Although our German isn’t too great, Auto Motor und Sport, the automotive publication of record in Germany, is reporting that the Hyundai i30, also known as the Elantra Touring, will get a plug-in hybrid version in 2013. Hyundai has hinted at a competitor to the Toyota Prius before, and the i30, designed with the ultra-competitive...
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Toyota‘s rush to cut costs amid a rising yen is leading them towards a confrontation with parts suppliers, with the automaker demanding that Japanese parts makers slash costs or face being replaced with overseas companies. Toyota is still reeling from lost production during March’s tsunami and earthquake, and is estimated to lose $443 million for...
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2012 is going to be a big year for Ferrari, with two major product launches at the upper-end of the Italian supercar manufacturer’s model range. Ferrari will be bringing out replacements for its now defunct Enzo supercar and its 599GTB grand tourer. The Enzo successor will have carbon fiber construction and a midship V12, as...
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The Mazda RX-8’s production run has already ended for much of the world, but Japan is sending off the last rotary engine equipped sports car (for the time being) with a special run of 1,000 cars dubbed the “Spirit R”. Special badging, red brake calipers, Recaro seats and 18″ wheels are the main highlights of...
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A contracting economy and a governmental push to limit the number of new cars in certain metropolitan areas has led luxury car makers like BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz to offer discounts of up to 20 percent on their cars in China. While the three car makers are hoping to post record sales numbers, many “aspirational”...
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Volkswagen‘s Up! city car will go on sale in the United Kingdom for £7,995 up to £11,180 ($12,422 to $17,371) with deliveries starting in the spring of 2012. A range of 1.0L three-cylinder gasoline engines will power the Up! with power ranging from 58 to 73 horsepower. The base Up! will be quite spartan but will come...
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The tiny island nation of Singapore is best known for its laws banning chewing gum and instituting corporal punishment against criminals, and apparently, a big lover of the Saab 9-5. The obscure Swedish sedan was named “Car of the Year” by a local publication called “Consumer Guide”, according to Saab’s PR department. Car taxes in...
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Porsche‘s Camp4 Canada will return to Mont-Tremblant, Quebec for another season starting January 31st until February 6th. A new course, dubbed “Camp4S” wil continue from February 7th to February 10th. Camp4S will expand on the skills taught at Camp4, but will only be offered for one wave. Otherwise, participants can expect a similar experience to...
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Ferrari‘s been making a big push to promote the winter driveability of their cars, even going as far as to set up a winter driving school in Colorado featuring their new, AWD Ferrari FF. Now Ferrari has released a video of their rear-drive California tearing up the slopes in St. Moritz, Switzlerland. It’s actually a...
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Kia‘s heart-stoppingly cool GT concept was was powered by a 3.3L turbo V6 packing 400 horsepower – but the production version might not get such an exotic powertrain. Speaking with Auto Express, Kia styling boss Peter Schreyer said that “I think done in the right way, with a smaller engine or hybrid technology, it would work,”...
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Barber Motorsports Park’s Leeds, Alabama test track (about 2 hours from Atlanta, Georgia) has now become certified as an approved site for Formula 1 teams to test their cars, but it’s unlikely that Barber will host an F1 race any time soon. New tracks are required to post a fee of between $25 and $30...
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With news of a redesign coming from the mouth of CEO Wolfgang Durheimer himself, it’s only natural that the Bugatti Galibier sedan would be delayed. But the world’s plutocrats will have to wait until 2015 to get themselves into the $1.4 million super sedan, according to a report in Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport magazine....
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Volkswagen is recalling 168,000 diesel engine vehicles produced from 2009-2012 over a possible leak from the fuel injectors that could start a fire. The vehicles in question are Volkswagen Jetta, Jetta SportWagen and Golf models as well as the Audi A3 TDI. 161,144 VWs and 7,131 Audis are involved in the recall, while no injuries...
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The rising yen is making exports from Japan increasingly unprofitable and Honda is looking to cut vehicle exports by 50 percent over the next 10 years as a response to the change in currency valuations. Honda hopes to sell as much as 90 percent of its vehicles in markets that can use locally sourced vehicles....
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The Chevrolet Volt has made Consumers Reports list of “recommended” vehicles after scoring above average on their 2011 Annual Auto Survey. The Volt also scored favorably during CR’s evaluation (though it was criticized for its poor rear visibility and four seat configuration), but a full report won’t be available until next month when the new...
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According to General Motors’ PR machine, the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 set a Nurburgring lap time of 7 minutes, 41 seconds and 27 milliseconds. For the sake of comparison that time is just a second and a half off the time released by the new 2012 Porsche 911 and is the same as the 997...
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General Motors much loved LNF engine, the same 2.0L Ecotec that powered the Pontiac Solstice GXP, Saturn Sky Redline and Chevrolet Cobalt SS is continuing on in the Buick Regal Turbo and Buick Regal GS, but a new generation of turbocharged 4-cylinder motor is set to replace the LNF next year, packing even more power....
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Anyone who has spent time looking for fake watches, knockoff handbags or other wonderful Asian products has likely come across the site Alibaba.com Today’s find on the slightly notorious site is a lot of 150 right-hand drive Dodge Neons in Singapore. The vehicles are advertised as brand new and look like they have about 14...
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Surging volumes and a lag in Japanese output helped Hyundai surpass Honda as America’s fifth largest automaker in 2011, selling 522 more units (from both Hyundai and Kia combined) than Honda did through September. Analysts cite Honda’s inventory disruption due to Japan’s natural disasters in March as a leading cause of the change in rankings....
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The viral success of Ken Block’s Gymkhana videos gave rise to the Gymkhana GRID competition, which is basically a bunch of fancy driving stunts masquerading was a real motorsport. The first one achieved commercial success, and a second event was planned for the end of October in Hollywood, Ca. Now, the event has been cancelled due to a...
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The next generation Ford Escape is set to make its debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show and the decade-old SUV is set to be replaced by a much more modern crossover with three new engines. Styling-wise, the new Escape should mimic the Vertrek concept (above) that originally debuted at the 2011 Detroit Auto...
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The Porsche 911 GT2 is famous for being a no compromise sports car, but Bentley‘s own offering, set to wear the GT2 moniker, won’t exactly follow in the P-car’s rowdy footsteps. The Bentley Continental GT2 will shed an estimated 440 lbs, but will still weigh a gargantuan 4,850 lbs when it goes on sale in...
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Jeep has scrapped plans to build a replacement for their Patriot and Compass SUVs in Italy, and will instead build a subcompact Jeep product in Italy that will also be badged as a Fiat in world markets. The car will replace the Fiat Sedici, which is itself based on the Suzuki SX4. Jeep will then...
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Even though the Tesla Model S sedan has been delayed for far too long, with an expected reveal at year’s end before an official unveiling at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. The crossover, dubbed the Model X, will be based on the Model S platform. “The time is right to unveil the car,” Tesla CEO Elon...
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