Alex Kaufmann, Author
Articles
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Modification of the R35 GT-R is still in its infancy but already top-name tuners like Amuse and Mines have set new lap records for Japan’s Tsukuba Circuit with only minor modifications to... -
Mid-year launch for 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS SedanGM took the wraps off its Chevrolet Cobalt SS performance coupe at last year’s SEMA Auto Show in Las Vegas and now the carmaker has released an image of its sedan sibling, which will go sale several months after the coupe in the middle of the year. The 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Sedan will...
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U.S. to account for half of BMW X6 salesBMW has confirmed that its upcoming X6 crossover has been designed with the U.S. market primarily in mind, with official forecasts predicting up to half of the car’s annual production volume will be sold in the world’s biggest market. After the U.S., the next biggest markets for the X6...
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Video: New Exhaust Hints At V-8 PaganiOne of the best aspects of Pagani’s Zonda supercar is its AMG-sourced 7.3-liter V-12 powerplant, but with production of the current car expected to end within the next 12 months officials are now looking towards its successor. Previous reports claim the new model, codenamed C9, will sport a...
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Seat reveals 2009 Ibiza hatchAfter giving us a preview of the new 2009 Ibiza hatch at last month’s Geneva Motor Show with the unveiling of the Bocanegra Concept, Seat has released official details and images for the final production version of the car. The debut of the new Ibiza marks the start of a major product...
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Premier4509 widebody kit for Bentley Continental GTJapanese tuner Premier4509 (the premium arm of bodykit specialist Veilside) has announced a limited edition widebody aero kit for the Bentley Continental GT that has been released alongside the previous Premier4509 Lamborghini Murcielago kit. The Bentley widebody set will be limited to just 100...
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Ford has made a commitment to fit 80 to 90% of its future vehicles with electric power steering (EPS) systems by 2012. Currently the 2008 Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner, and their respective hybrid... -
Geely CE concept headed for BeijingChinese car designers are rarely lauded for their efforts, mostly because of the country’s reputation for 'borrowing' designs from other carmakers, but one company, Geely, is helping to turn around the bad rep with a number of interesting concepts it has planned for the upcoming Beijing Motor...
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Mitsubishi shuts Australian factoryThe last Australian built Mitsubishi has rolled off its production line at the carmaker’s Tonsley Park site in Adelaide today, one month after officials first announced the closure of the plant. Mitsubishi first started building cars in Adelaide back in 1980 after acquiring the plant from...
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Official: Ford sells Jaguar & Land Rover to Tata for $2.3bAfter months of speculation, leaked information and hearsay, Ford has finally confirmed it will sell its Jaguar and Land Rover operations to India’s Tata. The sale is expected to close by the end of the next quarter and still requires approval from several European regulatory bodies, but...
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Peugeot and Citroen consider SUV based on Concept-cXFrench carmakers Peugeot and Citroen could be developing a second SUV model based around Mitsubishi running gear, just as they did with the current 4007 and C7 cars which are based on the Outlander midsize SUV. Mitsubishi is planning to launch its own compact SUV along the lines of last...
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Bentley Boys S3 design studyThis ominous, retro-inspired design study is the creation of automotive engineer Arturo Alonso from Bentley Boys USA and is tipped to enter production if it receives enough interest. Alonso and his team are planning to build just three cars, each at a cost of $150,000, at a the painstakingly slow...
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We could be in store for a sharp rise in vehicle prices as carmakers are forced to deal with unfavorable exchange rates, rising raw material prices and new fuel-economy and emissions regulations.... -
Updated: 2009 Acura TSX official detailsUpdated with new photo gallery Acura revealed the new 2009 TSX at the New York Auto Show this morning, and with it the full gamut of high-res photography. The second-generation 2009 TSX is larger, more agile, better equipped and more performance minded than the model it replaces. It does so with...
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Audi upgrades S-tronic to handle more powerAudi has finally announced the launch of its version of VW Group’s new seven-speed dual clutch transmission, which will be used to replace the current six-speed units over the next 12 months. The new gearbox, dubbed S-tronic in Audi-speak, is designed to work with longitudinally installed...
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Hennessey’s turbocharged SRT700 Dodge ChallengerIt didn’t take long for Hennessey to use knowledge gained from years of boosting power from the Viper supercar to increase output of Dodge’s latest performance model. Once again the tuner has turned to turbocharging technology for added oomph, in this case churning out up to 725hp from...
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Red light cameras found to cause more accidentsWe’ve all sped up at a yellow light only to slam the brakes upon seeing a traffic light camera ahead, or at least we’ve seen someone else do it. A new study has found that this phenomenon often leads to more accidents and injuries than would be caused without the cameras present. Study...
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Changes at Chrysler will happen fastOne of the plagues of the auto industry is the high level of bureaucracy, deliberation and red tape that surround nearly every decision made in regards to developing new products. In an effort to reduce costs and bring products to market faster Chrysler is devising a new plan that will ensure...
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Last week we saw the reveal of the official safety car for this year’s F1 season in the form of the lightened SL63 AMG from Mercedes-Benz, and now we have a first look at the car that will fill... -
Honda to reduce support for Super AguriHonda is to steadily withdraw its technical support for satellite team Super Aguri, Nick Fry revealed in Melbourne. F1 teams have agreed that customer cars will be totally phased out by 2010, but Honda CEO Fry told Reuters that - with new team ownership - Super Aguri will stand on its own feet "a...
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Exxon Mobil helping to develop electric carsAs odd as it sounds, the world’s largest oil refiner Exxon Mobil is helping to develop new battery technology for a range of new petrol-electric hybrids and all-electric vehicles. Using a component it developed for mobile phone batteries, Exxon Mobil is now working on improving batteries for...
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Husmen 699 GTO design studyAlmost every other day we’ll come across new renderings or sketches of an outrageous concept car that doesn’t even come close to looking like a production model, but every now and then we see something that looks like it could be sitting in a showroom one day. Take the new Husmen 699...
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Williams boss wants fastest F1 cars at back of gridSounding like the words of someone who has already accepted defeat, Williams team co-owner Patrick Head is proposing that the fastest F1 cars, based on how many championship points the driver has accumulated, should be placed at the back of the grid to make the races more interesting. “I...
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Nissan prepping electric concept for N.Y. Auto ShowNissan may have fallen behind its closest rivals in the race to launch a hybrid car but it won’t be making the same mistake with its new generation of all-electric vehicles. The carmaker plans to introduce its first all-electric car in 2010 for fleet customers in both Japan and the U.S., and...
Alex Kaufmann