James Martinez, Author
Articles
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Suzuki has displayed four vehicles in total at this year’s SEMA show including the brand new 2008 four-door SX4 Sport, a vehicle designed to combine influences from high-performance motorcycles... -
German government says no to autobahn speed limitsGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel has told reporters her government would not try to impose any speed limits for the unrestricted sections of the autobahn despite members of her party backing a proposal to introduce a general speed limit of 130km/h (80mph). When questioned about the proposal on...
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Subaru WRX STI Group N rally car details releasedThe Subaru WRX STI was only officially released to the public a few days ago at the Tokyo Motor Show, but details of the new WRX STI Group N rally car are already out. The new STI Group N will battle its archrival, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evoultion X Group N rally car revealed earlier this month, in...
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Smart ForTwo supermini scores 4-star rating in Euro NCAP crash testDespite its diminutive size the Smart Fortwo supermini has achieved a four out of five star rating in the latest Euro NCAP’s Adult Occupant crash tests, putting it in par with some large sedans and SUVs in terms of occupant safety. The same can’t be said for pedestrian safety, where the...
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Low dollar may see Daimler increase U.S. productionThe U.S. is by far the world’s biggest car market so it already makes sense to manufacture vehicles locally. Compound this with a weak U.S. dollar, especially against the string euro, and it becomes apparent that importing cars from Europe for carmakers like Mercedes-Benz is simply too...
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BMW Concept 1-series tiiThe 1-series hasn’t even touched down on American shores yet, and already BMW is building new concepts and increasing the performance of the hot little ride. Mostly a Lotus-style exercise in added lightness through lighter materials, the new 1-series reminds us of the beloved 2002. From its...
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For its 2008 model year lineup Lotus has developed a new supercharged version of the Elise roadster, dubbed the Elise SC. The car sports a 217hp powerplant and is easily identified by its new rear... -
Kia launching new ‘ECO’ range in Europe in 2009Kia is the latest carmaker to announce plans for the launch of a range of ultra-efficient vehicles, with its first enviro-friendly vehicle tipped to be a new clean version of the Ceed hatch. The new car will be based on the Kia eco_cee’d concept car (pictured) that was unveiled at last...
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Pagani Zonda F Sets New ‘Ring RecordLong recognized as one of the holy grails of motorsport, being the fastest around the daunting Nurburgring Nordschleife is not just a claim to fame - it’s a claim to superiority. The Porsche Carrera GT supercar last held the title of fastest production car around the Green Hell, but no...
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Felipe Massa extends with Ferrari through 2010Felipe Massa will stay with the Maranello based team until at least the end of 2010, Ferrari announced in a statement on Tuesday. Confirmation of the 26-year-old Brazilian’s new agreement ends speculation that Fernando Alonso is set to switch to the Italian outfit, as Kimi Raikkonen began a...
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Leaked VW doc reveals future plans for RWD minicarVolkswagen is working on a new minicar whose launch is viewed by officials as the most important project since the Golf hatchback replaced the Beetle in the 1970s. The car was previewed at last month’s Frankfurt Motor Show in the form of the up! minicar concept and according to a leaked...
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Jaguar and Land Rover sale within two monthsDespite Ford announcing last week that it was pushing back the deadline for final bids for the Jaguar and Land Rover to come in, its European boss John Fleming has revealed to a Spanish newspaper that the new owner would be known within the next two months. Ford has previously announced both labels...
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Chinese manufacturer BYD Automobile has revealed that it will start mass producing rechargeable plug-in electric cars next year despite industry giants Toyota and GM admitting they’re still... -
2008 European Car Of The Year Finalists AnnouncedA couple of months ago we reported on the European Car of the Year award, which is run by a panel of journalists from various publications across the continent. Having filtered through the initial 32 contenders, the final seven most impressive cars of the year have finally been announced. Making...
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BMW M3 Sedan image leakedAn official image of the new M3 Sedan has cropped up on M3 Post, and as suspected it reveals the new model is basically the E90 sedan with the M3 Coupe's front-end lobbed on. In fact, the two cars share only the the load-bearing structure, doors, roof, trunk lid. Like the M3 Coupe, the Sedan...
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Video: Maserati GranTurismo reviewThe lucky guys from Fifth Gear got the chance to test drive the Maserati GranTurismo across some mountain roads in northern Italy, and as we suspected they’ve come away very pleased with the new coupe. After all, who wouldn’t like a big Italian GT packing a powerful V8 and styling that...
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GM’s new Volt may not be branded a ChevroletLast week’s release of a chart detailing General Motors’ future production plans has also revealed an interesting tidbit of info concerning the upcoming Volt plug-in electric hybrid car. The chart lists the cars that will be manufactured at several GM plants. At its Detroit, Hamtramck...
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Renault And Nokia Pack Twingo With Electronic GizmosRenault has shown that low-cost minicars don’t have to be the boring econo-boxes most people presume they are thanks to its stylish Twingo hatch. It’s now made the tiny runabout a little sweeter with some help from Nokia. The two companies have formed a partnership to develop a new...
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It’s no secret Maybach has been a major flop for Mercedes-Benz. At a time when Rolls-Royce and Bentley are both making record sales, Maybach has struggled to move less than 800 cars since its... -
Mitsubishi launches the GSR and RS Lancer Evo XAfter months of spy shots, leaked brochures, and supposed official images, Mitsubishi has finally revealed all the final details and images for the new Lancer Evolution X. The car officialy goes on sale today at dealers across Japan sporting the new S-AWC system and a five-speed manual transmission...
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Video: VW Tiguan from concept to productionThe drawn out gestation of Volkswagen’s new Tiguan SUV finally came to an end with the car making its official debut earlier this month. Its development saw several concepts come and go over the past couple of years, as well as a survey of over 350,000 people in Germany to pick its new name...
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Suzuki planning a WRX rival?Suzuki isn't known for its high performance sports cars but the recent Kizashi Concept shown at the Frankfurt Auto Show is proof it harbors greater ambitions. With the company competing in the World Rally Championship, management is now suggesting a car that can showcase their involvement and the...
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Video: Ferrari F430 Scuderia promoThe wraps came off Ferrari’s latest supercar at the recent Frankfurt Motor Show and we now have an official video of the car showcasing its motorsports background and on-track prowess. Click here to read our previous story on the F430 Scuderia or follow the jump for the full video. Via...
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Falling profits urging F1 to leave EuropeA sharp fall in profits intensified formula one's need to push outside of Europe and also drop the US grand prix, according to a report. Britain's Daily Telegraph revealed that, because of high debt repayments, profits crashed $306.7m to just $6m since the sport's commercial rights were taken over...
James Martinez