As part of Spyker’s capital-raising efforts for its ailing Saab brand, the Dutch automaker is entering into talks with Chinese automotive company Pang Da, and will have to rename itself as Swedish Automobile N.V. as part of the deal. In return, Saab will get a $42 million cash payment, ostensibly to help pay Saab’s substantial...
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Cars like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Ferrari F430 and Cadillac Escalade tend to be the standard rap video vehicles, but independent R&B artist Frank Ocean, a mega-talented R&B singer with a lot of internet buzz, tends towards the enthusiast end of the spectrum. The album art for his record Nostalgia, Ultra features an orange BMW M3...
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Mazda and Chinese joint venture partner Chang’an are reportedly developing a new sub-brand for the Chinese market, with their first offering based on the outdated but still excellent 1st generation Mazda3. Mazda still sells the older Mazda3 in China, while importing the current Mazda3 hatchback. The current car will be joined by a Chinese made...
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Professional wrestling legend Macho Man Randy Savage died today after apparently suffering a heart attack and crashing his 2009 Jeep Wrangler into a concrete median and then colliding with a tree in Seminole, Florida. While Savage was wearing a seatbelt and alcohol was not a factor in the crash, Savage later succumbed to his injuries....
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Toyota has already racked up 25,000 pre-orders for its Prius V wagon, (sold as the Prius Alpha in Japan), a figure that works out to more than eight times its original sales target of 3,000 units per month. The Prius V is the first of many planned iterations of the Prius model range, with a...
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Never one for subtlety, Kanye West was spotted in Cannes, France, driving the absolutely belligerent Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss edition. With no windscreen or roof, the SLR Stirling Moss is definitely a sunny day kind of car, and luckily the weather held up for Yeezy, who is doubtlessly clad in couture that costs more than...
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Ford Motor Company Chairman Bill Ford (great-grandson of Henry Ford) revealed to Fortune magazine that his namesake automaker will apparently launch a global line of electric vehicles, with 25 percent of Ford’s lineup available with some degree of electrification by 2020. Ford cited the electric Focus and both plug-in and fully electric versions of the...
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A rumor from AutoBild magazine suggests that the 2012 Dodge Viper may get a Ferrari-derived V8 engine rather than the traditional V10. With the tie-up between Chrysler and Fiat, parent company of Maserati and Alfa Romeo, the Chrysler has access to the 4.7L V8 used in Maserati products and the Alfa Romeo 8C supercar, which...
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Documents filed with the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission revealed that Fisker, maker of the Karma hybrid sports car, is raising an additional $100 million in funding in advance of the company’s first customer deliveries. While the investors have not been identified, the money comes in addition to Fisker’s $190 million in financing secured already. The Karma...
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The next generation Mercedes-Benz B-Class will make its debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show in September, with the car moving towards a hatchback body style rather than the current pseudo-minivan design. A full range of four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines will be available, along with a start-stop system for improved fuel economy. Mercedes’ main...
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The Hyundai Genesis will get all-wheel drive, but it won’t come until 2014, when the car is updated with a revised platform and other changes. While Hyundai CEO John Krafcik has confirmed in the past that the Genesis, Genesis Coupe and Equus will offer this set-up, a report in Car and Driver indicates that it...
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The upcoming Toyota Prius V, a pseudo-minivan version of Toyota’s wildly popular Prius hybrid, may be delayed for up to a year because of battery shortages resulting from the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Toyota initially planned to launch the vehicle in April, but the resulting supply chain issues have thrown their plans...
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BMW will expand its Chinese joint venture with local automaker Brilliance, in an effort to build 300,000 cars per year in China. BMW’s joint venture near Beijing currently builds the 3-Series and 5-Series, and will add the X1 crossover in 2012. Plans call for new factories dedicated to vehicle assembly, stamping and a paint shop....
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A “leaked document” (read: dubious rumor) claims that a coupe variant of the Opel Insignia sedan, may wear the famed Calibra badge. The previous Calibra was known for its slippery styling and turbocharged engines, and the Insignia would make a worthy successor. Opel previewed an Insignia Coupe with their GTC Concept, which was powered by...
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With the apparent collapse of the deal between Hawtai and Spyker, the Dutch parent company of Saab is now courting Chinese automaker Great Wall in an apparent bid to find a partner for the ailing Saab brand. Hawtai was apparently unable to get the necessary approval to complete a transaction with Saab worth 150 million...
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Car enthusiasts may have lamented its switch from a truck to a car platform, and magazines like Motor Trend and Consumer Reports have slammed it, but consumers have really taken to the Ford Explorer. While sales figures weren’t available at the time of publication, Ford reports that 43.5 percent of Explorer sales are conquests, and...
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The Audi Q5 crossover seems like an unlikely candidate for the “RS” treatment, but this mule, spotted wearing some big wheels and a faux TDI badge, seems to suggest that Audi is getting serious with the idea of a rapid version of the Q5. The vehicle’s cover was blown by the quad exhaust pipes, which...
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Chrysler announced an $843 million investment in its Indiana transmission plant as it prepares to build a 9-speed automatic transmission front front-drive vehicles. The announcement comes on the heels of General Motors announcement of a $2 billion infusion into a number of plants, including $200 million for upgrades to its Toledo, Ohio plant to build...
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Toyota is launching its “100 Cars for Good” program, where the company will donate 100 cars to various non-profit groups. Facebook users will choose which groups will receive the vehicles via a voting process. The winning organizations will get to choose from a selection of vehicles, including the Prius, Tacoma, Tundra, Highlander Hybrid, Sienna or Sienna Mobility. The...
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It was only a matter of time before the rich and famous began hopping on the Chevrolet Volt bandwagon, since the Toyota Prius is in imminent danger of becoming passé. The Volt has found owners among luminaries like Jeff Gordon, Jay Leno, Stephen King and Alyssa Milano. “I think it’s a great car,” said Leno in an...
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Volkswagen‘s new Chattanooga, Tennessee plant built its first car destined for a customer Wednesday, a dark Blue Passat 2.5L equipped with an automatic transmission. The plant should reach full capacity in 2012, at which point it will produce 150,000 Passats annually. Volkswagen says that the plant will generate $12 billion in economic growth for the region,...
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Contrary to earlier reports, Mazda will not be ending production of its Mazda6 midsize sedan. Earlier reports suggested that the slow-selling model would be axed after reports emerged that production of the vehicle at Mazda’s Flat Rock, Michigan plant may cease. While Mazda confirmed that the Mazda6 would remain in the lineup for some time...
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General Motors will invest $2 billion across 17 plants, as the company retools existing plants to build new products and hire more workers. GM confirmed that their Toledo, Ohio plant would receive $250 million in improvements and create 250 new jobs. CEO Dan Akerson didn’t announced which plants would be infused with new capital, but the Detroit-Hamtramck...
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Volkswagen will partner with Chinese automaker FAW to launch a new brand, which will build and sell electric cars for Chinese consumers. Plans were submitted to the Chinese government, although details of the vehicle weren’t publicly disclosed. Honda, Nissan and General Motors have recently expanded into creating their own Chinese market brands in partnership with...
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