Viknesh Vijayenthiran, Editor
Articles
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Toyota is planning to launch a second dedicated hybrid brand in 2009 that will be sold alongside the current Prius and is expected to sell up to 100,000 cars per year. The information comes from... -
Angry Stepney breaks silenceFerrari's Nigel Stepney has broken his silence and declared that he is the victim of a "dirty tricks campaign" waged by the Italian team. Rumours this weekend suggested that the formula one veteran, currently the subject of a police and internal investigation for alleged illegal behaviour and...
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ZAP developing second high-performance electric carUS based ZAP Automotive has announced its plans to develop a second high-performance electric vehicle to join the upcoming 644hp ZAP-X electric crossover pictured in the above rendering. The second vehicle will be a more affordable model, with a targeted price of $30,000 and a top speed in excess...
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Renault developing new Laguna coupeRenault is close to finalizing the design for a new coupe version of its recently revealed Laguna. The new two-door will be launched roughly 12 months after the introduction of the sedan and estate models, and will round out the lineup as the carmaker’s new flagship. Styling will be heavily...
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Impounded Dodge Viper turned into cop carA man charged with doing 127mph in a 35 zone in Illinois has had his car turned over to local police, who have subsequently converted it into a patrol car. The car in question is a black 2000 model-year Dodge Viper with a cognac leather interior. Since joining the police fleet, the Viper has been...
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US Senate approves 35 mpg fuel standard by 2020The US Senate has approved a bill that calls for all new cars and trucks to meet a corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) rating of 35mpg by 2020, up 40% from the CAFE levels of today’s fleets. The bill will now proceed to the House of Reps, which is expected to vote along the same lines. The...
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Germany’s ADAC automotive regulatory body has given China’s Brilliance BS6 sedan a poor one-star rating in its latest round of crash tests. This is the car that Brilliance was hoping... -
Video: Test Drive Of The Porsche 997 GT3 RSThe lucky guys over at Fifth Gear got to take Porsche’s awesome 911 GT3 RS, a car they describe as the most extreme street legal Porsche, out on the track. In this video, you’ll see it up against Porsche’s own 911 GT3 Cup racer. Some very nice camera work and one of the hottest...
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Kimi to leave Ferrari - reportsKimi Raikkonen could depart Ferrari as soon as the end of this season, according to reports. Germany's Auto-Bild-Motorsport said the beleaguered Maranello based team has already commenced its search for the Finn's successor, after failing to live up to his reputation and newfound status as the...
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Audi strikes back: BMW is "arrogant"Last week we published a report, which revealed that BMW execs weren’t very concerned about Audi as a potential threat in the luxury market because it doesn’t build any RWD models and it has to discount its cars to lift sales numbers. It hasn’t taken long for Audi to strike back...
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Google funding development of plug-in hybridsGoogle has launched its new RechargeIT initiative to promote the development of plug-in hybrid electric cars in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and global dependence on oil. Under the guidance of Google’s own philanthropic Google.org team, the new initiative will award $1 million...
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Spy Shots: 2009 Opel VectraOpel’s aging Vectra sedan is well overdue for a major overhaul, but a replacement vehicle isn’t due until the second half of next year. Several prototypes, such as this one, have been spotted by spy photographers that reveal the new Vectra will have a wider and taller body than the...
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Last month we reported that Scion’s management was considering adding new models to meet demand from rising numbers of budget-minded consumers. Scion corporate manager Steve Haag revealed that... -
Mitsubishi i electric car to enter productionMitsubishi will launch its first all-electric vehicle by mid-2010 in Japan with the first European sales expected to start in the following year. The car will be based on the current i car, which is sold in Japan with a 0.7L MIVEC three-cylinder engine. The electric version, currently undergoing...
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Jaguar XK range expands with 3.5L modelJaguar is set to expand its XK range with the introduction of a new entry-level model powered by the same 3.5L V8 engine currently used in the XJ saloon. The new model will be launched around October or November, reports AutoWeek Netherlands, but there’s no word on pricing. Early estimates...
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Spy shots: Lexus LF-ALexus has always positioned itself as being more about luxury than outright sportiness, but that’s about to change with the new LF-A coupe due to be launched later this year. Competing against cars such as the Audi R8 and BMW M6, the LF-A will likely be powered by a 5.0L V10 engine churning...
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The ins and outs of global platform sharingNissan is currently presenting its new X-Trail SUV to a field of journalists at an event in Greece, but the engineering that has gone into the new model has been around for a couple of years now. The X-Trail is based on a vehicle architecture known as the Alliance Platform C. This platform was...
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BMW: Audi is not a threatAudi has certainly lifted its game over the past five years, releasing more models, increasing its market share and picking up a horde of quality gongs, so you’d think fellow German luxury brand BMW would be feeling the heat. Not so, says BMW Group Australia managing director Guenther...
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Mercedes has confirmed the release of the 2009 GLK SUV and has announced that the first cars will appear on the market from the second half of next year. This will be the fifth SUV/Crossover model in... -
Renault’s new Koleos SUV caught testingRecent spy shots of a heavily camouflaged SUV were previously thought to be a test mule for the next-generation Nissan Murano, but we can confirm that the prototype in question is actually the production version of Renault’s Koleos concept SUV. Due to hit the market early next year...
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Ferrari 430 & Scaglietti designer moves to Alfa RomeoFrank Stephenson, the man behind such memorable works like the Ferrari 430 and 612 Scaglietti, will be leaving his post as Head of Design at the Prancing Horse label to start a new job as Alfa Romeo’s Style chief. Stephenson will be reporting directly to Fiat Group’s chief stylist...
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British firm developing 700BHP electric sports carThe electric sports car segment is about to heat up with the announcement that the UK’s Lightning Car Company is currently developing a new GT to rival Tesla’s famous Roadster. Powered by individual electric motors in each wheel hub, the combined output of the car will be in the area of...
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Video: Robert Kubica's 280KM/H crash
Poland's Robert Kubica left the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve aboard a medical helicopter on Sunday complaining of pain 'all over his body', according to sources in Montreal. Reports that he broke his leg in the horror shunt are believed to have been based on an in-car radio transmission from race...
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Fiat Considers Sporty Abarth 500 For U.S.Fiat’s upcoming 500 minicar may eventually be sold in the US with news that management is considering launching the sporty Abarth model Stateside by the end of the decade. A high-ranking official who spoke with Automotive News Europe revealed that Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne hopes to sell the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran