Alex Kaufmann, Author
Articles
-
Vehicle sales across the globe are down, with numbers in major markets like the U.S. and Japan down to their lowest levels decades. However, for a select few companies at the very highest levels of... -
High-tech high-beams reduce glare, improve visibilityEveryone has experienced it at some time in their night-driving life: the jerk with the ridiculously bright headlights that makes it impossible to see the road ahead. It's more than a mere annoyance, it's a genuine road hazard, and as vehicles have grown taller and lights brighter, the problem is...
Alex Kaufmann -
BMW design chief Chris Bangle quits auto industryOne of the most recognized automobile designers in the world, Chris Bangle, has announced today that he plans to quit the auto industry to pursue his own design-related endeavours. Bangle is the controversial designer behind recent BMW design traits such as ‘flame surfacing’ and the...
Alex Kaufmann -
Preview: Mid-engined Seat roadsterIn 2001 Seat surprised the motoring world when it unveiled the sporty Tango roadster concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Up until then the brand was largely known for its lacklustre range of economical hatchbacks, not for sporty, upmarket two-doors. Nothing much was heard about the Tango for some...
Alex Kaufmann -
Acura forges ahead with tier 1 luxury plans, NSX could be revivedApart from Lexus, Japanese luxury brands still pale in comparison to their German rivals in terms of the number of models they produce and the prices they can command. Overall image in the marketplace and status on the street have likewise proven difficult to develop. That's why Acura is making a...
Alex Kaufmann -
Touareg Hybrid set to join Volkswagen BlueMotion range next yearVolkswagen, looking to improve the efficiency of its fleets, has released today details about a number of new and upcoming technologies that it has grouped under its BlueMotion environmental tag. These technologies include engine start-stop systems, regenerative braking, electric propulsion, hybrid...
Alex Kaufmann -
Audi's R8 was an instant success when it broke onto the scene in 2007, and now the Germans are sweetening the deal with a V10 FSI engine, further strengthening the similarity to the Lamborghini... -
Audi details third-gen MMI information and entertainment system for U.S.Advanced multimedia systems are becoming increasingly central to daily life with modern cars. Especially at the luxury end of the segment, where BMW's iDrive, Mercedes-Benz's COMAND, Lexus's new haptic system with Enform and Audi's MMI all compete for top honors. The latest iteration of Audi's MMI...
Alex Kaufmann -
Porsche’s new €100 million museum opens to the public this weekendPorsche announced today it will be opening its new €100 million museum near its headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany to the public this weekend, on Saturday, January 31. One of the greatest and most spectacular building projects in the history of the sports car manufacturer, the new museum...
Alex Kaufmann -
Mercedes Benz CLK Coupe production comes to an endThe Mercedes Benz CLK is something of an enigma - built around the old C-Class platform, styled like the E-Class, and priced in between the two, the car sits in its own unique segment and has no direct competition from its rivals. Its sales history has been a strong success, especially in the...
Alex Kaufmann -
Financial crisis hits electric car company Think GlobalThink Global is a Norwegian based manufacturer of electric vehicles and is the same company behind the original ‘Th!nk’ electric car that went on sale in the U.S. during the late 1990s. Back then, Think was owned by Ford, which sold it in 2003 to Swiss company Kamkorp Microelectronics...
Alex Kaufmann -
Spy shots: 2010 Audi A4 AllroadAudi's new A4 Allroad quattro has made its debut at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. Click here for all the details. Like Volvo's XC line of cars, the Audi Allroad is a tall wagon with AWD and off-road capability. To date, however, the Allroad has only been available in a version based around the A6...
Alex Kaufmann -
Almost a year ago we first reported about a new lightweight British sports car designed by former McLaren Cars employee Jim Dowle. The car was codenamed ‘Project 001’ and it was to be the... -
Volkswagen claims first and second place at 2009 Dakar RallyVolkswagen has taken the top two spots at this year’s Dakar Rally, which incidentally was hosted in South America due to terrorist threats in the event’s usual homeland of Northern Africa. This year also saw a diesel vehicle take victory in the automobile class for the first time in the...
Alex Kaufmann -
Carlsson CK63 RS adds style and power to the Mercedes Benz SL63Straight out of the box the Mercedes Benz SL63 AMG is already one of the sportiest models in the carmaker’s lineup, but the car’s heady 525hp (392kW) output was never going to satisfy the guys at German tuner Carlsson. Applying lessons learned from its previous CK50 kit based on the...
Alex Kaufmann -
BMW reportedly planning a spiritual successor for the 2002Last year we saw the first test-mules for the next-generation BMW 1-series driving around the streets of Munich in Germany. At first appearance the test vehicles looked like ordinary 1-series hatchbacks but on closer inspection a number of key features revealed several vital clues about the next...
Alex Kaufmann -
Spy shots: 998 Porsche 911 TurboThe current 997 generation Porsche 911 is still being updated for its mid-cycle refresh, with only the standard Carrera, Carrera 4, and Targa variants receiving the update. Still in the works are the new Turbo and the GT3 models, though they too are drawing near to their expected unveiling...
Alex Kaufmann -
Mercedes-Benz R-Class soldiers onThere's something to be said for persistence, especially in the face of rejection, but in the case of the Mercedes-Benz R-Class, persistence may not be enough. The slow-selling crossover has hit its zenith, but is still short of the hopes Mercedes had for it when it debuted in 2005. Built in the...
Alex Kaufmann -
The production Honda Insight hybrid vehicle made its world debut last week at the Detroit Auto Show but the car on display was the version designed specifically for sale in North America. Honda has... -
Toyota confirms 2012 U.S. launch for electric vehiclesToyota used last week’s Detroit Auto Show to unveil its new FT-EV concept, a compact urban runabout based on the iQ minicar and powered by an all-electric drivetrain. The carmaker also used the Detroit event to announce plans to launch an urban commuter ‘battery-electric vehicle’...
Alex Kaufmann -
ASMA releases 'Perfectus' Mercedes-McLaren SLRProduction of the Mercedes-McLaren SLR supercar may soon be coming to an end but that appears to have no affect on the number of modified versions of the car being released by the world’s big-name aftermarket tuners. Late last year we saw the introduction of the Hamann Volcano, and then on...
Alex Kaufmann -
Renntech declares 'Horsepower War' ongoing with new SLR 777Mercedes-Benz's AMG arm has declared the horsepower war over two years in a row, all the while continuing to turn out new and improved - and more powerful - cars. Renntech has taken its cues from the spirit, if not the letter, of AMG's announcements with its latest modification, boosting the SLR...
Alex Kaufmann -
Hamann Tycoon BMW X6 widebody kitLate in 2008 Hamann revealed its plans for the BMW X6, including a range of performance and appearance upgrades. Today the tuning house expands that range with a new Tycoon widebody kit for the 'sports activity coupe'. Building on the foundation of Hamann's earlier X6 modificaitions, including...
Alex Kaufmann -
Volkswagen execs hint at production possibility for Bluesport conceptVolkswagen has made no secret of its desire to revive the compact roadster market with numerous concept cars over the last decade. The most recent of these was the Bluesport roadster that was unveiled this week at the Detroit Auto Show. The latest design takes the compact roadster concept to a new...
Alex Kaufmann