Alex Kaufmann, Author
Articles
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If the rumors are true, General Motors may be in the process of developing a new Buick crossover - with a new two-mode plug-in hybrid engine that should take the alternative fuels fight to its...
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Spy shots: V10-powered Audi R8 Spyder takes to the ‘Ring
Audi currently sells two versions of its R8 supercar, the original 4.2L V8 model and the recently revealed 5.2L V10 version, but there are two more versions in the works, one of which will be unveiled at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show. The two new versions are the R8 Spyder convertible and...
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Report: Saab Ownership Will Enable Koenigsegg To Bring Quant Supercar To Reality
When it was first reported that Swedish supercar company Koenigsegg was one of the leading bidders for struggling automaker Saab, many were left scratching their heads. Why would a company specializing in building a handful of million dollar supercars each year want to purchase a controlling stake...
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Ford: Government loans to Chrysler, GM saved the industry
It's easy to look at the bailouts and bankruptcies of General Motors and Chrysler as a big-government bonanza. Some even see tints of socialism in the loans and subsequent government ownership stakes. But as Ford points out today, there was more at stake than just two companies. The entire...
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Preview: Abt Sportsline turns up the wick on Audi's Q7 V12 oil burner to 560hp
Not much is yet known about Abt Sportsline's latest take on the Audi Q7 V12 TDI, but the numbers are enough to pique any enthusiast's interest: 560hp (412kW), 886lb-ft (1,200Nm) of torque and sports-car-like 0-62mph (100km/h) times of just 5.5 seconds. How Abt boosted the big V12 diesel from its...
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G-Power one of the first to tune BMW’s new Z4 Roadster
The all-new 2010 BMW Z4 is still on its way to most showrooms around the globe but the guys at G-Power have already had one in their workshop for some time now and have managed to develop several new mods for the car. When it comes to extreme performance mods for BMW cars, G-Power is one of the...
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Rolls-Royce is currently developing a brand new model positioned below the Phantom for launch in early 2010, with the new car expected to double the number of vehicles built by the ultra-luxury...
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Mariani adds Italian flair to the Audi S8, turns it up to 501hp
Mariani may not be a household name in Audi tuning, but if they keep putting out projects like their latest upgrade program for the Audi A8 and S8, they're likely to grow a following. Combining clean aesthetics with respectable performance upgrades, the Mariani Audi S8 improves on the original. In...
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Audi Q5 Hybrid coming in 2011
Hybrid-electric and other green propulsion systems are as much a theme of the current climate as is the restructuring and 'right-sizing' of the industry - even more so, at ground-level. Audi is doing its part to contribute to the swell of green vehicles and announcements by revealing its plans to...
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Pebble Beach to host former Bentley Boys cars in addition to Arnage unveiling
For those not familiar with the Bentley Boys, they were a group of hard-driving, wealthy and dedicated works team racers that helped push Bentley to its racing success in the 1920s. This year, a few of the cars they drove over 80 years ago will be re-convened at the Pebble Beach Concours...
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Caractere enhances Audi’s A5 Cabrio range with new styling kit
Unlike many of their competitors, the Belgians at Caractere don't do the European version of tacky, flashy tuner cars. Instead, they focus on adding minor enhancements that give the owner a unique look without clamoring for attention. The design program for the Audi A5 Cabrio offers a range of...
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Russian designer Krasnov Igor creates another supercar masterpiece
Budding Russian car designer Krasnov Igor has already managed to impress a number of people with his renderings of what a four-door Ferrari may look like, but now the designer has unveiled his latest project, one that is definitely sportier than the last car he tackled. Looking like something of a...
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Niche German automaker Wiesmann is best known for its classically designed sports cars that tend to cost an arm and a leg, but now the company is expanding into the holiday and travel business....
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Audi unveils '100 years of Audi' package for Europe
Centennial celebrations have rippled through the industry over the past several years, with General Motors, Bugatti, Mercedes Benz and Fiat among those celebrating some form of 100th anniversary recently. Audi's ongoing celebrations have already seen a unique watch called the Tachoscope, and now...
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Ferrari CEO hints at Los Angeles debut for 4x4 hybrid concept
Ferrari has been working on a proprietary part-time 4WD system designed for both its mid and front-engined models for the past several years, which the carmaker has christened ‘Insertable 4x4’. Not much has been seen or heard about the system for some time but last month a search of the...
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VW Golf GTD diesel sports hatch hits the market
Late last year, reports emerged claiming Volkswagen was working on three separate sports-oriented versions of the popular Golf hatchback. The first of these we've already seen in the form of the recently launched GTI, and this spring the second star of the trio, the GTD oil-burner, was revealed...
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Audi will need an extra year to hit 1.5 million sales target
Volkswagen and its subsidiaries, including Audi, have been in hot pursuit of an industry-topping sales rank for the past several years, but the widespread economic downturn is shaping up to put those plans on hold. It may take Audi a full year longer than expected to reach its sales goal of 1.5...
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ABT Sportsline focuses on four-cylinder performance with A3-based AS3
German tuner ABT Sportsline is known for its tuning work with a number of automakers, most notably those from the VW Group's portfolio such as Volkswagen and Audi models. The most recent project in the firm’s line of modified Audis is a new upgrade for the compact yet premium A3 hatchback...
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Sunday’s Turkish GP started off with an incident packed first lap that saw Renault’s Fernando Alonso strike Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari and Felipe Massa passed by a hard charging Nico...
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BMW designing cars to stop automatically during medical emergency
A surprisingly common problem that often goes largely unreported is the situation where a driver loses control of their vehicle after suffering a serious health-related problem when behind the wheel. To overcome this problem, BMW is working on a new system that will be able to safely bring a car to...
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Mercedes Benz launches high-end bicycle range
Before the invention of the automobile, cycling was a popular way to get around and even today many developing countries feature far greater numbers of cyclists then motorists. That at least goes some way into explaining this new range of bicycles from Mercedes Benz, which the automaker claims...
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Hartge adds more aggression to BMW’s X6 with new styling pack
There’s no shortage of tuners offering upgrades for the new BMW X6, and to add to this specialist BMW tuner Hartge has just unveiled its new aerodynamic kit for the sporty crossover. For those of you that have seen pictures of the high-performance X6 M and felt underwhelmed by the...
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Toyota to lease 500 Prius plug-in hybrids this year, 150 coming to U.S.
It's important to have a broad perspective in the auto business - tunnel-vision has been one of the biggest criticism of the American automakers. But seeing beyond the trees of economic meltdown to view the forest of the future industry is easier said than done. Toyota, however, is demonstrating...
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Hamann tunes the Rolls-Royce Phantom for more power, less class
German tuner Hamann is known for its work with a number of brands, including Porsche, Mercedes Benz, BMW and Fiat, but now the company has turned its attention to an unlikely candidate for tuning work - the Rolls-Royce Phantom. The company is offering a number of upgrades for both the Phantom and...
Alex Kaufmann