Viknesh Vijayenthiran, Editor
Articles
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Mercedes-Benz will be adding three ultra-efficient versions of its C-Class sedan to its lineup this spring, featuring a host of new technologies aimed at improving fuel consumption and reducing... -
BMW may supply engines to Fiat and GMBMW arguably builds some of the finest engines in the industry but the carmaker isn’t one to prevent other makes from using its powerplants. Only last week Citroen announced plans to use BMW engines in some of its cars and soon GM and Fiat could be doing the same. Both GM and Fiat are...
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Mercedes, McLaren claim Dennis not firedSpokespeople for both McLaren and engine partner Mercedes-Benz have denied reports that team boss Ron Dennis has been fired. A report in the Spanish press this week said Martin Whitmarsh was set to take over the British veteran's nearly three-decade reign because Mercedes, with a 40 per cent team...
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Honda CEO: No recession in U.S. auto industryHonda CEO Takeo Fukui has stated unequivocally that there is no recession in the US auto industry. Just days ago Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn told journalists in Seoul that the US automobile industry is in recession, and high material costs were a major factor. The differing opinions between Honda and...
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Nissan and Mitsubishi swapping more modelsNissan and Mitsubishi already have an agreement under which Mitsubishi supplies a range of three-cylinder ‘Kei’ cars to Nissan and in return gets a number of light commercial vehicles. The two carmakers now plan to expand the partnership with Mitsubishi set to supply Nissan with about...
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Fiat boosting 500 production to 190,000 cars per yearThe rejuvenated Fiat 500 Cinquecento has proven so popular that demand has been outstripping supply for the first six months of sales, and with a host of new models on the way and no sign of demand slowing officials have been forced to boost production to 190,000 units a year. Fiat originally...
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Carmakers are always looking at ways of lowering costs and one of the easiest ways is to replace complicated systems with simpler ones. An Italian design company has now come up with an innovative... -
Peugeot 308 HDi breaks two Guinness world recordsA Peugeot 308 HDi driven on a 25 day journey around Australia has entered the Guinness book of records for setting two new fuel economy records. Driven by John and Helen Taylor, the car broke both the ‘Round Australia Diesel Economy World Record’ as well as the overall ‘Round...
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Porsche provides evidence Londoners don't want congestion charge, asks mayor to respondPorsche is sticking by its earlier claims that London’s new £25 congestion charge is too harsh and that a majority of Londoners agree. The German sports carmaker has now published details of a recent poll of sentiment towards the new charges and is requesting that Mayor Ken Livingstone do...
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GeigerCars Corvette Z06 Black EditionWhen Germany’s GeigerCars decided to modify one of America’s top performance cars, designers looked to an Italian carmaker, specifically Ferrari, for inspiration for their latest kit. The new car is the GeigerCars Corvette Z06 Black Edition, and it features a custom rear end that draws...
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Audi TT 2.0L TDI diesel sports carAudi has made no secret of its penchant for diesel powered sports cars, winning a string of titles at the Le Mans 24 Hours with its R10 TDI race car and then showing off an insane V12 diesel R8 concept at the recent Detroit Auto Show. The carmaker has now added its superb TDI engine to the TT...
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Update: Mitsubishi Lancer Prototype-S official photosUpdated: Mitsubishi today revealed its Protoype-S concept due in Geneva next week. The new high-res pictures detail the exterior and interior of the hatchback Lancer. Aimed squarely at arch-rival Subaru's WRX hatch, the new Protoype-S looks well-armed for the fight. Read on for the gallery and full...
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Updated: A denizen of the Romanian Astra forums has made public several medium-resolution shots of the upcoming Opel Meriva concept bound for Geneva. While no new information accompanies the leak,... -
Spy Shots: Lotus Eagle 2+2 In Winter TestingThe ever-vigilant spies at KGP Photography have put their lenses on what is thought to be a Lotus Eagle prototype. Other cars believed to be the Eagle have been spotted before, but the heavy-duty camouflage and odd angles of the newly-snapped car lend credence to the rumors in this case. Expected...
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Volvo's Jakob hot rodThis month Volvo will be unveiling a hand-built hot-rod at the Volvo Museum in Göteborg before the car makes its way to the home of the hot-rods, the USA, on a tour. While most hot-rods are built off old Fords or other American makes, this one is based on the first ever Volvo to roll off the...
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Ford in the 'Toxic Ten' list of bad corporate pollutersFord has been named in the 'Toxic Ten' list of corporate polluters, compiled by Conde Naste's Portfolio magazine. As the list itself states, the Toxic Ten is a look at companies that may not be the worst polluters, but companies that have the resources and ability to do better at increasing their...
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Brilliance and BYD to reveal new coupes and hybrids at GenevaWe previously reported on Brilliance Automotive's slightly stylish Hyundai Coupe competitor, the BC3 Coupe being sold in China for around $15,000. When the car was shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March of 2007, it garnered plenty of attention and left a lot of questions about whether it would...
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Official: Maserati's faster GranTurismo 'S'After last year's world premiere of the Maserati GranTurismo at Geneva, the company will be unveiling its flagship model, the GranTurismo S during the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. As speculated previously the "S" will breathe from a new heart, a 440BHP 4.7L V8 coupled with a brand new...
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Carmakers are already fretting at the thought of achieving the new 35mpg CAFE standards imposed by the U.S. government, so imagine how they would feel if faced with a much stricter 44mpg being... -
2008 WCOTY Top Three Finalists AnnouncedAs this year’s New York Auto Show approaches, organizers of the annual World Car of the Year awards have released details about the top three finalists for each of the World Car, World Performance Car, World Green Car and World Car Design categories. The final winner of each respective...
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Update: Fiat resumes engine productionUpdated: Fiat resumed production of its 1.3L Multijet engine over the weekend with the first cars equipped with the common-rail diesel expected to roll off production lines either Tuesday or Wednesday. Production halted last Saturday because of quality problems with some of the components sourced...
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Volt production to start at just 10,000 units per yearGeneral Motors isn’t as confident about its new Volt plug-in hybrid as it was when the original concept was first released. Since then there have been delays in the development of lithium-ion battery technology, problems with pricing, and more recently issues with the development of next-gen...
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Cadillac boss describes future lineupCadillac’s new CTS sedan is one of the most exciting models the GM luxury division has released in years but according to General Manager Jim Taylor it’s just the start of an onslaught of new models set to revive the brand. Next up will be the new high-performance CTS-V, which is set to...
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Toyota considering new compact models for U.S.Toyota is considering launching smaller and more efficient models in the U.S. to help improve its fleet average fuel economy levels in light of stricter CAFE regulations scheduled to roll in over the next decade. At the top of the list is the recently revealed Urban Cruiser, a compact SUV...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran