James Martinez, Author
Articles
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General Motors is planning to inject up to $6 billion in its Daewoo subsidiary over the next four years for both design work and engineering. According to GM Daewoo Chief Michael Grimaldi the South... -
Sportec SP580 Porsche 911 TurboSwitzerland’s Sportec has released its latest package for the Porsche 911 Turbo, which includes a range of power mods, aerodynamic enhancements, plus chassis and suspension tuning. As if the 997 Turbo wasn’t powerful enough, the "Swiss made" performance pack lifts output to 580hp...
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UK trials pollution detecting camerasFirst the UK government taxes vehicles based on their carbon-dioxide emissions, now, it’s testing a ‘spy’ camera that can determine which cars are the heavy polluters so that it can charge them for entering proposed 'Low Emission Zones'. The new camera can scan up to 3,000...
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Europe to get Ford Kuga crossover in early ‘08Ford will present a preview of its Kuga crossover at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show, a new model based on the iosis X concept car that’s due to go into production early next year. At the unveiling of the iosis X at the Paris Show back in 2006, Ford announced that it would have a...
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Ferrari F430 Scuderia set for 2007 Frankfurt auto showFerrari’s new model pegged for the 2007 Frankfurt auto show has turned out to be the new 430 Scuderia, and not the Challenge Stradale or Dino that everyone had been hoping for. The new Scuderia is essentially the CS model in everything but name, having shed up to 100 kilograms through an...
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New Ford Oz Falcon RevealedImages of Australia’s latest RWD family hauler have popped up on several Aussie forums, revealing the next-gen Ford Falcon ahead of its launch in early ’08. These renderings are said to reveal the new FPV GT, a performance bred sedan based on the regular Falcon and powered by a range of...
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Mercedes is celebrating ten years of production of its M-class SUV at its Tuscaloosa plant in Alabama with the release of the Edition10 limited series model. The SUV gets special badging, 20in... -
Preview: VW’s 235 MPG ProjectWhen Volkswagen unveiled its 1-Liter concept car back in 2002 nobody actually thought such a car could ever make it to production. The concept utilized lightweight construction techniques, superior aerodynamics and low resistance tires to achieve its amazing 1L/100km fuel consumption figure...
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Hartge builds 300+km/h LPG BMW 1-seriesGerman tuner Hartge has released more details about its BMW 1-series hatch designed to run on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Labeled project ‘V300+’, the LPG 1-series produces up to 550bhp and is claimed to reach speeds in excess of 300km/h. If the claims prove true, the Hartge tuned...
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BMW completes Tritec sale to ChryslerBMW’s 50% stake in Brazil’s Tritec engine manufacturer has been signed over to the Chrysler Group, who may now sell it on to a third party. Tritec was originally formed in 1997 between Chrysler and Rover (then a subsidiary of BMW) to develop a compact four-cylinder engine for a range of...
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’CEO 1’ sells for record £154,100 on eBayThe personalized number plate, CEO 1, has sold for a whopping £154,100 on eBay in the UK today. The unique license plate was only posted for sale on the 2nd of this month and had received more than one hundred bids before the auction closed. The previous car that wore the plate was an Aston Martin...
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All-lithium electric Mini Cooper enters productionNevada’s Hybrid Technologies has started production of its electric-powered BMW Mini Cooper all-lithium model. In development for the past two years, the new electric Mini uses Hybrid Tech’s own proprietary advanced lithium management and battery-balancing system, which promises a cycle...
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When the U.S. distributor of Noble Automotive, the Ohio-based 1G Racing, bought the rights to build local versions of Noble M400 and M12 supercars, there was a clause that required 1G to rebadge and... -
Volvo adds three new flex-fuel modelsVolvo has added new flex-fuel engines to its S40 and V50 lineup as well as to the stylish C30 hatch range. The new motor, displacing 1.8L, pumps out 125hp and runs on blended E85 biofuel. Also available are three common-rail diesels with outputs ranging from 109hp up to 180hp and five petrol units...
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Hamann’s new kit for the Lamborghini Murciélago LP640Not that the Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 needed more aggression, but for the crazy guys at Germany’s Hamann a car can never be too hardcore. That’s why they’ve released yet another performance aero pack for the Italian thoroughbred. Described as resembling a Stealth-Bomber on...
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Ford joins Edison power over plug-in hybrid techFord is reportedly teaming up with the Southern California Edison power company to help further the introduction of plug-in hybrid vehicles. CEO Alan Mulally will be meeting with Edison boss John Bryson at the utility’s Rosemead headquarters tomorrow for the official announcement. Though...
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ABT’s A5-based AS5Audi tuning company has released pictures of its tuning kit for the new A5 coupe, combining bodykit, power upgrades, improved handling, and new wheels. Apart from the typical front and rear spoilers, the AS5 gains gill-shaped air inlets above the front wheels to help cool the brakes. The A5’s...
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Chrysler’s Chinese built car likely to cost $10,000The first Chrysler model to be sourced from China’s Chery Auto will likely have a $10,000 sticker price when it finally goes on sale, not the $7,000 analysts previously predicted. The car is due to hit the US market in 2009 and will most likely be sold under the Dodge label. According to...
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In what appears to be more of a demotion rather than an advancement, the chief designer at Ford of Europe, Phil Simmons, will head over to Land Rover as the SUV company's first-ever studio director... -
VW readies new four-door coupeVolkswagen is set to release a new four-door coupe in ten month’s time with a starting price around the €30,000 mark. Internally codenamed the CC, the new coupe will share most of its mechanicals with the Passat and could make its first appearance at the Detroit Motor Show in January...
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Abt’s supercharged TT RoadsterThe Audi TT is a favorite at Abt Sportsline, so it’s not surprising that engineers have left no model in the TT family untouched. The tuner is also heavily involved with the German Touring Car Championship and it has used the knowledge gained from racing to develop its latest line of...
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Preview: 2009 Mercedes-Benz GLKUpdate: Official GLK concepts here and here. These are the latest renderings of Mercedes’ upcoming midsized SUV, which is scheduled to enter production in the second half of next year. This rendering, compiled with information sourced from insiders close to the project, show that the new GLK...
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New Maserati GranTurismo at Goodwood’s FOSWe haven’t seen or heard much about Maserati’s new GranTurismo since its debut at the Geneva Motor Show back in March, but lucky visitors at this month’s Goodwood Festival of Speed were treated with the car’s first “on the road” appearance. The new GT was entered...
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Video: The Story Of The Pininfarina-Designed P4/5 EnzoJames Glickenhaus tells us the story behind one of the most expensive Ferraris ever created and boasts a couple of reasons why his P4/5 is better than the Enzo it’s based on. This video is worth it for the inside look at Glickenhaus’ garage and his personal collection of cars...
James Martinez