Siddarth Raja, Author
Articles
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Mercedes will match arch rival BMW and its green initiative by introducing carbon dioxide-reducing stop-start technology across its entire lineup and go one step further by installing integrated... -
Chinese built VW to be sold in USVolkswagen’s joint-venture with China’s Shanghai Auto will spawn a new car that will eventually go on sale in North America. The new model will mark the first time that VW’s Chinese partner will help develop a vehicle targeted at a global market, Reuters Reports. There’s...
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End of production for the Aston Martin VanquishThe last car ever to be produced at Aston Martin’s historic Newport Pagnell plant has rolled off the production line today; a V12 Vanquish coupe that marks the end of more than fifty years of production at the Buckinghamshire site. The Vanquish was the poster child for Aston Martin over the...
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UK police tracking motoristsThe UK government is considering giving police full access to data collected from traffic cameras in order to track the movement of cars. The proposal was revealed in a leaked Home Office document and follows previous comments by Home Office Minister Tony McNulty that real-time data from London's...
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GM Buying 50% Stake In VM Motori Diesel PlantTo secure its diesel future General Motors will purchase a 50% stake in Italy’s VM Motori diesel engine plant from current owner Penske Corp. in a new 50-50 joint venture. This is the same engine plant that GM co-developed its new 2.9L V6 turbodiesel, which will initially be sold in...
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Upsurge in diesels predicted for USNow that the US market is finally beginning to realize the benefits of diesel engines, one of the largest suppliers of diesel fuel injection systems, Siemens VDO, is predicting that sales of the oil-burners in the US will reach 867,000 units by 2012. This is up from an estimated 653,000 diesels...
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Earlier this month reports emerged that claimed Mercedes was planning to drop the A-class compact after the current model’s lifecycle ends in 2011. Now, further confirmation that the A-class... -
No U.S. grand prix in 2008An agreement between the F1 controlling body and the Indianapolis Speedway has failed to materialise by the agreed July 12th cut-off and has therefore nixed any plans for a grand prix in the US next year. Bernie Ecclestone, the sport’s commercial supremo, said "We didn't reach an agreement...
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Spy Shots: 2010 Porsche Panamera up closeThese latest rounds of spy shots are probably the best images yet of the upcoming Porsche Panamera, and they leave us wondering if designers will be sticking with the bland lines seen on this test mule. It’s still early days, as the Panamera isn’t expected to be officially unveiled...
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BMW may still be interested in VolvoIn May we first reported that BMW was evaluating a possible takeover of Volvo and had even gone so far as to request copies of the Swede’s financial statements in preparation of a rumored bid. Since then, officials from both Volvo and parent company Ford have denied rumors of the sale...
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P.Diddy joins F1 silly-seasonF1's traditional 'silly season' has taken a bizarre twist. After championship leader Lewis Hamilton recently spent some time with the American rapper Sean Combs - otherwise known as Diddy, Puff Daddy or P.Diddy - a rumour has emerged that the formula one paddock could soon have a new team owner. At...
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Fiat wants 500 to be ‘iPod’ of carsFiat’s new 500 will be making a big impact when it hits the streets, rewriting the rules for the low-cost minicar segment by offering distinctive styling and innovativeness in a package that’ll only set you back around €10,000. No wonder Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne commented that...
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The owners of MG and Rover, the Nanjing and Shanghai auto corporations, are reported to be in talks over a possible deal to create a new MG-Rover group based in China. The deal is said to be backed... -
BBS sold to Belgian firmThe maker of some of our favorite performance wheels, BBS, has been sold to Belgian holding company Punch International. Though full details of the acquisition are yet to be finalized, some employees will be losing their jobs in an effort to turnaround the rim manufacturer’s poor financial...
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Continental enters record books with world's fastest tireContinental has been officially recognized as the maker of the world's fastest standard production road tire and has been entered into the Guinness Book of Records with a top speed of rating of 242mph (388km/h). The result was achieved using a 9ff modified Porsche owned by German Jan Fatthauer, who...
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Toyota’s FSC Concept entering productionToyota is reportedly developing a production version of the FSC, which was first displayed back at 2005’s Tokyo Motor Show. Touted as a ‘Flexible Saloon Concept’, the showcar's design was sedan mixed with MPV and is essentially what we’d describe today as a crossover. The...
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Cadillac considers hybrids for entire lineupTo combat declining sales and the fallout from US fuel prices hovering around the $3 per gallon mark, Cadillac is considering adding hybrid options to its entire lineup. Sales in the US fell 3.4% last year, the first major drop since 2001, and sales are down a significant 7.2% for the first five...
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Ferrari accuses technician of criminal behaviourFerrari has commenced legal action against its veteran technician Nigel Stepney, a spokesman for the Maranello based team confirmed on Friday. The details have not been divulged, but team principal Jean Todt admitted to La Gazzetta dello Sport that the action relates to alleged "illegal" behavior...
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Chrysler has announced the adoption of a range of new fuel-saving technologies to improve mileage rates of its vehicles. The major news is the development of a family of V6 engines with cylinder... -
Video: Mazda 2If we had to pick one mass-market car company making cars that exceed their price in quality, style, and refinement that company would have to be Mazda. The recently announced Mazda 2 is their latest model and continues on the zoom-zoom theme. More importantly, Mazda has made this new model 100kg...
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New engine design could double fuel efficiency of carsThe UK-based Nevis Engine Company is close to completing work on the second phase of testing of its functioning prototype of a new exhaust valve and intake system that’s claimed to be able to nearly double the fuel efficiency attained by conventional internal combustion engines. At the heart...
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Cerberus joins Ford PAG sale rumor millThe Jaguar and Land Rover brands may be next in line to be acquired by American private equity firm Cerberus, which recently bought the struggling Chrysler Group from its German parent. According to a report from German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Cerberus is interested in...
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ZF's new torque vectoring rear axleAutomotive supplier ZF has created a new torque vectoring rear axle drive system that has been designed to distribute drive torque individually between a car's rear wheels. This is said to improve agility and stabilize the vehicle, while also providing better handling in critical situations. When...
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Kubica sidelined for Indy, BMW's Vettel to raceRobert Kubica will sit out the US grand prix this weekend despite passing the FIA's cognitive and physical examination on Thursday. The Pole, who was hospitalised with a sprained ankle, minor bruising and mild concussion after his huge accident in Montreal four days ago, told reporters on Thursday...
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