Alex Kaufmann, Author
Articles
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To quell fears of substandard quality for products sourced from its Chinese partner Chery Auto, Chrysler personnel will be on hand in China early in the development and manufacturing phases to ensure... -
Press blames Bernie for Indy demiseThe American press has pinned the blame squarely on Bernie Ecclestone for the demise of the US grand prix at Indianapolis. "Let's see if we miss America," F1's 76-year-old chief executive reacted after news broke that he had not renewed the contract with Indy counterpart Tony George to bring the...
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Ford Oz looks at increasing exportsFord Australia is looking at an export program to help turnaround its current loss-making operations and secure the small Aussie outcrop’s future within the Blue Oval Empire. Ford is the third largest carmaker in Australia, ranking behind GM Holden and Toyota in the one million vehicle...
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Updated: Porsche 911 GT2 Official PicsQuickly following the leak of the official brochure for Porsche’s upcoming 911 GT2 yesterday, new official images have emerged ahead of the super-coupe’s unveiling at September’s Frankfurt Auto Show. Official output figures for its twin-turbo 3.6L flat-six stand at 530hp at...
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Preview: BMW M3 Coupe-CabrioAfter the official first drive of the new BMW M3 Coupe in Spain this week, many of the drivers came away with the consideration that the new E92 M3 has lost the raw and primal edge of the previous E46 model. We can only assume that a drive in the new convertible version, due for release in the...
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No further sale of Chrysler says Cerberus bossCerberus boss John Snow has told reporters that there are no plans to sell the recently purchased Chrysler Group and that the troubled US auto industry is due for a turnaround soon. Snow also revealed that management were pleased with Chrysler CEO Tom LaSorda's recovery plan, which is expected to...
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Despite criticism about Porsche’s becoming too common and increased competition in the segment, Porsche latest generation 911 has gone on to sell 100,000 units in just over three years.... -
Production-ready Mitsubishi Evo X caught in the wildThe latest iteration of the Mitsubishi Evolution series, now in its tenth generation, is set to be officially launched at October’s Tokyo Motor Show but until then these new spy images gives us a preview of how the new car will look out on the road. Though designers have retained most of the...
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Limited interest for Jaguar and Land Rover saleBidding for the Jaguar and Land Rover labels has failed to ignite the level of excitement and the flurry of rival bids that surrounded the sale of Aston Martin earlier this year. Leading the charge in the latest Premier Auto Group sale is private equity firms Cerberus, Ripplewood and One Equity...
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Ford expecting plug-in hybrids in 5 to 10 yearsFord CEO Alan Mulally predicts that plug-in hybrids could be in showrooms in five to 10 years. Mulally made the comments during the announcement of a joint-effort between Ford and energy utility Southern California Edison to test twenty electric prototypes. This is the first time that any timeline...
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Toyota backs Prius environmental claimsToyota’s Prius hybrid has come under fire recently for not being as eco-friendly as its maker would have you believe but now, one of its key developers, Toyota’s US manager of its Advanced Technologies Group Bill Reinert, has come out defending the car. Last year, a study conducted by...
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Detroit 3 likely to slip below 50% of marketThe Detroit 3 carmakers, GM, Chrysler and Ford are teetering on the edge of 50% market share and could slip below the milestone mark by as early as this month. For the end of June, the trio commanded just 50.2% of the US domestic market, down from 56% the year before and a new all time low for the...
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Exchange rates against the American dollar have been rising sharply for the last five years and are now starting to seriously affect automotive imports. Volkswagen has usually sold its vehicles in... -
More details on Lexus’ dedicated hybridWe reported previously about Lexus developing a new dedicated hybrid model positioned between its IS and GS models and now its UK Chief Steve Settle has revealed more details about the upcoming car. Speaking with BusinessCar, Settle explained that the new car, which is planned for 2010, will be a...
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Pagani To Build 750-HP Zonda R, New C9 Due In 2009Pagani has confirmed that its 750 horsepower Zonda R track car will be put into production with a mere 10 examples only expected to see the light of day. Six deposits have already been placed for the 1.2 million euro Ferrari FXX rival and the first deliveries should start in March of next year...
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Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG UnleashedThe first official shots of Mercedes' new high-performance C63 AMG sedan have been released showcasing Stuttgart's new sledgehammer that's set to compete with the upcoming BMW M3 and Audi's RS 4. Sporting the familiar hand-built 6.2-liter AMG V-8 engine, the C63 churns out 457 horsepower, down on...
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Brilliance planning 2008 US launchChina’s Brilliance Auto has announced that it’s targeting a sharp increase in revenues by expanding its production and possibly launching in the US. The goal is to double turnover by 2010 to roughly 80 billion yuan per annum, which would mean sales levels would have to leap to 500,000...
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Video: BMW’s new 1-series coupeWhen the first blurry images of the new 1-series coupe turned up we were a bit disappointed and thought the car looked out of proportion. However, this latest video has put our fears to rest and gives us a preview of how the new 1-series will look out on the road.
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Germany’s Kelleners Sport has launched a new tuning kit for the BMW 3-series sedan, with most of the upgrades designed specifically for the 330i. A specialist in tuning BMW’s since 1983,... -
Japan auto sales down 14 months in a rowSales of new cars, trucks and buses in Japan have dropped another 9.4% in June, the 14th straight month of decline. Industry giant Nissan saw its 21st month of declining sales and Subaru, which fared the worst, saw its sales drop for the 23rd month in a row. Even global powerhouse Toyota saw a...
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Maserati Quattroporte By NovitecGerman tuner Novitec definitely had a tough task on its hands when asked to improve the performance and styling of one of the best looking saloons on the market. However, it did have a few major accomplishments under its belt to back it up. These are, after all, the same guys that had the guts to...
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Biofuel and diesel mills debut in new Cadillac BLS wagonThe Cadillac BLS wagon is due to make its world premiere at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show with a range of new engines on offer including a bio-ethanol option and a two-stage turbodiesel. The new wagon will officially go on sale in November with the bio-fueled model appearing in showrooms...
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Honda Tops J.D. Power And Associates' APEAL StudyHonda has topped this year’s J.D. Power and Associates' APEAL study, taking out the most best-in-segment awards of any carmaker. The yearly Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study rates consumer opinion on car design, content, layout and performance and ranks cars based on...
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Volvo releases R-Design sports packageVolvo has released a range of performance and styling enhancements for its C30, S40 and V50 wagon, which are due to go on sale by the end of the year. Labeled R-Design, the new kits replace Volvo’s current Sport trim levels and is similar to the S-line packs offered by Audi. Additions to the...
Alex Kaufmann