Alex Kaufmann, Author
Articles
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The days when driving beyond a posted speed limit is impossible could soon be upon us with news coming out this weekend that Canada is trialling a new anti-speeding device that can automatically slow... -
Video: 2009 Porsche 911 GT2Porsche has released a new promotional video for the fastest car in Porsche’s lineup for 2008, the 911 GT2. The video features the Porsche speedster driving in numerous places, but most appealingly at the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife under the trained hands of Porsche test driver...
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Honda offers staff $2000 bonus for F1 winHonda has promised its hundreds of formula one staff a $2000 bonus should Jenson Button or Rubens Barrichello win a race in 2008. The move, which would cost the Brackley based team in excess of $1.5m per victory, would apply not only to mechanics and engineers but also to the cleaners of the...
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Preview: 2009 Audi Q5After the successful launch of the Audi Q7, the luxury carmaker from Ingolstadt is preparing the launch of its second ‘Q’ car, which according to a leaked product schedule should arrive by the middle of this year. The new car is the Q5 soft-roader and it’s set to go head-to-head with the...
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Volkswagen passes one million DSG salesVolkswagen reached a new milestone today, the carmaker announcing that it has sold one million vehicles fitted with a Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG). The first VW model to be fitted with the dual-clutch gearbox was the Golf R32 hot hatch, which back in 2003 was one of the first production cars in the...
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Noble M12 Roadster Now AvailableNoble may no longer be building its M12 supercar but existing owners have an opportunity to bring the new car feel back into their lives thanks to a new convertible conversion kit. The kit was developed by Bristol-based Salica Cars, and not only does it include a new removable roof but it also...
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With the sale of Jaguar and Land Rover to India’s Tata Group expected to be announced within weeks, Italian giant Fiat may finally get access to the premium RWD and AWD technologies it’s... -
BMW planning new minicar brand?We’ve previously reported about BMW considering a new low-emissions minicar to help reduce its fleet average emissions levels and now new reports have emerged claiming there could be an all-new brand launched with several different models in the pipeline. Part of the reason for BMW...
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Porsche builds 200,000th Cayenne SUVThe Porsche Cayenne has been criticized since its launch in the early part of the decade. Not because it was a particularly bad vehicle but mainly because of what it represented. Until the launch of the Cayenne, Porsche was all about building the fastest and best handling sports cars in the world...
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Ford launches 362HP FPV Territory F6XAustralians only buy about a million cars every year but their local market is filled with interesting cars most of the world can only dream of. Americans are just about to get a taste of the Aussie’s local hero, Holden’s VE Commodore, in the form of the new Pontiac G8 (although the...
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2008 World Car Of The Year Finalists AnnouncedNot to be outdone by the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards held at this month’s Detroit Auto Show, the organizers of April’s New York Auto Show have started to pool together the finalists for its annual World Car of the Year awards. This is only the third time the event is...
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Video: Nissan GT-R club racer caught testingNissan are serious about making the GT-R a global nameplate in motorsport and are currently prepping a production track car for use in club racing. This isn’t the rumoured Spec-V model but a track-only special that may eventually be used for a new GT-R Cup. Some of the unique features seen on...
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Cadillac’s presence in markets outside the U.S. is growing but there’s still a long way to go until the brand has the global recognition that rivals like BMW and Mercedes-Benz command. A... -
Porsche posts another sales recordPorsche’s momentum in the sales race shows no sign of slowing and with the introduction of several all new models on the way the once exclusive sports car brand is on the road to becoming mainstream. The carmaker has exceeded its sales estimates for the last financial year yet again, this...
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Chrysler to establish global midsize vehicle centerIf Chrysler hopes to be around in years to come it has to evolve into a serious global player, and to do that it needs a range of new models engineered to suit global tastes. Of America’s three major carmakers, GM was first off the bat to take advantage of its global resources, calling on...
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Audi drops more images and specs for 580HP RS6 AvantAudi’s monster RS6 Avant is still being kept behind locked doors but in the lead up to its eventual release the carmaker has released a flood of new information and images to whet our appetites. Fitted with a twin-turbo V10 engine that churns out 580hp and 650Nm of torque, the new model has...
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Iconic Mini gets a Chinese cloneChina’s motor industry has been frequently maligned in the automotive press for its less-than-original designs and the latest car from one of the country’s biggest manufacturers, Lifan Auto, has ripped off not only the design of one car but also the name of another. Pictured above is...
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Mystery prototype turns out to be MC1 supercarEarly last year, images of a heavily disguised prototype surfaced and led to speculation that the test-mule was in fact a future Lotus model. Most sites, including this one, concluded the car was the next-generation Esprit in testing but it appears it was actually the creation of a new joint-effort...
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Despite official word from both Ford and Volvo that there are currently no plans for the sale of the Swedish carmaker, new reports claim it is up for sale and could change hands for $6 billion by the... -
A1GP car drag races Boeing 777We’ve seen a number of cars go up against all sorts of aircraft over the past 12 months, including an F1 car and supercar competing against a jet-fighter and even a Volkswagen Touareg towing a Boeing 747. This time we have an A1GP race car taking on a Boeing 777 in a drag race at New...
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One billion cars on the road by 2010Vehicle sales in the U.S. may be slowing but all around the world countries are experiencing record sales levels and there seems to be no end to the rise despite concerns about the economy, environment and rising oil prices. German research firm R. L. Polk is now predicting there will be close to...
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Smart opens shop in U.S.American highways will soon see the tiny Smart ForTwo minicars following the announcement today the Smart brand will be opening 68 sales outlets in the U.S. across 31 states this month. The brand’s official distributor in the U.S., Penske Automotive Group, declined to comment on the number of...
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Ford exec confirms RWD Lincoln plansAll the RWD excitement of late seems to be associated with GM and its upcoming range of rear driving muscle cars, namely the Pontiac G8 and new Camaro, however, the Blue Oval was never going to just sit idly by and let GM have all the fun. Ford has made no secret of its RWD ambitions, which is to...
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GM considering ‘micro-premium’ carSize no longer matters when it comes to the premium consumers are willing to pay for a little bit of luxury. You only have to look at the runaway success BMW has been having with its Mini range and to a lesser extent its 1-series model to see that there’s big money in small cars. GM is one...
Alex Kaufmann