Viknesh Vijayenthiran, Editor
Articles
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Hot on the heels of Nissan’s Nuvu eco-friendly city car concept comes Mazda’s take on the increasingly popular theme. Following in the footsteps of previous concepts, such as the Nagare, ... -
Skoda updates Octavia range with 2009 faceliftSkoda is using this week’s Paris Motor Show to debut the facelifted version of its middle segment Octavia sedan, which receives new styling both front and rear, an updated interior, and several new engines as part of its 2009 model year update. When looking from the front, the key changes...
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Audi officially unveils four-door A1 Sportback Hybrid ConceptAudi has taken the wraps off its second concept vehicle to wear the ‘A1’ moniker in less than a year, revealing the car online less than a day out from its world debut at this week’s Paris Motor Show. The first A1 concept vehicle was the Metroproject Quattro hybrid concept from...
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Chevrolet Cruze Debuts At 2008 Paris Auto ShowSeveral weeks ago, General Motors Company [NYSE:GM] released the first details and images for its new Chevrolet Cruze ahead of the compact sedan's scheduled world debut at the 2008 Paris Auto Show, which took place today. Joining the recently launched Insignia sedan, the new Cruze has been...
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Mercedes rolls out S320 CDI BlueEFFICIENCYLess than a month after the reveal of the long-awaited Mercedes Benz S400 BlueHybrid comes the latest vehicle in the luxury carmaker’s line of ultra-efficient models, the all-new S320 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY, which is set to go sale in Europe at the end of the year. Extensive modifications to the...
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Saab could use its own platform for upcoming 9-1Saab is planning to launch a new compact car based on its recently-revealed 9-X BioHybrid concept vehicle in 2010 that will be aimed squarely at premium hatchbacks like the Mini Cooper and BMW 1-series. The model will likely be called the 9-1 and was originally thought to share the Delta II...
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There’s something very puzzling about Nissan’s all-new GT-R supercar. Its official output figures read 480hp (358kW) and 588Nm (434lb-ft) of torque and its mass registers at 1,723kg, but... -
Lexmaul tunes the Volvo C30 T5Lexmaul is a German tuner that specialises in modifying vehicles from General Motors, specifically those wearing Opel badges. The latest project from Lexmaul, however, hails from Sweden and is based on the stylish Volvo C30 three–door hatchback. Lexmaul has nicknamed the car...
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Aston Martin adds automatic to DBS supercarOne year after making its first public appearance at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Aston Martin has confirmed details of a number of enhancements for the company’s flagship DBS, including the introduction of a ‘Touchtronic 2’ automatic transmission. The car will...
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Chevy Volt could be first mass-produced vehicle rated at 100mpg or moreThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering altering the way it determines mileage figures for hybrid vehicles, which could ultimately result in much higher mileage figures being awarded to hybrids. Currently, the EPA test cycle involves city and highway driving, as well as high speed...
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Edo Competition modifies the Ferrari FXX to be street-legalDespite only 30 FXX supercars being produced in total (not including the even more extreme Evolution models), German tuner Edo Competition has managed to get its hands on one of the ultra-rare cars and has modified it to be street legal. For anyone unfamiliar with the FXX, the car is a development...
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Saleen releases special edition Dark Horse MustangWith the 2010 Ford Mustang facelift just months away from being revealed, niche carmaker and specialty tuner Saleen has announced a new tuning package to mark the end of the line of the current model. The new car is called the ‘Dark Horse’ and is based on the 45th anniversary 2009 Ford...
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Deliveries of Tesla’s all-electric Roadster are just starting to trickle but already the company is looking at the next range of models to fill its order books. The $100,000 Roadster was always... -
Lotus teams up with Oaktec to build Honda Civic Hybrid race carLotus, though its engineering and consultancy division, has teamed up with several companies in the past year to collaborate on a number of different projects ranging from concept and electric vehicle development to performance and chassis tuning. The engineering group’s latest collaboration...
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Indian firm buys 49% stake in ZagatoIt’s been well documented that Italy’s classic automotive design firms and coachbuilders are doing it tough. Bertone recently underwent a drawn out restructuring phase, which saw the company nearly go bankrupt and sold to an overseas buyer, while Pininfarina lost more than $164 million...
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RUF developing all-electric Porsche CaymanOne of the most talked about electric cars in recent times is the Lotus Elise based Tesla Roadster, a car that is quickly become more and more popular in performance circles because of its supercar performance and cutting edge technology. Well-established Porsche tuner RUF, a company that has been...
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Maserati reveals new GranTurismo MC Corse ConceptIn late 2006 Maserati took the wraps off a new race-inspired version of its MC12, a car that was developed purely to homologate the MC12 GT1 race car for the FIA GT-championship. Now, just a week out from the Paris Motor Show, Maserati has unveiled another race bred vehicle, this time based on the...
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EU announces plan for mandatory daytime running lights by 2011The European Commission has announced plans to make it mandatory for all new cars to be fitted with daytime running lights (DRLs) as standard from 2011, and on trucks and buses one and a half years later. Despite widespread opposition from carmakers, the issue was raised once again on the back of...
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Gracing Alfa Romeo’s stands at the Paris Motor Show next week will be the new TI edition of the stylish Brera coupe, which is set to go on sale across Europe before the end of the year. The car... -
Maserati planning Paris auto show surpriseMaserati has confirmed via its official website (www.Maserati.com) that it will make a surprise announcement or presentation on October 2 at the 2008 Paris auto show. No other details have been revealed but there is a poll active on the site that asks visitors to guess what the surprise could be...
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All-electric Dodge concept previews new production sports carChrysler has demonstrated that it won’t be left behind in the technology stakes with the unveiling of three near-production prototype electric vehicles at a press event at its Auburn Hills headquarters in Detroit today. The prototypes are the result of the carmaker’s recently...
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BMW looking at more 7-series variantsWhen developing its fifth-generation 7-series flagship, BMW engineers focused on reducing complexity of the design in the hope of reducing overall production costs for the car. The end result was a halving in the number of suppliers as well as a 7-8% reduction in production times compared with the...
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Toyota seeks suppliers for A-BAT pickupLess than a year after showcasing its A-BAT hybrid pickup truck at the Detroit Auto Show Toyota has confirmed that it is looking for potential suppliers for the vehicle but stresses that it has not been given the green light. Suppliers have been asked to bid on making parts for the compact truck...
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Mercedes-Benz SL-Class tuned by LorinserThe Mercedes-Benz SL-Class is without doubt one of the most handsome cars on the market but with a few subtle mods the svelte roadster can be made much more appealing. The latest styling kit from German tuner Lorinser proves this proposition, with little more than a complete bodykit for the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran