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PSA Peugeot-Citroen and BMW currently build small engines together that the French auto giant uses for a number of compact hatchbacks and urban runabouts and BMW for its Mini range. There are now reports that the two companies are considering strengthening this agreement with plans to share whole platforms as well. The possibility was hinted at by BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer, who revealed BMW was talking to PSA about a deeper cooperation. Industry insiders told the Financial Times, however, that the luxury automaker was in "preliminary talks" about a future shared platform for the Mini model...
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GM Chairman wants to see models on sale ahead of schedule
In a market where only about 10 million cars are expected to be sold annually - down from 16 million last year - every tenth of a percent of market share counts. That's why Board of Directors Chairman Ed Whitacre sees a strong need to act quickly to prevent further market share erosion. Despite the...
Ralph Hanson -
Video: BMW’s new sub-brand to revive Isetta name?
For the older European readers out there, the mention of the words BMW Isetta probably conjures up nostalgic images of little, egg-shaped cars trundling around the city, with styling that looked possibly as cheerful and non-threatening as a car could ever get. Built in the 1950s and ‘60s, the...
Alex Kaufmann -
BMW rules out fourth brand, favors new "sub-brand"
Since the release of its official strategy in September of 2007, media sources around the world have been speculating that BMW was looking at either launching its own new brand or acquiring one to help expansion. BMW already has a foothold in the luxury and ultra-luxury segments with its BMW and...
Alex Kaufmann -
Ross Brawn could lose license for speeding in the UK
Ross Brawn could lose his license after police caught him doing 100mph in his Mercedes road car in a 70mph speed zone on the A30 (UK). Referring to the May 30 incident, his lawyers wrote to magistrates asking for a court adjournment because the Brawn GP team owner and boss is currently abroad. The...
Kenneth Hall -
Mercedes-Benz could be next to drop out of F1
The value of Mercedes' involvement in F1 is still the topic of debate within parent company Daimler, board member Helmut Lense insists. Earlier this year, Lense was quoted as suggesting that Mercedes should be pulled out of the sport in favor of more worthy projects. Now, in the wake of fellow...
Alex Kaufmann -
There's no shortage of customized or modified Aston Martins, Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches, but few go as all-out toward pure, unadulterated speed as the Elite LMV/R. Comparing its creation to Lamborghini's Superleggera cars or Ferrari's Scuderia and Stradale offerings, the Elite LMV/R, based on Aston Martin's Vantage, promises real performance through extensive modification. Named for Aston's history at Le Mans (the LMV/R stands for Le Mans Vintage Racer), the car is clearly aspiring toward streetable trackworthiness. The main change is a complete carbon fiber body kit, including front...
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HSV confirms September launch for new E-Series ‘2’ range
There's little chance they'll ever make the long journey from Australia to the U.S., but the muscle-car divisions of Detroit-heavyweights General Motors and Ford Down Under continue to churn out new, high-performance vehicles that we can only envy. The latest update from GM Holden's performance...
Jeremy Weber -
Nissan GT-R: Nurburgring speed demon and...rescue vehicle?
Picture it: you're halfway into a hot lap of the Nurburgring's Nordschleife, braking hard for the infamous Bergwerk turn when your peripheral vision catches a glimpse of the rear-view mirror and you realize that Viper you just passed is coming in way too hot and there's nowhere for you to go. The...
Ralph Hanson -
GM returns to luxury leasing
General Motors announced a new leasing program today with enhanced lease deals on select 2009 and 2010 Cadillac and Buick models as well as several GMC and Chevrolet models. The leases, offered by U.S. Bank, are part of a pilot program that includes select GM vehicles sold in New York, New Jersey...
Ralph Hanson -
47% of first 80,000 'cash for clunkers' sales from American brands
Ford may be the only American carmaker reporting a rise in sales for July, but Detroit's beleaguered trio didn't fare too badly - almost half of the fuel-efficient upgrades sold in the CARS 'cash for clunkers' bonanza were GM, Ford or Chrysler vehicles, according to the White House. Only little...
Ralph Hanson -
Turnaround reached? Ford announces first sales rise in 19 months
It's already August and the industry isn't expecting to see much more than 10 million sales, but Ford today announced it is up 2% overall and 9% in retail versus a year ago thanks in part to the government's CARS (aka 'cash for clunkers') program. Could this turnaround be the beginning of the...
Ralph Hanson -
Last year Ford built a custom Mustang dubbed the AV8R for the annual Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Gathering of Eagles festival, an event that saw the car eventually auctioned off for a princely sum of $500,000. For this year’s event Ford has built another stunner, once again based around an aviation theme, and once again raising a lot of money for young flight enthusiasts. Sign up: Get our best headlines every morning by email The latest car is called the AV-X10 Dearborn Doll and it’s based on the new 2010 Ford Mustang GT equipped with the glass roof option. It has been...
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Chrysler cars could get Fiat's efficient Multiair technology
Getting more out of the current generation of hardware is becoming increasingly important for the major carmakers as fuel and emissions standards tighten, but getting more power out of smaller, less expensive engines is also advantageous from a cost perspective. That's what makes Fiat's Multiair...
Nelson Ireson -
BMW picks Bosch and Samsung JV as Project i battery supplier
BMW's foray into the world of hybrids is expected to begin at some point this year with the release of a hybrid variant of the 7-series flagship and eventually the X5 and X6 SUVs as well. While development for those cars is mostly complete, BMW is preparing its next-generation of hybrids and...
Alex Kaufmann -
FPV unleashes F6 E executive muscle car on Aussie market
Ford's Australian-based performance division, Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) recently showed off its new F6 E concept - a high-powered, rear-wheel drive muscle car aimed at executive who likes luxurious surrounds while creating plumes of smoke with the rear tires. Today, FPV finally launched the...
Jeremy Weber -
Nissan lifts the covers off Leaf electric car
There's the Tesla Roadster and several three-wheeled electric vehicles for sale, but so far getting a purely electric-powered car to production with a standard car's features at a price the general public can afford has eluded the industry. Until the Nissan LEAF, that is. Or at least that's the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Foreign luxury carmakers could get loophole in upcoming fuel regulations
In May the White House unveiled a new fuel efficiency policy calling for 35.5mpg fleet averages by 2016, and almost immediately the carmakers began talking about how much it would cost them. But now it looks like the luxury carmakers in the U.S. - primarily foreign marques - could catch a break...
Alex Kaufmann -
The RWD Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni was just officially revealed a month ago, and now the company has released a video documenting Balboni's involvement with and influence on the car's design process, and how it reflects his 40 years of test-driving experience. At just shy of five minutes long, the video doesn't go into tremendous depth but with cut scenes of the car in serious sideways action and Valentino Balboni himself explaining the car, it adds a level of authenticity and perspective that might otherwise be lacking in the two-wheel drive Gallardo's image. But enough...
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Chrysler officially extends PT Cruiser's lifespan by another year
On the back of falling sales and a model run that has lasted more than nine years, Chrysler decided back in January to end production of the PT Cruiser by the middle of this year. In June, we brought you word that the retro-styled wagon would live on for at least another year, and now Chrysler has...
Ralph Hanson -
Subaru holding WRX games in California
Residents of California will be in for a treat this weekend when Subaru holds its first ever WRX games - an event that will feature a full day of Subarus and driving experiences. According to Todd Lawrence, the promotional manager for Subaru America, the WRX games will allow people to experience...
Jeremy Weber -
Gemballa adds Gold Edition to Mirage GT stable
Since 2006, Gemballa has been building custom interpretations of the Porsche Carrera GT supercar, making it perhaps the foremost Carrera GT tuner in the world. For its latest iteration, Gemballa has decided to relax the power output and focus on a decisively seductive gold finish. Some of...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Spy Shots: Grand Bentley Arnage Replacement
Today's Arnage is showing its age against modern ultra-luxury rivals like the Rolls Royce Phantom and Maybach saloons, but testing of a new model is well underway. Despite the head start of its rivals, Bentley is planning to pause almost a full year from this September before going into production...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
First Porsche Panameras reach U.S. soil
Whether you love it or loathe it there's no stopping the Porsche Panamera now, with 31 models already transported to the U.S. via the cargo hold of a 747 jet. The 31 Panamera models will be the cars used for the model’s official North American debut, where the public will be able to see the...
Ralph Hanson