Volkswagen, looking to take advantage of their tie-up with Suzuki, is apparently angling to use the Suzuki SX4 as a new crossover, designed to compete with the Hyundai Tuscon and the Europe-only Nissan Qashqai. The crossover would retain Suzuki’s AWD system, but likely use Volkswagen’s TSI and TDI engines, rather than the pedestrian Suzuki motors....
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Chrysler is recalling 40,000 2010 Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger, Charger and Ram, Jeep Commander and Grand Cherokee vehicles due to a faulty ignition system. The vehicles use a Wireless Ignition Nodule that has the key sit in a special slot before the vehicle is started. The wireless transmitter could malfunction, allowing the key to be...
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Land Rover has announced that its first hybrid models will arrive 2013 and has unveiled the Range_e, a concept based on the Range Rover Sport, but using a hybrid diesel powertrain. Tests for the hybrid models will begin later this year with a production date set for 2013 – coinciding with a complete overhaul of...
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BMW has confirmed that it will offer a diesel version of its new 5 Series luxury sedan in North America. What isn’t clear is when BMW plans to launch the vehicle, or which diesel engine will be offered. The decision would seem to be a clear cut one, with BMW currently using its twin-turbo 3.0-liter...
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India’s Mahindra is gearing up to sell its pickups in the United States and has recently completed all the necessary tests to gain approval for the diesel-powered truck. However, Mahindra’s US importer has already missed two launch dates, and is gearing up for a third, this time with the necessary modifications made for regulatory approval....
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After a 12 year run, Volkswagen is finally winding down production of the New Beetle, with the company taking final orders for the car. No word on whether there will be a special edition to commemorate the end of production (similar to the Ultima Edicion for the last generation Beetle), but the New Beetle has...
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All of the vehicles in question are 2007-09 models and all are powered by the 6.7-liter Cummins turbo diesel.
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Mercedes-Benz has just unveiled its Grand Edition package for the ML-lineup (ML63 excluded) and as far as we can tell, it’s an appearance package with new wheels, blue tinted glass, fancy LED headlights and some other minor cosmetic upgrades. Make ours an ML350 Bluetec in white. If the outrageous ML63 AMG isn’t available, then we...
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Despite a still shaky economy and all sorts of doom-and-gloom rhetoric from political pundits, two major luxury brands posted excellent April numbers, with Audi up 33% and Lexus up 29%. Audi posted exceptional sales figures, with A3 sales up 144%, A6 sales up 105% and the Q5 up 60% from April 2009. Audi credits the...
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No, somebody’s mother didn’t take Halloween a little too far. The Bavarian Police, presumably unaware of the correlation between shopping bags and the BMW X3, are testing a version of the soft roader for highway duty. The model in question is the X3 xDrive30d — complete with a stonking 218 horsepower six-cylinder diesel engine. Aside...
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MINI has already made it clear that it will offer two diesel engines in the Countryman crossover, but has been remarkably quiet on just what those engines will be and how much power they will make. At launch, it was revealed that the entry-level One D Countryman would get 90-hp. Now, however, thanks to the...
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A little over a month after the new Outlander Sport SUV (known as the ASX or RVR in the rest of the world) took a bow at the New York Auto Show, Mitsubishi has announced that it will be giving a variation of the sharp-looking crossover to Peugeot and Citroen, two companies which have had...
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At last year’s Frankfurt Auto Show, Volkswagen gave us the first look at the new Polo BlueMotion and released a tiny bit of info on the new model. Now, VW has released just a little more, including official torque and horsepower numbers, debuting the new 1.2-liter 3-cylinder TDI engine at the Vienna Motor Symposium. We...
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The elk test is one of the most infamous procedures used to evaluate new cars. A double lane change at 50 mph, the elk test was designed to help Scandinavian auto journalists evaluate the highway speed stability of a car, when the threat of a large animal in the road is a very real safety...
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To call Jeremy Clarkson an automotive gadfly would be incorrect. Quite possibly the most influential automotive journalist in the world, when Clarkson speaks, people listen, and this will not bode well for BMW‘s new X1 crossover. The new mini-ute from the Bavarian automaker is an important product, but Clarkson was suitably unimpressed, saying its looks...
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Having been to BYD Auto’s facilities in Shenzhen, China, we have witnessed first-hand the development stages of China’s new-age automotive manufacturers. What was most entertaining was how BYD Auto blatantly copies well-established auto manufacturers when it comes to the styling of its vehicles. In fact, one of the vehicles they had displayed in their museum...
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Dr. Rudolf Gunnerman, has created GDiesel, a new fuel for diesel engines that combines conventional ultra low sulfur diesel with natural gas, which is mostly methane.
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Subaru is open to the possibility of selling diesel-equipped vehicles in the U.S., but according to Subaru Executive Vice President Tom Doll, several things will have to happen first. In an interview with Ward’s Automotive, Doll commented on emissions regulations and the price of diesel fuel. “The emissions requirements in the U.S. are significant. And...
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Nissan’s next generation of Titan pickup trucks could get a diesel option, says Nissan North America product boss Larry Dominique. In a recent interview with the folks at AutoWeek, Dominique, former project boss for the original Titan, commented that no decision has been made about the future powerplants, but that they are still considering several...
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Volkswagen will offer its new mid-size sedan with both gasoline and diesel engines says VW North America boss Stefan Jacoby. In doing so VW will be the only automaker in North America to offer a mid-size diesel sedan, competing against the likes of the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Ford Fusion. The popularity of hybrid...
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In a recent episode of Autoline After Hours, top Mustang engineer Dave Pericak commented on what it might take to bring the iconic American sports car to Europe, raising the possibility that a diesel engine could help solve emissions and fuel economy issues. After all, currently Ford builds a capable V6 diesel engine for the...
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Mazda announced it will introduce its next generation Sky powertrain in North America in 2011. The gasoline-based Sky-G engine and Sky-Drive automatic transmission system will make their way into production models in 2011 while the diesel-based Sky-D engine (pictured above) will reach North America in 2012. The Sky powertrain concept is part of Mazda’s goal...
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Rumors about Mazda importing the CX-7 diesel to North America just won’t go away, leading to increased speculation that one day the more fuel efficient models will eventually arrive. The latest bit of info comes from Road & Track, claiming that the Japanese automaker continues to mull the decision. While the upcoming 2016 fuel economy...
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Chrysler is moving ahead with plans to deliver its light-duty Ram pickups with a diesel option, sourced from none-other than the automaker’s long-time heady duty diesel partner, Cummins. Joe Veltri, VP of product planning at Chrysler told PickupTrucks.com that they are currently in discussions with Cummins, commenting that, “There’s no contract [with Cummins], but [a...
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