Kenneth Hall, Author
Articles
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It's not every day that an automotive first is achieved - the industry is over a century old, after all. So that makes Acura's first-ever sweep of top marks in IIHS and NHTSA safety ratings...
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Aston Martin seeks new investors, planning Middle East expansion
Late last year we reported about Aston Martin's primary stakeholder Investment Dar and the Kuwaiti firm’s plans to sell its stake in the British carmaker. Now, Aston Martin chief Dr. Ulrich Bez is claiming Investment Dar Company is planning to keep its stake and has revealed that the carmaker...
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Preview: 2010 Volkswagen Polo three-door
Volkswagen’s new Polo hatch is due to go on sale in the middle of the year as a 2010 model and was first revealed last month at the Geneva Motor Show in five-door trim. We can now get a look at the sportier three-door variant due later this year thanks to these latest computer generated...
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Hyundai's Mini Popemobile: April Fool's Day Comes Early
Asian carmakers, especially those in Korea and China, have been moving into the stealth-armored car market for several years now. That's just about the only context in which the Hyundai i10 conversion released today makes sense, and it does - in a weird sort of way. Of course it's an April Fool's...
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Geely goes for the gusto with throne-equipped GE limo
Building a successful hyper-luxury limousine is a tricky game. While brands like Maybach and Bentley are struggling to find success, Rolls Royce is posting year after banner year of sales improvements. Now a newcomer has entered the game, and the result is catastrophically interesting. Built by...
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Report: Ford canceling Fiesta RS
The lamentations of American hatch fans - as few as they may be - over the unfairness of Europe's bounty are legendary. But soon it's European hatch fans that may be sobbing, mourning the stillbirth of Ford's tiniest hot hatch, the Fiesta RS. The initial report, sourced by an interview of Jost...
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Earlier on in the year we reported on British company Ecotricity's plan to build an electric sports-car that could be charged from wind-generated power. That company has now involved itself with...
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Virgin announces sponsorship deal for Brawn GP, may rename team
Mere weeks after rising from Honda's ashes as 'Brawn GP', the Brackley based team could be set for yet another name change. Following the eleventh-hour sponsorship deal with the Virgin brand, Sir Richard Branson in Melbourne admitted his company might take over the name of the new team. The British...
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Cargraphic uses racing know-how to improve Aston Martin’s Vantage
German tuning firm Cargraphic has launched a new performance upgrade for the V8 Vantage that sees improvements in power, handling, and design. The company’s engineers have modified the 4.5 litre V8 engine to raise peak power from 426hp (313kW) to 466hp (342kW), as well as increasing peak...
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A speeding ticket? But officer, I was at home, asleep
Another day, another wacky UK speed camera ticket. This time, a young woman was busted for driving 37mph in a 30mph zone. The catch? The car was parked, and the woman was asleep in her house at the time. After a car triggered a speed camera but wasn't caught in the frame, an operator noted the only...
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Tiret New York and LSE Design team up for Range Rover based Tiret Coupe
Land Rover's Range Rover Sport has long been a popular choice with celebrity and pop-culture icons, but with the modifications that Tiret New York and LSE Design have managed, the Tiret Coupe takes the vehicle to another level. Wider flared arches, LED lighting, 22in LSE alloy wheels and a full...
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Brabus first off the block with complete upgrade for new Mercedes Benz E-Class
Noted for its sleek, stylish and almost stealthy modifications of Mercedes Benz vehicles, Brabus occupies a special place in the German tuner scene. Apparently that place is very special because the performance workshops is one of the first tuning firms to develop a complete upgrade package for the...
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Honda’s new Insight hybrid vehicle has been on sale in the U.S. for just over a week but demand for the car is already pushing production at the company’s Suzuka plant in Japan to the...
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Ecclestone: Formula 1 could hatch three new teams for 2010
After Super Aguri left the grid abruptly last season and Honda F1 announced its own pull-out - only to be re-formed as Brawn GP - and Toyota was considering withdrawal as well, confidence in the future of Formula 1 was at a low point. Since then, a host of rule changes and some very interesting...
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Volvo phases out S60 sedan in lead up to all-new model
Production of the Volvo S60 is coming to an end as the current model will soon be phased out in the lead up to an all-new model due next year. Production of the car at Volvo’s plant in Ghent, Belgium, is scheduled to end next month, marking the end of a eight year product cycle that saw more...
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Audi celebrates 100 years with unique Tachoscope timepiece
Celebrating an anniversary with a timepiece is a classic tradition, one symbolic of the years that have led to the moment. Audi's celebration of its 100th anniversary is no different, capturing the moment with a custom watch built in cooperation with Chronoswiss. The watch, called 'Tachoscope'...
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Spy shots: 2010 Range Rover facelift
Land Rover’s third-generation Range Rover was first introduced in 2002 and was updated in 2005 with some minor styling revisions as well as a range of new V8 engines sourced from Jaguar. The luxury SUV is set to undergo another minor update, with a camouflaged prototype caught testing once...
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Toyota and Honda continue cutting output as Japan's sales head for 32-year low
In the highly reflexive world of modern markets, forecasts are often self-fulfilling, and that's just more reason to fear the word coming out of Tokyo today. The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) is predicting the worst sales in 32 years for 2009, and already Toyota and Honda have...
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The Japan Automobile Manufacturers' Association (JAMA) has decided not to cancel this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, despite most of the world’s automakers pulling out of the event. Skipping...
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Ratan Tata asks British government to offer assistance to Jaguar-Land Rover
Warning of impending layoffs should government aid for Jaguar-Land Rover not arrive soon, Tata Motors Chairman Ratan Tata restated the need for government-sourced funds. An urgent call went out in February from the company's CEO, and though aid of £2.3 billion ($3.25 billion) was approved by the...
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Driver of Lotus Elise clocked at an ‘impossible’ 173mph
British police have discovered the world's fastest unmodified Lotus Elise, having clocked motorist Tex O'Reilly at the phenomenal speed of 173mph - almost three-and-a-half times the speed limit for the area where he was 'caught'. Unfortunately for the Derbyshire police, the Lotus Elise they managed...
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American engineers will develop Ford’s global midsize platform
Ford’s midsize Fusion sedan and its associated Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ cousins were just updated for the 2010 model year but details of the next-generation model, due in 2012, have already surfaced. While the current car is based on the CD3 platform from the Mazda6, the next Fusion will...
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FIA agrees to call off 'winner takes all' scoring system
F1's governing body has agreed to call off the immediate implementation of its newly announced 'winner takes all' scoring system, amid the determined opposition of the teams. The FOTA team alliance on Friday said it had gathered in the wake of the World Motor Sport Council's announcement this week...
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University develops cheap, simple way to convert all cars into air-hybrids
A team from a west London university is claiming to have found the holy grail of the automotive world - a cheap, simple method to turn ordinary combustion engines into hybrid vehicles that run on air. The team from the Institute of Engineering and Design at Brunel University have developed a way to...
Kenneth Hall