Nelson Ireson, Senior Editor
Articles
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Japanese buyers are being treated to a special limited edition of Corvette, the S-Limited, in honor of General Motors' 100th anniversary. There will only be 30 of the cars made, half in Arctic White... -
B&B boosts Audi TT-S to 362hpThe Audi TT-S has only been exposed to public view for six months, but already tuners are turning their attentions to the most powerful production TT. Beneath the odd peach-colored paint job of the B&B Audi TT-S lies a more potent powerplant than the original's already stout 272hp (203kW). The...
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Dodge adding supercharger to 2009 ChallengerNovember's SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show will play host to Chrysler's unveiling of a supercharger it plans to fit to the 2009 Dodge Challenger. Available through dealers as a Mopar aftermarket kit, the supercharger will boost power and torque with little additional weight or...
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Update: GM extends 0% financing through July 7Update: General Motors is extending its 0% financing offer through July 7 on selected vehicles. Success of the original sale, which ran from June 24-30, has led the company to continue it in the hopes of boosting summer sales and starting July off on a strong note, especially as the U.S. enters the...
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California, Texas and Canada offer cash incentives to dump old carsWith North American auto sales expected to reach 15-year lows by the end of the year and further declines expected as customers hold on to their cars amid a weakening economy, record fuel prices and rising car prices, some states in the U.S. and Canada are investigating plans to boost sales by...
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BMW: U.S. fuel economy plan is 'not feasible'Tough new CAFE standards in the U.S. had a lukewarm reception when they were announced in April, with most carmakers reluctantly stating they would rise to the challenge. BMW has now come out against the current program, asking the government to develop an alternative system of requirements...
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Rampant speculation about the short-term future of Chrysler has been circulating the web for the past week or more, with pundits and analysts alternately claiming bankruptcy or sale equally likely.... -
BMW Reviving M1 Procar Series At Hockenheim For Two Days In JulyThirty years ago BMW's M1 was built explicitly for Group 4 homologation purposes, in part to allow the car to compete in the BMW M1 Procar series, which proved to be a surprise success. The one-make series was one of the first of its kind, and now BMW is bringing it back as part of the company's...
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Mitsubishi Motors cutting U.S. production, jobsWhile Honda's sales in the U.S. are actually increasing, and Toyota and Nissan are losing only single-digits of production, Mitsubishi has decided to cut production and jobs in the face of decreased demand and poor market conditions. The move will reduce output from the Normal, Illinois factory by...
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California plans to label new cars with emissions ratingsRating vehicles on a scale of 1 to 10, the new labels will take into account the particulate and greenhouse gas emissions and assign a corresponding score, to be displayed on the window. The higher the number, the better, with the cleanest vehicles on the road rating a 10. The state will also...
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Audi R8 named official safety car of DTM seriesTwo of Audi's R8 sports cars have been handed over to the German Motorsport Association at the Norisring Speed Weekend event. One will be used as the official safety car for the DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters) race series, while the other, specially prepped by Audi's in-house tuners at quattro...
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J.D. Power predicts further U.S. sales decline in JuneMay sales in the U.S. were the first firm indication of the fuel-price and economic downswing-driven sea change in American car buying habits. Now a preliminary J.D. Power June report shows that the downhill plunge in sales begun in May is getting steeper. May saw Ford's total sales figures plummet...
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Revealed in February, the replacement for the long-lived TrailBlazer comes in the form of the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse crossover SUV. Today Chevrolet announced pricing for the new vehicle, with prices... -
California's carbon-reduction plans survive carmakers' attacksIf the EPA approves new greenhouse-gas emissions caps, the car industry will be powerless to stop California from swiftly enacting even tighter carbon emissions rules, according to the latest ruling handed down by a U.S. District Court judge in Fresno, California. The decision finds the 45-day...
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Mercedes previews collision detection systemEarlier this week Opel revealed its Insignia sedan would get a high-tech new forward-looking camera system that recognizes speed signs and warns the driver if they are traveling too fast. Now Mercedes-Benz has demonstrated a system that not only recognizes stop lights and stop signs, pedestrians...
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Renault plans 100,000 EVs per year by 2015Plug-in hybrids, conventional hybrids and pure electric vehicles (EVs) are the hot topic as fuel prices rise with no end in sight. The future of transport appears to be almost certainly electricity-driven, and Renault, which just confirmed it was working on EVs in earnest last week, hopes to be one...
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Video: Mercedes-Benz DiesOtto technology explainedNearly every major carmaker in the world is working on some sort of alternative combustion engine technology, be it ethanol or hydrogen fuel, advanced diesel engines or the advanced hybrid petrol solution known generically as HCCI (Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition), or as Mercedes has...
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J.D. Power: High fuel prices take the joy out of new car purchasesThe latest word from J.D. Power and Associates' series of surveys shows U.S. new car buyers aren't as satisfied with their purchases, not because the cars are in any way worse, but because fuel prices are higher. The average score for new car satisfaction fell two points on the 1,000 point scale to...
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Alfa Romeo is already planning its return to the U.S., bringing its incredible 8C Competizione and stylish Mi.To along for the ride. An announcement today by Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne reveals... -
California announces far-reaching emissions planTaking into account everything from city design to engine technology, the California Air Resources Board has set a goal for reducing the state's airborne pollution to 10% below current levels by 2020. The broad sweep of the plan makes it the most comprehensive of any state in the U.S. A...
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Novitec Rosso tunes the Ferrari 430 ScuderiaFerrari's 430 Scuderia was developed with the help of Michael Schumacher to be a thoroughbred track machine that could also be licensed for the street, so it might be hard to think it needs modification. Novitec Rosso, tuners of all things Ferrari, obviously faced no such impediment when turning...
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MSN and Dodge kick off Challenger design competitionMicrosoft and Dodge have teamed up to get people excited about the upcoming 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T by commissioning an online design competition where contenders can customize a Dodge Challenger to their own liking. Dubbed 'DesignDreamDrive', the competitors will have to use a variety of tools...
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Hartge-tuned BMW X5 'Hunter'German tuning house Hartge is famous for its wild modifications of BMWs, and their latest creation is no exception. This time the tuners at Hartge turn their attention to a BMW X5, with modifications to the exterior, interior and under the hood to give the car a sportier feel and an extreme...
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Ford extends Ranger beyond 2009, pushes F-150 for workplacesExecutives at the Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] are racing to work out a solution to free-falling full-size SUV and pickup truck sales, and a temporary solution may come in the form of the already long-in-the-tooth Ranger. Shifting the F-150's sales focus to workplace and industrial use could also...
Nelson Ireson