible bodystyles. The car is also available with a number of options, including dual-clutch transmissions, flex-fuel engines, a folding hard top roof (convertible models...
Jeremy Weber -
Toyota and Honda continue cutting output as Japan's sales head for 32-year lowIn the highly reflexive world of modern markets, forecasts are often self-fulfilling, and that's just more reason to fear the word coming out of Tokyo today. The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) is predicting the worst sales in 32 years for 2009, and already Toyota and Honda have...
Kenneth Hall -
Ford cuts Mulally's pay package 37%, but still using private jetsThere's been a lot of public and media outcry over the big salaries and swank travel and accommodations of Ford's top men, especially with the ready contrast of General Motors' Rick Wagoner and Chrysler's Bob Nardelli, both taking commercial flights and $1 salaries. But there's a side to the story...
Ralph Hanson -
While Audi’s new TT RS was on display at the recent Geneva Motor Show, only the Coupe variant was showcased even though images and technical details for both the Coupe and Roadster have been available for some time. That is because the first public outing for the TT RS Roadster is scheduled for next week’s Leipzig Motor Show in Germany, where it will be joined by the A4 Allroad quattro, A5 Cabriolet and R8 V10 FSI. Like the TT RS Coupe, the Roadster variant features a 340hp (250kW) five-cylinder petrol engine with direct-injection and turbocharging technologies. This will see it...
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Opel waters down Astra OPC Nurburgring 24 endurance race car for the streetThe Astra hatch is approaching the end of its product cycle, but in the lead up to the arrival of an all-new model later this year Opel has seen fit to release one more special edition based on the sporty Coupe. Using last year’s 300hp (225kW) Nurburgring 24 Astra endurance race car as its...
Alex Kaufmann -
Audi A2 reaches concept stage, electric version in the worksMost major automakers are working on a new generation of compact vehicles to help meet tough emissions and fuel-economy standards set to roll in over the next couple of years. One of the most active in the industry is Audi, which is reportedly working on a handful of new models all positioned below...
James Martinez -
Report: Production Lexus LF-A and Toyota-Subaru coupe to debut at Tokyo Motor ShowThe supercar that almost wasnt, and still might not be - the Lexus LF-A, or LFA as it's known to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, recently underwent a special kind of exhibition in Milan during Fashion Week, and now it could be shown off in final form come October's Tokyo Motor Show. A report...
Alex Kaufmann -
Will It Bend? IIHS Reveals First Round Of Tests Under New Roof Rating SystemCrash testing brand-new vehicles may rub the Puritan ethic the wrong way, but it's the only sure way to find out just what a car is capable of in terms of protecting its occupants. Today a new round of testing by the IIHS reveals how the first batch of small SUVs holds up under new roof-strength...
Ralph Hanson -
U.S. consumers may be able to buy Nissan EVs by next yearIt's not often that major automakers push production dates ahead in time rather than back, especially with the current economic conditions, but Nissan might be doing just that with its electric vehicle program. While earlier Nissan was claiming that its first mass-produced electric vehicle would...
Ralph Hanson