Nelson Ireson, Senior Editor
Articles
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Alfa Romeo's MiTo hatch has been turning heads for months since several photos of the car leaked ahead of the official reveal. Today the final specifications and a host of new pictures have come...
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Premium fuel sales plummet as prices approach $4.50/galNaturally aspirated sports cars and turbocharged cars of all types are the primary sources of real, requisite demand for premium fuel. Most cars, even luxury and upscale passenger cars, get along just as well on regular gasoline as on premium. But now, even owners of cars that require the...
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U.S. drivers travel 30 billion miles less than last yearFinding proof of the effect of rising fuel prices on the average American requires little more than a trip to your local used car lot, freshly filled with SUVs and pickups while subcompacts see significant markups. But more evidence of the impact of the rising price of fuel has come in the form of...
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GM building driverless car with Carnegie MellonCars that navigate complex terrain or urban environments have already been built for competitions like the DARPA's (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) various challenges. In fact, GM and Carnegie Mellon won the Urban challenge in 2007. Now the two are teaming to bring that technology to the...
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2010 Camaro chosen as as official show vehicle of SEMAAlways good for some over-the-top takes on muscle cars, sports cars and SUVs, the Specialty Equipment Market Association's (SEMA) annual show has chosen the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro as its official vehicle. The tuner-fest kicks off November 4-7 in Las Vegas, but it's industry-only - the public is not...
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Nissan to launch GT-R race academy in UKRedefining the meaning of a good customer experience, Nissan's UK GT-R sales program will be offering buyers of the everyday supercar a chance to participate in special Race Academy events at the track in Silverstone and on the legendary Nurburgring. The program consists of one-on-one instruction...
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High-performance versions of more pedestrian street-going cars have been a favorite of carmakers and enthusiasts alike since the beginning of the industry. BMW's M division, in operation since 1978,... -
Update: Volkswagen reveals pricing for 2009 Jetta TDIUpdate: Filling in the final piece of the 2009 Jetta TDI sedan and SportWagen puzzle, Volkswagen today announced the pricing for the car's return to the U.S. At base prices of $21,990 for the sedan and $23,590 for the SportWagen, VW is likely to get a good response from U.S. buyers ready to make a...
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Toyota cutting truck production to match salesJust like their U.S.-owned counterparts, Toyota's trucks are not selling like they used to. Sales of the Tundra fell 34% in May, a figure similar to Ford and GM's full-size truck sales downturns. Cuts in production will not be as deep as the U.S. carmakers, however, since Toyota isn't as reliant on...
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Porsche announces U.S. pricing for 2009 CayenneJust a few days ago word broke that Porsche would be rescinding its 'no diesels' policy for the 2010 Cayenne, and today the company has released pricing for the 2009 model. Small increases across the board reflect the weak U.S. dollar and rising materials costs, but are well within normal price...
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Chrysler sales to drop further, CEO warnsMay sales saw Chrysler's overall total drop 25% compared to 2007 figures, and CEO Bob Nardelli is warning that the slide will continue. In an email sent out to the company's employees Nardelli urged workers to keep their focus and help Chrysler get its product lineup back on track. June sales are...
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Bumper stickers linked to road rageIt's not easy to drive through most cities without encountering at least one or two people at once dangerously oblivious of the traffic around them and yet hostile toward anyone that points it out, but a recent study by a scientist at Colorado State University in the U.S. may have found a way to...
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Unlike many concept cars that throw practicality out the window in an effort to achieve fuel economy or light weight, the Hungarian-designed Antro Solo manages to fit three adults while returning... -
VW announces new hybrid and electric modelsPlug-in hybrids and electric cars are just around the corner, with 2010 set to be a banner year for the industry. Volkswagen's latest news adds to the anticipation with the announcement of hybrid drive to be extended to three models and a new electric car. The three hybrids will be the Golf (Rabbit...
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Ford to shutdown three U.S. plants for up to 9 weeksA two-week summer idle at several of its factories over the summer is a time-tested method to keep production in line with demand at Ford, but the announcement today reveals some plants will be going on extended holiday - in one case, for as long as nine weeks. Weak demand for pickups and large...
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Update: Weak dollar may not delay U.S. launch of next-gen VW Golf (Rabbit)Click here for all the official information and pictures for the 2009 Volkswagen Golf Mark VI Update: A statement by VW's U.S. spokesman, Steve Keyes, indicates the Golf Mark VI, or Rabbit as it's known in the U.S., will be arriving for sale as scheduled. The previous report of the Mark VI's delay...
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Skoda Yeti SUV coming in 2009Volkswagen's Skoda brand doesn't get much press in the West, but it's a very popular brand in central and eastern Europe. The Yeti, a mid-size SUV concept approved for production in April 2007, will finally be making it to market sometime in 2009, though the spokesperson wouldn't guarantee a date...
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Volkswagen reducing vehicle weight to save fuelTightening EU and U.S. fuel efficiency and emissions rules are pushing Volkswagen to find any way it can to improve its fleet's figures, and it has decided lighter weight cars is one of the best options. The entire VW Group fleet, from Bentley to Skoda, will be affected by the move that hopes to...
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Updated: Audi’s new supercharged S4 range is set to be revealed at November’s Paris Motor Show but a number of barely disguised prototypes, both the sedan and now the Avant wagon, have... -
Obama pledges commitment to auto industry if electedThe leading Democratic candidate for U.S. president, Barack Obama, has promised he won't neglect Detroit the way President Bush has. The car industry has had an especially rough time through the first six months of 2008, and although the future may not prove to be as dire as some had predicted...
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Ford moves to three-year product update cycleAs a strategy to help keep sales high through a model's lifetime, Ford is moving to a three-year restyling cycle. The first indication of Ford's new short program is the freshening of the 2009 Ford Flex, which is already underway. That's right, the Flex is not even on dealer lots yet and it's...
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Lutz: no reasonable doubt that Volt will be on-timeThe grand venture that is the Chevrolet Volt (concept pictured) has appeared at alternate times to be almost certainly doomed and almost a sure thing. The latest pronouncement from GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz leaves an 'almost' in the car's future, but is the most positive statement in recent times...
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Toyota struggling to meet hybrid demandThe news of several new Toyota battery plants under construction was thought to presage the push for a 100% hybrid lineup, but the latest comments by a senior executive indicate the new plants are necessary just to keep up with current demand levels. Adding even more capacity and moving toward...
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Mercedes reveals strategies for greener futureEvery major carmaker in the world has had its attention drawn, forcibly in some cases, to the issues of fuel efficiency, carbon emissions and sustainability. As the industry moves forward, these concerns are staged to take even greater importance in the overall design and planning of new cars...
Nelson Ireson