Viknesh Vijayenthiran, Editor
Articles
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The automotive industry has come a long way since Francois Isaac de Rivaz designed the first internal combustion engine in 1806. Already advances such as power steering, ABS brakes and stability... -
GM will make a hybrid for Chinese marketSlated to be available in time for the Beijing Olympics, which start in August, the new car is likely part of China’s plan to clean up their image - and their emissions - in anticipation of the arrival of all the athletes. Earlier this year Beijing began its clean-up efforts by banning nearly...
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Porsche Boxster RS 60 SpyderPorsche has revealed a new version of its mid-engined Boxster roadster ahead of the car’s world debut at the Bologna Motor Show in Italy next week. The new car is labeled the Boxster RS 60 Spyder and takes its inspiration from the classic open-top Porsche race cars of the 1960s—the...
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HWA rejects Mercedes F1 rumoursGerman racing car company HWA has denied reports that it is likely to enter formula one in 2007. The German news magazine Focus last week claimed that the company, which since 2000 has built Mercedes-Benz’s cars for the DTM series, could become involved in the current McLaren collaboration...
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Audi A5 TDI wins 2007 Michelin Challenge BibendumThe Michelin Challenge Bibendum is an annual event run by the French tire company, aimed at promoting the development of sustainable mobility. At this year’s event in Shanghai Audi’s A5 3.0L TDI managed to take top honors, finishing first in the prototype vehicles category. Audi in fact...
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No room at Ferrari for Alonso, says test driverA Ferrari test driver has backed Fernando Alonso’s apparent plan to join the Maranello based team in the future. But despite speculation to the contrary, Marc Gene, also a Spaniard, says he can not envisage the 26-year-old double world champion in a Ferrari as early as 2009. It is rumored...
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Unique Performance is a custom vehicle manufacturer based in Dallas, Texas, licensed to build Ford Mustang replicas complete with the Carroll Shelby name. Earlier this month, the outfit was... -
First Jaguar XF rolls off the production lineToday marked the beginning of a crucial period for Jaguar as the first XF saloon rolled off the production line at the carmaker’s Castle Bromwich plant. The XF is described as a ‘make-or-break’ model for Jaguar and could potentially be the last car ever to carry the Jaguar title...
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Video: Aston Martin DBS takes to the trackThis is the episode of Top Gear we’ve all been waiting for, the one where Jeremy Clarkson takes the new Aston Martin DBS coupe for a spin.
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GM developing one platform for allHoping to achieve a truly global platform, General Motors is developing a new front-drive compact architecture to extend over a variety of models. Vehicle line executive for the architecture Peter Mertens said, “we are doing a completely new platform that has a huge bandwidth.” The new...
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Hyundai testing Haldex AWD prototypesHyundai and its Kia brand are planning to launch a range of new AWD models in coming years, with engineers currently testing a new prototype drivetrain sourced from Sweden’s Haldex. Hyundai is expected to use the same XWD system and electronic differential offered by Saab, making it the first...
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Audi changing its strategy for RS modelsAudi’s RS models have always remained extremely exclusive, traditionally being launched towards the end of the lifecycle of the cars on which they’re based. That’s all set to change with news from Quattro GmbH boss Werner Frowein that future RS models will be released within two...
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Subaru’s are famous for two things: boxer engines and symmetrical AWD mechanicals. The new Justy minicar, which has just gone on sale in Europe, has neither of these attributes and instead... -
Lamborghini’s speed and sound are here to stayNo car company is immune from the pressures to reduce emissions, including niche brands like Ferrari and Lamborghini. Earlier this week Ferrari exec Amedeo Felisa said his company was aiming to have future models consume up to 40% less fuel than the current lineup by 2012, and now Lamborghini has...
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Aston Martin to build cars outside the UKAs strange as it sounds but the day when an Aston Martin is manufactured in a country outside the UK may not be that far away. According to latest reports, officials are currently investigating the feasibility of manufacturing outside of the UK for the first time in the marque’s 93 year...
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Lamborghini Reventon vs Panavia Tornado jet-fighterWe’ve already seen a Spyker F1 car and the Bugatti Veyron take on a jet-fighter and now we have a story about Lamborghini’s new Reventon challenging a Panavia Tornado jet-fighter in a drag race. The two machines faced each other on a 3km stretch of runway at the Ghedi airforce base in...
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Lotus Design Hot Wheels ConceptLotus has teamed up with Hot Wheels to create a 1:5 scale model of a new roadster that was displayed recently at the SEMA Auto Show in Las Vegas. The car was designed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Hot Wheels but it was also a vessel for Lotus to preview its future design direction as well as...
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Spy Shots: 2009 Mercedes-Benz CLC SportcoupeA prototype of Mercedes' upcoming CLC Sportcoupe has been spotted on German streets and this time spy photographers have managed to get a good look of the interior of the upcoming car. The images clearly show the car's new shape, including the new front-end, which appears almost identical to the...
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We first heard of the possibility Volkswagen could ignore the U.S. market for the launch of the new Scirocco back in May when VW of America exec Adrian Hallmark said in an interview "we don't want... -
MTM-tuned Audi A5 V6 TDiAudi's Le Mans-dominating R10 proved last year that diesels are capable of serious speed. Thankfully for consumers, diesel engines are finally gaining a foothold in the performance car market as technology allows them to rev more freely and the seriously big torque they are capable of becomes more...
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LSE Design Range Rover Sport CoupeIf you can't wait for the launch of Land Rover's own coupe-crossover but are still burning with desire for a two door premium SUV, then tuning firm LSE Design may have the solution. The UK based tuner has developed a two-door version of the Range Rover Sport SUV but you'd better be quick as only...
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India's Mahindra seeking Land Rover's technologyWith the sale of Jaguar and Land Rover drawing to a close two of the remaining three bidders have come under fire recently because of fears they could be mismatched with the British luxury labels. The two companies are India's Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), manufacturers of econo-cars...
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Alonso-Renault talks reach deadlockNegotiations between Fernando Alonso and Renault about 2008 have reached a deadlock, reports from Spain and Italy on Tuesday said. The Spanish sports daily Marca claims that while team boss Flavio Briatore is happy to accept Alonso's demands for a one-year contract, Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn is...
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Pontiac to launch G8 wagon and uteAfter months of speculation and plenty of denials we now have the first sign of support towards the introduction of more variants of the G8/Commodore for the North American market. The new models are claimed to be based on the recently revealed Holden Sportwagon concept and VE Commodore ute already...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran