Ralph Hanson, Author
Articles
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Oil prices reached a new record high yesterday, peaking at $100.10 per barrel before closing slightly lower at $100.01. There was no one major cause for the steep hike but some of the events that... -
Citroen to use BMW enginesPeugeot has been using a range of BMW-sourced four-cylinder engines in its cars for years and now sister brand Citroen has confirmed its new models will also get the British-built engines. The engines come in several different flavours, including turbo and naturally aspirated versions, and range...
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Audi reveals new A4 AvantThe latest variation of the volume A4 model, the all-new Avant wagon, will be on display at next month’s Geneva Motor Show where it will be making its worldwide debut before going on sale in just over a month. Based on the same technology layout as the sedan, the new Avant gets the same newly...
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Tata only wants Land Rover, plans to sell Jaguar?Many found it puzzling when India’s Tata, a company that specializes in econo cars and commercial vehicles, announced plans to purchase a struggling luxury brand like Jaguar, but it appears there could be more to Tata’s takeover of Ford’s premium brands then first reported...
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Ultra-rare Lamborghini Reventon supercar up for saleLamborghini’s Reventon supercar was without doubt one of the standout cars of 2007 and with only 20 examples rolling out of the factory your chances of snapping one up now are next to nil. Not so, apparently as a Reventon has been put up for sale for the princely sum of €1,590,000 or...
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Alfa Romeo updates 159 sedan and wagonThe stunning 8C Spider isn’t the only new model Alfa Romeo will be presenting at next month’s Geneva auto show. Also gracing the stands of the Italian carmaker will be updated versions of its bread-and-butter 159 sedan and sportwagon models. Changes to the cars have been kept subtle but...
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Peugeot plans to unveil two new 308 models at next month’s Geneva Motor Show, the 308 SW wagon and the sporty 308 GT THP 175. The new sporty GT hatch gets the same 1.6L turbo-charged THP engine... -
Abarth opens new design center in TurinCoinciding with the reveal of the all-new Abarth 500 hot hatch, Fiat has officially opened a new design studio and workshop dedicated to the revived performance line within the confines of its Mirafiori complex. Abarth is a motorsport, design and manufacturing company and home of Fiat's acclaimed...
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Toyota launches redesigned Crown flagship sedanToyota gave us a preview of Japanese domestic market Crown flagship at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show when it rolled out the Crown Luxury Hybrid concept car. The carmaker has now taken the wraps off the final production version of the regular petrol models as well as a new hybrid range topper...
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Australian designed E-Vade track carThis open top racer is a road-legal sports car developed in Australia and is set to be unveiled at the upcoming Melbourne Motor Show in full production trim. The new model is called the E-Vade and the first production cars have already undergone initial shakedown trials at Port Melbourne’s...
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Ralf switches to DTM, Villeneuve out of NASCARRalf Schumacher has now signed a contract to race with Mercedes-Benz in the German touring car series (DTM) in 2008, according to a German newspaper. Bild reports that 32-year-old Schumacher, who lost his Toyota seat at the end of last season, has travelled to Stuttgart to formalise the $1 million...
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Nissan’s first hybrid to feature in Infiniti modelsNissan’s first in-house hybrid technology will debut under its premium Infiniti brand and will eventually filter across to its more expensive RWD sedan models to ensure that all hybrid vehicles it sells will remain profitable. Nissan already offers a hybrid model in the form of its Altima...
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Most people wouldn’t think twice about securing their car’s catalytic converter but lately the piece of exhaust hardware has become a popular target for thieves trading in precious... -
Union boss fearful for GM & Ford, wants to block importsIt’s no secret the Detroit 3 is losing market share to foreign makes, especially in North America were U.S. manufacturers have traditionally been the dominant players. Strong competition from Japanese and Korean makes have eroded the Detroit 3’s stranglehold on the U.S. market and has...
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Spy Shots: 2009 Alfa Romeo Furiosa / JuniorAlfa Romeo recently ran an internet poll asking fans from around the world to vote for a possible new name for its upcoming entry-level model. The final name that was picked was the controversial ‘Furiosa’ but Alfa officials were quick to point out that the new name wouldn’t be...
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Lamborghini prepping Gallardo facelift and new LP550Lamborghini’s entry-level Gallardo supercar has been on the market relatively unchanged for almost five years now, so as part of the car’s midlife update designers will be giving it a slight facelift and add a new flagship version as well. Set to appear at next month’s Geneva...
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Bi-Compressor Ferrari F430 Spider by NovitecNovitec’s twin-supercharger Evoluzione pack for the Ferrari F430 has been on the market since April of last year but until now the German tuner never offered the kit for the equally potent F430 Spider convertible. Featuring the same twin Rotrex superchargers as its hardtop sibling, the...
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Ireland could switch from left to right-hand drivingConsidering the close proximity between Ireland and Europe it’s surprising to note that motorists in each area drive on opposite sides of the road. Ireland, like its neighbor England, drives on the left-hand side of the road but this could one day change because there are calls to switch...
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Last month Chrysler revealed its plans to establish a global midsize vehicle center specifically for the design and construction of a new flexible platform that could be used to for an entire family... -
VW to bring compact turbo cars to AmericaCompact and sub-compact cars have traditionally fared poorly in North America where motorists have for long benefited from some of the lowest fuel prices in the world. Combine this with the fact that cars are much cheaper in North America than in most other parts of the world and it becomes easy to...
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GM will keep the Camaro affordableGM product planners will heed calls to make the Camaro affordable and will offer a comparable lineup to Ford’s Mustang range by starting with a low cost entry-level V6 model. Execs at GM know the reason the Mustang is so successful is because it stayed true to its roots as a very affordable...
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Caractere’s new look for the Audi A5/S5Europe’s tuners have a knack for creating overly aggressive bodykits that usually detract from the original lines of the car they’re trying to enhance. The latest kit from Belgian tuner Caractere doesn’t fall into that category. Its new accessory range for the A5 lineup looks as...
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New ‘Dual View’ displays coming to production carsBack in 2006 Alpine showcased a new dashboard display system that allows viewers to watch two different images from a single screen depending on the angle they’re sitting at. This meant that the front passenger and driver would see two separate images when looking at the single display, a...
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Ford likely to build Verve in MexicoMexico is quickly becoming a hotspot for production of low-cost models destined to be sold in the U.S. and Canada. The quality of cars coming out of the country is at the level where luxury brands such as Cadillac are moving operations to Mexico, and now there’s a contingent of carmakers from...
Ralph Hanson