Viknesh Vijayenthiran, Editor
Articles
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Still finding it hard getting over the fact you’ve missed out on your chance to own the stunning DBS coupe? One of our favourite tuners, Mansory, may have the next best thing. The German... -
Toyota prepping hybrid racer for Le MansToyota has already proven the capability of its hybrid racing technology, winning the Tokachi 24-Hour Race last year in Japan with its Supra HV-R hybrid race car, so now the carmaker wants to take it up a notch by entering a new green machine in the international Le Mans 24 hour event. According to...
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Official: Hamilton inks $138m McLaren dealUpdated: McLaren on Friday announced that Lewis Hamilton will stay at the Mercedes-powered team until at least the end of 2012. The new five year contract follows reports earlier this month that said the 23-year-old Briton had inked a deal that will see him earn an average of more than $27m per...
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GM planning brand superstoresGeneral Motors is one of the most diverse carmakers in the business, commanding up to eight brands in the U.S. alone. Officials now hope to harmonize all of these brands under the one roof by creating new superstores in metro areas, allowing customers to cross-shop all of GM’s brands in a...
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CAFE rules put new Monaro/GTO and Impala on holdGM’s RWD future was looking rosy until the U.S. government decided to vote in favor of new CAFE rules, forcing carmakers to improve the average fuel economy of their fleets to 35mpg by 2020. We were teased with all manner of RWD, V8 powered muscle cars, including sedans, coupes, and even a...
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Mercedes-Benz unveils 2009 CLS faceliftThe styling of the Mercedes-Benz CLS still looks fresh to this day even though it's been on sale since 2004. It’s a look numerous other carmakers including the likes of Porsche, VW and BMW are rushing to emulate, but as stunning as the original CLS is designers have given the car a slight...
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In a letter received this week by F1 team principals, FIA president Max Mosley confirmed that a budget cap will be introduced in 2009. Mosley's letter, summarising the conclusions of a recent meeting... -
Preview: 2009 Renault Laguna CoupeThe new Laguna is a crucial model for Renault, so much so that CEO Carlos Ghosn has admitted the carmaker is staking its reputation on the success of the recently launched sedan version. Not surprisingly Renault plans to launch several variants of the car including a new two-door model set to...
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Jaguar, Land Rover talks move to engines and logisticsAs the sale of Ford’s Jaguar and Land Rover to India’s Tata Motors comes closer to fruition, sources close to the negotiations say that engines and engine technology have become the hot issues on the table. According to a report in the Detroit News, engine logistics and technology are...
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Tony Gillet unveils the Vertigo 5Belgian carmaker Gillet has rolled out a new version of the Vertigo sports coupe at this week’s European Motor Show in Brussels, the latest model being the fifth version of the Vertigo in almost 16 years. For anyone not familiar with the dramatically styled coupe, it is a race car built for...
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Preview: 2009 Mercedes-Benz CLKMercedes Benz has lost ground in the premium coupe segment against its main rival BMW and its more recent E92 3-series coupe, so it comes as little surprise that engineers are rushing to complete development of the all-new 2009 CLK. Near production-ready CLK test mules have been spotted near...
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Ford’s hybrids no longer unprofitableHybrids have always been a mixed blessing for carmakers. On one hand they show that a carmaker is genuinely interested in improving the environment, but on the other hand hybrids are very expensive to build, their improvements in fuel economy aren’t enough to justify their extra cost, and...
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The E-class has been officially revealed by Mercedes-Benz. Click here for pictures and information.
Mercedes is set to release its next-generation E-class sedan by 2009, with sales to start soon... -
Infiniti considering adding new flagshipOf the three major luxury Japanese brands, Lexus, Infiniti and Acura, only Lexus could be considered as a true rival to the more established German premium makes because of the other two’s limited lineup. However, Infiniti is working hard to become a major player in the premium segment as...
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Volvo may start U.S. productionThe increasing exchange rate differential between the strengthening euro and weakening U.S. dollar means importing European manufactured models into the U.S. is now significantly more expensive than just a few years ago. Not surprisingly, many of Europe’s top manufacturers are moving...
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Lexus' dedicated hybrid model due next yearYesterday Toyota Chief Katsuaki Watanabe revealed Toyota’s new green offensive to reporters at the Detroit Auto Show. Key to the carmaker’s plans, as described by Watanabe, is the launch of several new hybrid only models with the first cars scheduled to hit showrooms next year. "Next...
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Cadillac drops the CTS Coupe Concept in DetroitCadillac has confirmed the new CTS sedan will spawn several other body styles including a coupe and wagon-crossover, and now we have the first tangible evidence that GM’s product planners are working on at least one of these new variants. GM used this week’s Detroit Auto Show to roll...
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Jaguar and Land Rover on track for strong 2008With all the attention surrounding the sale of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands you’d think Ford must desperate to offload the two brands. After all, just recently as 2006 Jaguar posted an annual loss of more than $700 million and Land Rover, while profitable, wasn’t posting anything...
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Last week Tata revealed for the first time its groundbreaking Nano minicar, shocking the world with the announcement that the pint-sized runabout's price tag will start as low as 100,000 rupees... -
VW’s U.S. plant to build 250K per yearFor Volkswagen to be a genuine rival to Toyota it will have to increase its sales in the U.S., and the key to doing so will be to overcome its current reputation as a manufacturer of low quality and expensive cars. The biggest problem is the fact that most of VW’s lineup is currently imported...
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Lincoln MKT Concept previews new flagshipThe 2010 Lincoln MKT crossover has officially been revealed at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Click here for all the details and images. Lincoln surprised show goers at the NAIAS with the unveiling today of the new MKT sedan concept, showcasing the brand's new design language on a spacious luxury...
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Toyota lays down green offensiveGovernments around the world are bowing down to public pressure to reduce the levels of greenhouse emissions and one of the industries set to bear the biggest cost from impending changes to regulations is the automotive one. One of the most influential changes will be the stricter CAFE standards...
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Mitsubishi Concept-RA official detailsOne of the highlights of the Mitsubishi stable at this year’s Detroit Auto Show is the new Concept-RA eco-friendly sports coupe design study. Although the concept looks ready to roll onto showroom floors, officials assert that it was created solely as a ‘technology showcase’ but...
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AFS Trinity Power ‘Extreme Hybrid’ SUV gets 150MPGWhen people think of eco-friendly vehicles, hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius or Honda Insight usually spring to mind. Compared to a gas-guzzling SUV or full-sized sedan, efficient hybrid vehicles start to look like the ideal solution for clean motoring. The sad truth is that modern diesel cars...
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