Nelson Ireson, Senior Editor
Articles
-
It's almost a given that modern cars from the major carmakers will be built and designed to achieve maximal crash safety ratings - especially brand-leaders like the new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, right?... -
Build your own 2010 Ford Mustang with online customizerSo you want a shiny new 2010 Ford Mustang, but you can't decide what you want to do with it once you've got it? Or even worse, you can't find one you like on the lot, and you don't like ordering blind off a list of options? Well, fret no more, Ford has released an online configurator that lets you...
Nelson Ireson -
Toyota president plans to fast-track new sports carFans of Toyota's sporting history have often lamented the current lineup of perfectly competent yet decidedly boring offerings, calling them 'appliances'. The days of the Supra, Celica and MR-2 may yet return, however, with new president Akio Toyoda at the helm. Speaking today at the 2009 Center...
Nelson Ireson -
GM reveals Corvette ZR1-based C6.R GT2 race carThe Corvette C6.R GT1 car had its last hurrah at the Long Beach leg of the American Le Mans Series GT1 championship, but today General Motors unveiled the car that will be replacing it - the C6.R GT2, based on the Corvette ZR1. With the season half over already, Corvette Racing will be using the...
Nelson Ireson -
Porsche shows off customization options for the new PanameraSome say it's anathema to Porsche's sportscar heritage, but surely it's no more so than the Cayenne. Others argue it's the logical extension of the Porsche brand, or at worst a necessary evil to keep Porsche in the business of building those wonderful 911s. But whatever your feelings about the 2010...
Nelson Ireson -
Lotus USA now offering supercharger kits for standard Elise, ExigeThe power-to-lightness ratio of the naturally-aspirated Lotus Elise and Exige models has never been found lacking, being some of the most competent street/track cars available today. But for those that would like a little more grunt with their grace, Lotus Cars USA is now offering the same kit...
Nelson Ireson -
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... -
Video: Valentino Balboni discusses Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2The 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...
Nelson Ireson -
Video: Ford taking on luxury carmakers with new Taurus adsAcura and Lexus aren't the brands you'd normally think of when you think of Ford's competition, but those are exactly the targets of Ford's latest ad campaign for the new 2010 Taurus. Featuring a series of torture tests, the ads try to convey the level of quality and value offered by the big...
Nelson Ireson -
Mazda celebrates 20 years of roadsters with special edition in JapanWhen Mazda launched the Miata, or Roadster as it's known in Japan, in 1989, few suspected it would go on to become the best-selling open-top sports car of all time, but over 860,000 vehicles later, the car is officially the most popular roadster in existence. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of...
Nelson Ireson -
2010 Suzuki Kizashi sedan first official detailsWe've watched as Suzuki progressed the Kizashi sedan through three stages of concepts and then spy shots, finally approaching a production appearance, but today the sporty four-door is making its official debut. Despite images leaked yesterday, there's still new information to be had, including the...
Nelson Ireson -
Audi announces U.S. pricing for 2010 R8, including R8 V10Audi's R8 - often referred to as a detuned Gallardo - recently got a step closer to its Lamborghini cousin with the addition of a 5.2L V10 engine, and today Audi has released U.S. pricing for the 2010 model. The 2010 Audi R8 V10 starts at $146,000 for the manual-equipped version, while the...
Nelson Ireson -
On the tail of a failed attempt to takeover Volkswagen and the ensuing embroilment of the ruling Porsche and Piech families, Porsche has confirmed that current CEO Wendelin Wiedeking will be replaced... -
2010 Camaro TRANSFORMERS Special Edition announcedThe Transformers movies have been one of the major co-branding successes of recent years, and General Motors is using it for all it's worth, today releasing a new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro TRANSFORMERS Special Edition. Exclusively an appearance package, the TRANSFORMERS kit can be had on both the LT...
Nelson Ireson -
Preview: Audi Working On New E1 MinicarEven as fuel prices slide back down to pre-crunch levels, the automotive industry knows it's only a temporary respite and continues its up-shift for a new layer of premium small cars. On the German front, BMW is thought to be working on a sub-1-series mini car, Daimler already has its Smart, and...
Nelson Ireson -
Alfa Romeo MiTo GTA Not Dead Yet, But Future UncertainAlfa Romeo hasn't officially announced the MiTo GTA for production yet, but already reports of its demise are making the rounds at enthusiast and news portals. The latest reports indicate the hot-hatch GTA could still see production, but it nothing is certain yet. The news comes from an unnamed...
Nelson Ireson -
Video: Lotus-designed electric vehicle demonstrates potential of city-car conceptA highly-refined, all-purpose city-centric electric vehicle is a concept familiar to popular culture, but to date, nothing in the real world has proven up to the task. To see what such a vehicle would look like, industry magazine Automotive Engineer commissioned Lotus Design to come up with a...
Nelson Ireson -
GM says Camaro SS transmission issues identified, but doesn't disclose the problemThe new Camaro SS is definitely one of the hottest pony cars to come along in the last decade, but so far it hasn't been all roses for the car, with a recall over a faulty battery and most recently, a new problem with breaking manual transmissions. Now a General Motors spokesman says the problem...
Nelson Ireson -
It's a situation already hackneyed: a new car model has been put on ice by the cold global economic climate. Fortunately for esthetes and fans of Aston Martin, however, the latest model to face that... -
Lexus prices the 2010 HS 250h dedicated luxury hybridAlready selling strongly in Japan in pre-order sales, Lexus today announced U.S. pricing for the 2010 HS 250h dedicated luxury sedan. Starting at a mere $34,200, the hybrid is firmly positioned at the entry-level sector of the luxury sedan market. The carmaker hopes to hit 25,000 sales in the HS...
Nelson Ireson -
Honda president says no need for RWD sedansFront-wheel drive cars, no matter how well-engineered, are always a compromise when it comes to being fast. They do enjoy some advantages in terms of packaging and efficiency, however, and Honda's new president Takanobu Ito is firmly behind the continued absence of RWD cars in the company's lineup...
Nelson Ireson -
Mega gallery: Mansory's 1,100hp Vincero Bugatti VeyronCustomized Bugatti Veyrons are almost as common as the cars themselves, which is to say not common at all. But this particular car, modified by Mansory, is less common than even most other custom Veyrons. In March, at the Geneva Motor Show, the modified Veyron was put on display for the first time...
Nelson Ireson -
Mach 2 Racing Ford RS200 planning 1,150hp assault on Pikes PeakRacing up the 12-mile, 156-turn, Pikes Peak hillclimb course to the summit of the 14,110 foot mountain is a dangerous, daring business left only to the most serious of drivers and teams. To even approach the world-record pace of 10:01.408 minutes set in 2007 is to approach the limits of human...
Nelson Ireson -
Report: GM working on new dedicated hybridGeneral Motors' engineers are quick to point out that the 2011 Chevrolet Volt isn't a hybrid at all - it's powered only by electricity, with the combustion engine serving only to extend its range. But according to a new report, GM does have plans for a dedicated, high-efficiency hybrid to one-up...
Nelson Ireson