Ralph Hanson, Author
Articles
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There aren't many people out there that think the regular BMW M5 isn’t fast enough or find its subtle but aggressive styling unsatisfying. Fortunately, there are still tuning companies like... -
New ‘smart’ materials to revolutionize car designGeneral Motors recently demonstrated its latest development in the field of smart materials during a media event at its R&D center. New technologies such as shape memory alloys and polymers are just some of the new materials that GM is investigating for future use in its cars. The materials get...
Ralph Hanson -
Alfa Romeo to release new ‘Racer’ small carFiat exec Antonio Baravalle has confirmed that Alfa Romeo is preparing a new small car, likely to be called the ‘Racer.’ According to 4Car, the Racer is due next year and will be built off the same platform used for Fiat’s Grande Punto, sharing the same front struts and rear...
Ralph Hanson -
Fiat considers new low-cost carThe list of carmakers preparing to launch new budget-based models is growing every month, and the latest manufacturer to join that list is Fiat whose chief Sergio Marchionne confirmed it was considering developing a low-cost car. Speaking with reporters at the Geneva Motor Show, Marchionne said...
Ralph Hanson -
Updated: More images of VW’s new PhaetonVolkswagen will launch its facelifted Phaeton limo during this week’s Geneva Motor Show with a host of minor revisions that are unlikely to stir any major excitement. The VW flagship gets a set of new headlamps, more standard equipment and a range of new diesel engines. The big-banger V10 TDI...
Ralph Hanson -
Bentley Drops New Brooklands Coupe In GenevaBentley has revealed an all-new model in the form of the Brooklands coupe at the Geneva Motor Show. Described by Bentley as a "grand touring coupe with classic British proportions," the new 2+2 coupe gets its name from the Brooklands circuit in Surrey, where Bentley used to race back in the 1920s...
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It looks like the serial-embargo-breakers over at km77 have struck again. This time, it’s Renault’s new mass-market model, the Twingo, which was shown in concept form at the Paris auto... -
Ford’s PAG Group to make a profit in 2007?Ford’s luxury Premier Automotive Group is expected to make a profit for 2007, executive vice president Lewis Booth said in a briefing with Reuters. The PAG is made up of Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Aston Martin. Jaguar has been the main culprit behind lackluster profits in the group, but...
Ralph Hanson -
Bentley's Continental GT is the fastest car on iceA Bentley Continental GT, driven by four-times World Rally Champion Juha Kankkunen, has broken the world ice speed record with an average top speed of 199.86mph (321.65km/h), beating the previous record of 184.14mph (296.34km/h) set by a Bugatti EB110 Supersport. The event took place on the frozen...
Ralph Hanson -
VW picks up Audi inspired modular designVolkswagen will use manufacturing techniques picked up from sister company Audi to cut development times of its new vehicles by up to a year and expand its portfolio while reducing the number of employees at the same time. The claim comes from VW’s new development boss, Ulrich Hackenberg, who...
Ralph Hanson -
Audi’s most expensive A8 everAudi has built a special armored version of its A8 limo for an unknown private customer, believed to be German politician Edmund Stoiber. With a rumored price tag of approximately €520,000, the exclusive Audi is roughly four times the sticker price of the regular A8 flagship, making it the...
Ralph Hanson -
Audi’s new Q7 4.2L V8 TDIThe VW group is continuing its diesel offensive with the addition of a new diesel engine that pumps out 240kW and a massive 760Nm of torque, making it the most powerful diesel SUV on the market. The engine even manages to beat out the V10 TDI found in the Touareg by 10Nm, and is capable of pushing...
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BMW and DaimlerChrysler are currently developing a new rear-wheel-drive hybrid drivetrain, with both manufacturers planning to release vehicles equipped with the system within the next three years.... -
Geneva Debut For The Lotus 2-ElevenLotus' racing arm Lotus Sport will be using next week’s Geneva Motor Show to debut its new Lotus 2-Eleven track car, a powerful stripped out racer with a power to weight ratio similar to that of a 1960's Formula One car. With a supercharged and intercooled motor developing 252bhp (188kW) and...
Ralph Hanson -
Weber Plans 400-KMH Supercar For Top Marques MonacoSwiss company Weber Sportscars, best known as an auto parts supplier, will be displaying its own in-house designed supercar during April’s Top Marques Monaco Auto Show. The car's chassis construction consists of aluminum and weighs just 65kg. It’s so rigid that during testing, a strain...
Ralph Hanson -
Artega GT Coupe Headed For GenevaFormer Rolls Royce boss Klaus Dieter Frers and a team of auto industry experts have developed the new Artega GT Coupe. The car, which will be officially unveiled at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, is roughly the same size as Volkswagen’s small Polo hatch. It measures just 3.95m in length and...
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Giugiaro Vadhò hydrogen concept planned for GenevaGiugiaro will be showcasing its own Vadhò hydrogen concept car at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, the design house’s first attempt at an all-green vehicle. Built of a unique platform, the Vadhò is powered by a hydrogen fuelled powerplant located next to the rear seat, which itself is...
Ralph Hanson -
Next-gen C7 Corvette gets 700HP?General Motors’ VP of global product development Jim Queen has spilled the beans on one of GM’s most crucial future models. In an interview with Motor Trend, Queen said the next-generation C7 Corvette will retain a naturally aspirated V8 engine but will develop up to 700hp in flagship...
Ralph Hanson -
Click here for all the official information and pictures for the 2009 Volkswagen Golf Mark VI
Volkswagen is rushing the next-generation of its Golf hatch to spearhead declining sales of the current... -
Maserati considers more modelsMaserati is about to release its replacement for the aging GT Coupe but it knows that to reach its ambitious sales target of 12,000 cars by 2011, it will need several new models. The Italian carmaker is looking at three possible new models, the first of which is a high-end SUV based on its Kubang...
Ralph Hanson -
Audi AVUS 2 streamline racerThis futuristic looking Audi is the creation of a computer design fan who always wanted to create a modern version of Audi’s own AVUS concept car. You may recall that the AVUS was a concept displayed by Audi back in 1991 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The designer of the AVUS 2, however, even...
Ralph Hanson -
Buick dealers reject new RWD saloonThe Buick dealer council in America has chosen not to offer a new vehicle based on the long-wheelbase rear-drive Holden Statesman from Australia. Despite the excitement over the introduction of the new RWD G8 from Pontiac also sourced from Holden, Buick will stick with selling its FWD line of cars...
Ralph Hanson -
Sirius and XM to announce mergerThe Sirius and XM satellite radio providers will make an official announcement later today about a planned merger following a weekend of around the clock negotiations. The New York Post reports that details will be released at a conference in Washington D.C., and according to a source close to the...
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Two new engines and drop-top planned for Audi R8The first Audi R8 coupes haven’t even hit showrooms but already there are rumors about future drivetrain updates as well as a possible new convertible model. Dutch magazine Autovisie is saying that Audi will release the drop-top version of the R8 sometime next year, likely to be called the R8...
Ralph Hanson