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General Motors has its hands full building out the first 14,000 pre-ordered Camaros for the next several months, but if just have to have that new muscle car and you aren't one of the lucky horde, don't despair. Chevrolet has a site just for you. The online build process is simple - pick one of the five available basic trim packages - three V6s, two V8s - add your options, and find a dealer. Of course, with all of the first few months of production pre-ordered, that means finding a dealer to order one for you, but in the mean time you can fine-tune the car to get exactly what you want from...
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Ferrari announces record 2008 profits, retirement of Jean TodtFollowing a record first-quarter profit for Ferrari, the slowing global economy and tightening credit markets slammed into the car industry and ground what had looked like a promising year to a halt. There was talk of tough times at Ferrari. But Ferrari's ledger sheet still looks bright, says the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Lexmaul pumps up the Vectra, adds flex-fuel capabilityEthanol is a hot topic among biofuels advocates - and opponents - and green-car fiends alike, but it has a long tradition as a performance fuel as well. Lexmaul taps into that tradition with their latest Vectra, converting the car to E85 flex-fuel capability for extra performance. The CO2 savings...
Alex Kaufmann -
Report: Mini Planning John Cooper Works CrossoverHeating up the hot hatch world has become a game of diminishing returns - finding a way to fit 300hp, smart looks and a roomy interior all into an affordable price tag is not easy. But Mini has decided to take a new tack: turning the Cooper into a crossover, and maybe even adding diesel into the...
Nelson Ireson -
eBay watch: World’s fastest production car up for saleIt may not be as flash or luxurious as the Bugatti Veyron, but the Ultimate Aero TT from America’s Shelby SuperCars (SSC) is currently listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest production car on the planet. The car’s official top speed of 255.83mph (411.76km/h) -...
Ralph Hanson -
Ecotricity's electric sports car nearing productionEnvironmentally friendly electrical utilities company Ecotricity has been selling green electricity for over a decade, but its founder Dale Vince has decided to take on a more ambitious project: to build a good looking, "wind-powered" electric sports car. Currently, Vince is working with a team of...
Ralph Hanson -
Executives of the Toyota Motor Corporation considered following fellow struggling Japanese carmaker out of Formula 1, a top chief of the Cologne based team has admitted. Tadashi Yamashina, team principal and chairman of the marque's motor racing arm Toyota Motorsport GmbH, told a news conference that the global financial crisis led Tokyo based officials to consider reducing costs by pulling out of the sport. "I stressed again and again in the company's executive board meetings there was no way we should pull out, although we have to drastically cut our costs," he is quoted as saying by the...
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Vorsteiner goes for racing look with new 'V-RT' kit for the Porsche 911 TurboCalifornia’s Vorsteiner Race Technologies has created yet another bodykit for the 997 Porsche 911, but while the firm’s previous kits were for the more mundane Carrera, the latest has been designed exclusively for the high-performance Turbo. After painstakingly forging the design of the...
James Martinez -
Smart dealers left holding the bag on canceled ordersNews of blockbuster sales and pre-orders of the Smart ForTwo in the U.S. last year is being tempered today with the revelation that a large number of depositors that had reserved cars are now backing out. With the economy still circling the drain and a great deal of uncertainty in many people's...
Alex Kaufmann -
Inden Design releases 680hp White Angel SL 65 AMGIt is the the chromatic opposite of AMG's own SL 65 Black Edition, but it comes out remarkably similar on paper. A generous 680hp (507kW) unleashes the potential of the SL 65 AMG, exceeding output of the Black edition by almost 20hp (15kW). The SL 65s are known for being a bit heavy, however, with...
Alex Kaufmann -
Chevy launches new Camaro site, releases full details as production startsThe 2010 Chevrolet Camaro starts production today, and the company is celebrating the kick off of production of the 14,000 cars already pre-ordered. Rated at a stellar-for-its-niche 29mpg highway by the EPA, the all-new Camaro is now the most fuel efficient muscle car soon to hit the market. In...
Nelson Ireson -
Hyundai Genesis Coupe sales off to a good start, already outpacing SedanTraditionally, coupe variants of mainstream sedans sell in much lower numbers than the four-doors on which are they based, but in the case of the new 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe the opposite is true. Sales of the Coupe have been extremely strong, even outpacing that of its sedan sibling despite...
Ralph Hanson -
If the futurism of the 1950s and 1960s taught us anything as a culture, it's that what seems a sure thing today may prove laughably optimistic in a few decades. Stefan Jacoby, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, thinks a similar situation is playing out with electric cars today. Jacoby's main problems with a near-term mainstream electric vehicle (EV) reality are practical ones: infrastructure, affordability and safety. "What would happen if 50 million new electric customers would plug their electric cars in an electric socket?" Jacoby asked Automotive News. "There is no country on earth that...
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Ford, Chrysler say GM should get more out of CAWFord is projecting the strongest image of the Detroit 3 at the moment due to its refusal to seek government loans, but it says the deal General Motors and the CAW reached won't be good enough to keep Ford competitive in Canada. GM, on the other hand, seems pleased with its deal, and has announced...
Ralph Hanson -
Sam Hubinette drifts the Lamborghini LP670-4 SuperVeloceNo one doubts the credibility of Lamborghini's most performance-focused vehicles, whether on the street, the track or environmentally conditioned multi-story garage. But knowing they are impressive and seeing how impressive they can be with a talented driver behind the wheel are two different...
Ralph Hanson -
First Volvo S80L long-wheelbase sedans roll off the line in ChinaLast November Volvo announced it would release a long-wheelbase version of the S80 sedan for the Chinese market, and today that car has begun sales. There are no expectations the car will be available outside of China, following a trend of other carmakers in building unique limos for the country...
Jeremy Weber -
GM dealers not ordering new cars due to uncertain brand futuresIn what is set to become a terrible domino effect, lagging demand for new cars and an uncertain future at Hummer, Saturn and Saab dealerships is leading to an inventory pile up. That, in turn, means dealers are ordering no new cars, driving General Motors' production schedule even further out of...
Ralph Hanson -
Lamborghini lets new LP650-4 Roadster out of the stableSpecial edition supercars are almost as plentiful as the base vehicles themselves these days, but hey, who's complaining? Lamborghini adds to the bounty today with the official unveiling of the Murcielago LP650-4 variant, a beefier, brawnier - and yes, even more aggressive - version of the standard...
Alex Kaufmann -
Fiat Group, Chrysler and its parent company Cerberus Capital Management in January released a joint statement announcing they had signed a non-binding term sheet to establish a global strategic alliance. The alliance, a key element of Chrysler’s viability plan, would provide the American carmaker with access to competitive, fuel-efficient vehicle platforms, new powertrains, and components to be produced at Chrysler manufacturing sites. Soon after the initial statement, rumors suggesting PSA Peugeot-Citroen could also be in merger talks with Fiat quickly emerged. Both companies have...
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Weight reduction and four-cylinder engines planned for next-gen Audi S4 and S5Audi took the risky step of replacing the V8 engine in its sporty S5 range with a new supercharged V6. Sure the six-cylinder mill is lighter and more fuel-efficient but what about the prestige of a V8, not to mention the smoothness and aural delight? Audi believes its customers, current and future...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Preview: Skoda Superb station wagonVolkswagen-owned Skoda doesn't get much press in the U.S. but over in Central and Eastern Europe it is one of the most popular automotive brands. Having launched new versions of its mainstream Octavia and Superb sedans in the past year, the company last week took the covers if its all-new Yeti...
Kenneth Hall -
MINI Clubman and Airstream trailer concept headed to Salone del Mobile in MilanWhat do you get when you combine a MINI Cooper S Clubman with a renowned furniture design company? An Airstream trailer concept, of course. Well, maybe the result isn't so obvious, but that's exactly what will be on display at the Salone del Mobile in Milan this April. The Republic of Fritz Hansen...
Nelson Ireson -
BMW announces new hydrogen tech that beats diesels for efficiencyHydrogen fuel is often derided as an impractical and inefficient solution - and for the most part, the critics are right. But BMW is forging ahead with its hydrogen-burning cars, today announcing a technological development that has raised thermal efficiency to 42% - one percent greater than...
Alex Kaufmann -
Chrysler threatens to pull out of CanadaGeneral Motors and Chrysler have told authorities in Canada they need as much as $8 billion in aid to stay afloat, more than double the original amount requested just three months ago, and in the latest twist Chrysler has threatened to pull out its operations if it does not receive the funds. The...
Ralph Hanson