Ralph Hanson, Author
Articles
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Last month’s Detroit Auto Show saw a number of carmakers pull out for the first time, with many citing a lack of suitable facilities and display space at the event’s venue,...
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Nissan prices Cube lineup, starts at $13,990, Krom from $19,360
Nissan has announced base pricing for the all-new Cube minicar earlier this month, starting at $13,990. Now it has revealed pricing for the full line, including the special-edition Krom, which starts at $19,360. Four variants of the Cube will be sold, dubbed the Cube 1.8, Cube 1.8 S, Cube 1.8 SL...
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Grab your tinfoil hats, BMW is developing a navigation system that tracks your habits
Imagine a future where you don't have to drive yourself to work, the market or even home from a night on the town. Convenient, but to some a nightmare of lost control. Even worse: imagine a future where your car chooses your destination for you. That's what BMW is working toward with its new...
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GM and Chrysler seek $8 billion in aid from Canada
General Motors and Chrysler have told authorities in Canada that they need as much as $8 billion in aid to stay afloat, more than double the original amount requested just three months ago. The latest request is in addition to the $26 billion the two Detroit carmakers are seeking from the U.S...
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Touchless Car Cover keeps your vehicle rust-free and clean anywhere
You've just spent four hours washing, stripping, waxing and polishing your baby, and now you're faced with a choice: shove her under a $15 elastic tarp where water can get trapped against the metal and the fabric can scratch at the paint, or leave her exposed to the elements where dust is already...
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Chrysler still sees GM merger as best bet
Desperate times call for desperate measures and at Chrysler it appears every option is on the table. The Auburn Hills carmaker has been tied with at least five major carmakers in the past six months, even coming close to a merger with Detroit rival General Motors. While such a move may seem a...
Ralph Hanson -
Yesterday’s grim news that General Motors had decided to pull the plug on its High Performance Vehicle Operations (HPVO) caused shockwaves around performance circles, with many believing some...
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New Barnard supercar born in South Africa
Right now the finishing touches are being put to South Africa’s latest supercar in a secluded factory outside Bloemfontein in the nation’s heart. The car is the new Barnard, and while its name may not generate the kind of excitement as names such as Zonda or Veyron, its expected...
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Chrysler's viability plan requires additional $2 billion in loans
Building a foundation for the reconstruction of the industry, General Motors and Chrysler are required to submit new plans for viability today as part of the loan agreement established late last year. GM has yet to unveil their reworked plan, but Chrysler has just released the key details of its...
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Scanned image reveals next-gen BMW 5-series
A class leader since its inception, the 5-series remains a crucial car in BMW's lineup, so there's a great deal of anticipation surrounding the next-generation model. The new car is due to arrive late this year for the 2010 model year, and heavily disguised sedan prototypes have already been seen...
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Mazda announces pricing for 2010 Mazda3
Mazda used last year’s Los Angeles Auto Show to debut the new 2010 Mazda3 Sedan, and then followed it with the reveal of the Hatchback model at the Bologna Motor Show just one month later. The carmaker’s North American chief Jim O'Sullivan revealed in January that the car’s U.S...
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White House: GM, Chrysler to get another $7 billion today
Detroit's carmakers are due to submit their latest viability plans to the government later today, but already a White House source has leaked that General Motors and Chrysler will both be getting new loan funds. GM's $4 billion loan and Chrysler's $3 billion will bring the total amount handed out...
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Since the reveal of the first Chevrolet Camaro concept back in 2006, speculation about the return of a high-performance Z28 flagship has been rife. General Motors was finally building modern RWD...
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Spy shots: Seven-seater Chevrolet Tacuma MPV
Chevrolet is planning to expand into the seven-seater MPV market with an all-new model designed as a replacement for the Tacuma (a Daewoo model that was later rebadged a Chevy). Unlike the previous Tacuma, the new model is tipped to be manufactured in the U.S. and may be offered with a hybrid...
Ralph Hanson -
BMW releases ‘Performance Power Kit’ for N54 straight-six engine
BMW’s N54 series straight-six engine is one of the most coveted powerplants currently in production, picking up prestigious awards like the International Engine of the Year title and appearing in some of our favorite cars like the 335i Coupe and Sedan. In its standard form, the...
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Peugeot 3008 crossover official details
Peugeot's work on its new 3008 compact crossover has so far been well documented, with the public getting their first taste of the vehicle with the almost identical Prologue HYmotion concept as far back as last year’s Paris Motor Show. Today, official details of the production 3008 have...
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Detroit 3 looking to Asia for brand sales
Tough times are a unifying theme of the economic and sales reports of the last six months, especially in the car industry. Finding ways to pull itself up by the bootstraps is proving harder than imagined by some, but the effort is pushing the Detroit 3 to consider a window of opportunity in Asia...
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Spy shots: BMW X5 M performance SUV
Currently sitting atop BMW’s X5 range is the 4.8is but recent news from the boss of BMW’s M division, Ludwig Willisch, has confirmed that performance variants of both the X5 and X6 SUVs are in development. A performance SUV doesn’t really fit in with the M philosophy of increased...
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The ongoing battle for the title of 'world's fastest production car' has seen the SSC Ultimate Aero TT dethrone the Bugatti Veyron for outright top speed, but now a new contender has entered the...
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Mazda’s CX-7 facelift debuts at the Canadian Auto Show
With all the excitement of this week’s Chicago Auto Show, it is easy to forget that just north of the border Canada is running its national auto show in Toronto. While the Canadian Auto Show is rarely recognized for its global debuts, Mazda has decided to use the event to unveil the 2010...
Ralph Hanson -
2010 Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 make debut
Though big, heavy trucks may not offer the road-going safety their image projects, they do offer utility that no other vehicle can approach. That's especially true of the larger, commercially-sized trucks like the new 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500, unveiled today at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show. Key...
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Chevrolet unveils Corvette Stingray Concept as part of Transformers movie car debut
Today General Motors revealed details on the upcoming Chevrolet-branded Autobots "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" movie. Making their debuts at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show are Bumblebee, a Camaro-based Autobot, Sideswipe (Corvette Stingray Concept) and Skids/Mudflap (Chevy Beat concept). The...
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Highway heavyweights earn low scores in latest IIHS crash test
Despite being some of the biggest vehicles on the road today, three top-selling pickup trucks have earned very low scores in the latest round of crash safety testing conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The worst performers were the crew-cab versions of the Chevrolet...
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Shelby auctioning Mustang 427 GT500 Super Snake for childrens' foundation
Helping children with rip-snorting automotive hardware is nothing new, but Carroll Shelby's latest charity auction will also serve to inaugurate the Shelby 427 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. The car on the block is a 2009 Shelby 427 GT500 Super Snake, good for 605hp (451kW) and sure to bring a good...
Ralph Hanson