A major step towards self-driving cars, Volvo has announced its first successful test of what it calls a “road train”. As a part of the SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for the Environment) project, a test fleet of cars fitted with special equipment becomes a caravan of sorts, bunching up behind a lead vehicle and acting...
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Citing complex certification processes, Fisker Automotive has cut its sales target for the plug-in hybrid electric Karma once again. Initially set at 15,000 units for 2012, in November the American start-up automaker headed by renowned automotive designer Henrik Fisker shopped the forecast to 12,000 units in November. Now Fisker has reduced that goal once again,...
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Ford and General Motors could have an all-too-familiar rival in the V8 Supercar series and despite some rumors, it won’t be from German or Japan. Hailing from the other side of the world, where they’re cross-town rivals, Chrysler is tipped as the latest possibly entry into the touring car championship. Top Chrysler designer and CEO...
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Closing in on a year since the reveal of the Yaris HSD Concept at the Geneva Motor Show, Toyota has released the first production images of the gasoline-electric sub-compact. Sporting the front-end of the FCV-R hydrogen fuel cell concept, the Yaris Hybrid is powered by the same Hybrid Synergy Drive engine-motor combination as found in...
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After a half a decade of build-up, sales of the Chevrolet Volt are not going as planned. With a targeted goal of moving 10,000 units in its first full year on sale GM moved 7,671, leading to speculation that the American auto giant won’t be able to meet its lofty forecast for 60,000 sales in...
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Audi’s performance vehicle lineup is about to get a new addition with these latest spy photos revealing what appears to be the next-generation RS6 Avant. Based on the current generation A6 wagon, the test mule features a more bold font grille, as well as add-on fender flares to accommodate the wider track. Other hints include...
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Our spy photographers have seemingly followed the BMW X5, all the way from Germany earlier this week to a decidedly more wintry location for some extreme weather testing. Looking visibly smaller than its predecessor in these spy photos, its unlikely the new X5 will actually shrink in size, although it will most certainly lose some...
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We were first to bring you pictures of the incredible Prius race car from the Tokyo Auto Salon and now we’ve tracked down info on the too-cool-to-be-green racer. Set to complete in the Super GT series in Japan, the vehicle was built by the APR racing team – a long time competitor in the series,...
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Toyota motorsports partner Gazoo Racing is known for its Super GT teams and Nurburgring race cars. How do they stack up when it comes to the sport art of drifting? Not too well, judging from this video. As part of a demonstration event held at the Tokyo Auto Salon each year, automakers, tuners and racing...
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And the world’s fastest hybrid is? The Porsche Panamera Hybrid S? Sure… that sounds believable, especially after watching the teaser video below. But wait… The hybrid Porsche sedan isn’t the only car in the clip below. Watch carefully at the 0:15 mark and you’ll see the reflection of another car in the Porsche’s shiny paint....
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What do the Porsche Panamera and Nissan Juke have in common? Answer: the ability to love them only after you’ve driven them. With styling that wouldn’t sell were it not for that Porsche badge, the German sports car maker has put its notoriously uncreative design team to work searching for a way to “modernize” the...
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Rolls-Royce has been quietly planning a faelift for its flagship Phantom model, as our spy photographers found out when they came across a camo-clad version of the luxury behemoth testing in Europe. At first look it appears to be a “regular” old Rolls. A closer look at the headlights in these spy photos, however, reveals...
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Mitsubishi has released a lone teaser image of an all-new model it plans to debut at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. No specifics were given about the new vehicle, but in a release the company did say it will be a, “strategic and innovative premium vehicle”. It will also showcase the brand’s new design direction....
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With the launch of its new Roadster model MINI is seeking to rejuvenate the struggling segment says U.S. brand boss Jim McDowell. The Roadster and its sibling, the new MINI Coupe, were developed in tandem, but to appeal to very different segments of the population. And perhaps more importantly, they were developed to bring in...
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After every auto show there’s normally a lull in new product news as media and PR folks alike decompress. That won’t be the case with this year’s Chicago Auto Show, however, with the reveal of electric car maker Tesla’s new crossover the day after the Chi-town press day. The reveal won’t be anywhere near Chicago...
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When the McLaren MP4-12C debuted, it was seen as a disappointment by many. Certainly the car’s performance was amazing, but not the Bugatti-beating numbers some had expected. That’s because it was never built as a Veyron rival but rather a Ferrari 458 killer. A proper successor to the McLaren F1 would come, however, and according...
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The dominating diesels will have a fuel economy foe at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, thanks to a new hybrid race car from Toyota. Set to compete in the top-tier LMP1 class later this year, the first photos of the hybrid electric drive prototype have hit the net, thanks to a tweet by...
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Hinting at a possible tuner version of the new March/Micra sub-compact, Nissan has revealed a NISMO concept model at the Tokyo Auto Salon. Standing alongside similar NISMO-tuned versions of the Leaf and Juke, the March NISMO Concept gets the expected goodies. Included in the package are lighter forged wheels and an upgraded (and lowered) suspension,...
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In anticipation of the launch of its new Model S electric luxury sedan later this year, Tesla has been busy expanding its retail network to meet supply. “We added six new stores in the U.S. last year, four in the last quarter,” said George Blankenship, VP of sales and ownership experience, speaking during a conference...
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk held an emergency conference call today to address concerns after news broke of two key executives leaving the company last week, sparking a 19 percent decline in the electric car maker’s stock value. Addressing investors and media, Musk apologized for how the news came across and denied accusations that Tesla was...
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Perhaps the most bizarre of Honda‘s show cars at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon is the Flash Box. Based on the brand’s new N Box Kei car, there’s a matte-gray paint job, reflective decals and an excessive use of LED lights – inside and out. And let’s not forget the custom rims that look like...
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Having just launched the all-new 2012 3 Series, BMW will soon look to add the coupe and convertible versions to its lineup, with one big change from the past. No we’re not talking about a turbocharged 4-cylinder, but rather the fact that from now on the 3 Series two door models will be referred to...
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It’s a look into the future says Toyota. Unveiled last week at the Detroit Auto Show, the NS4 plug-in hybrid concept was built to showcase a new plug-in hybrid model Toyota is planning that will sit separate from the Prius in its lineup. The car will get a next-generation hybrid drivetrain and also features several...
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Officially, Toyota will tell you that the future is in hybrid powertrains. But unofficially, well, they’ve built an electric sports car, which was revealed at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon. Based on the chassis of a Toyota Sera (a rare sports car built from 1990-96), the TES-ERA EV shares that car’s gullwing door concept, though...
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