The soap opera between Suzuki and Volkswagen has been ongoing for almost a year and now the Japanese automaker is looking to back out. Suzuki wants to buy back all the 19.9% of its shares that VW currently owns and that if the German automaker does not comply, Suzuki will seek mediation. According to a...
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BMW and Mercedes-Benz have always been the German luxury brands for the well-to-do set in the United States, but in China, the two companies have been considered cars for the new money and retirees respectively. Audi and Buick continue their dominance over the hearts and minds of Chinese consumers. Buick has historically been a hot...
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Adding performance, power and style, Porsche has unveiled the new Panamera GTS at the LA Auto Show. Already an impressive performer, Porsche ups the ante with a long list of upgrades, ranging from the brakes to the exhaust system, to a standard Sport Chrono Package with launch control. Power has also been increased 30-hp from...
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Star of the upcoming movie Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Paula Patton, was on hand in helping introduce the North American debut of BMW’s i3 and i8 Concepts. Neither of these concepts are new to us, having seen them in detail at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but it’s understandable with the i8 playing a major role...
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At the LA Auto Show today, BMW announced pricing on their new 2013 3-Series. The 328i will start at $35,775 while the 335i will start at $43,275. Even though the 2013 BMW 3-Series hasn’t yet hit North American soil – it will do so at the Detroit Auto Show on January 12th – they are...
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The long awaited 991-chassis Porsche 911 made its North American debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, packing more power, less weight and a longer wheelbase. The base Carrera comes with a 3.4-liter flat-6 engine with 350-hp, good for 4.4 second 0-60 mph time (4.2 seconds with the Sport Chrono Package). Carrera S models...
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Porsche took the wraps off their Panamera GTS sedan Wednesday at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, billing it as “The Purest Panamera Yet”. The Panamera GTS offers a 30 horsepower increase over the standard Panamera 4 and Panamera 4S, and comes with standard all-wheel drive and a 7-speed PDK dual-clutch gearbox – no manual...
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While Volkswagen was displaying their “new” Beetle R “concept” and freshened 2012 VW CC at the Los Angeles Auto Show, there was also a new Passat sitting there which we have seen even more than the other two cars. Old news we were thinking… until Angus MacKenzie from Motor Trend stepped on stage. Taking most...
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Looking a bit like a junior DTM car, Volkswagen today showed off the “Concept” Volkswagen Beetle R, the same car that made its world debut a few months ago in Frankfurt – and it looks just as production ready today as it did then. While the German firm was a bit tight-lipped about the details, they did say...
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Volkswagen today unveiled the freshened 2013 CC four-door coupe, with a revised front fascia and some spiffy new LED taillights that clearly distinguish it from the 2012 model. Not much else has changed according to VW, but the German automaker did take a big step towards making the CC a bigger player by adding a...
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‘Tis almost the season and if you’re looking to fill up your holiday gift list, Porsche has a few ideas you’ll want to let Santa know about. New items that will make great gifts include iPad and iPhone cases. The cases are made from original vehicle interior leather and decorated with a Porsche crest. To...
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Volkswagen CEO Martin Wintekorn told a German newspaper that they intend to increase its global staff by more than 10 percent in 2012. Currently Volkswagen employs 449,000 employees worldwide, but Winterkorn believes it’s entirely possible for VW to pack 500,000 in full by the end of 2012. That’s a whole lot of Volkswagenites. It’s no...
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Just as consumers purchase cars that best fit their lifestyle needs, automakers likewise produce cars that it believes are the best fit for the market. However, the devils are in the details and a jarring oversight can cause a product to flop. Last week, Forbes created a flop compilation of 2011. Enlisting the expertise of...
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Audi drivers across the pond are getting the short end of the stick, or to be more precise: no stick at all. What’s all this stick business, you may ask? The new version of the Audi S4 and S5 will only be available with an automatic transmission in Europe, cue the snickers and sneers from North American...
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BMW will officially introduce the new ActiveHybrid 5 at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show, which will open its doors to the press on November 30th. Confirmed details on BMW’s latest luxury sedan is a turbo-charged inline-six combined with a 40kW electric motor. During slow speeds, the BMW is capable of pure electric propulsion. Along with...
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The weak global economy is so battered that even the one-percent are feeling the hurt. In the case of premium sports car maker, Porsche, a mid-engine roadster to slot underneath the Boxster was originally intended for introduction by 2014. Designed to be a spiritual successor to the legendary 550 Spyder, the entry-level four cylinder roadster’s pricing target...
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Further aiding fuel efficiency is a 9-speed automatic transmission, a development of the current 7G-Tronic, though whether it will be standard on all models, especially the lower priced diesels remains to be seen.
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For European automakers, diesels may rule the road back at home, but they’ve had a challenge convincing North American consumers to adopt the gasoline alternative. And if that’s considered an uphill battle, selling diesel cars in Japan, the land of the hybrid, is a virtual Mount Everest. To date, BMW has never offered a diesel...
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Adding some serious grunt to its new M-Class SUV, Mercedes has just revealed the high-performance ML63 AMG model ahead of its official debut at the LA Auto Show later this week. Based on the all-new ML, this super-ute now features Merc’s new twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 engine rather than the old 6.2-liter unit, delivering an extra...
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Holland hippie community rejoice! As of last month, Volkswagen‘s Dutch operations has debuted the 2012 model Volkswagen Bus. No, it isn’t the Bulli concept we saw earlier at Geneva, but the original Volkswagen Type 2, commonly known as the Bus or Combi. The popularity and desirability of the classic van isn’t surprising. Current asking prices...
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Lexus has dropped a few serious hints that it is planning a coupe version of its all-new GS350. While attending the launch of the luxury sedan (we’ll have driving impressions once the embargo lifts November 23rd) we spoke to Lexus Corporate Manager of Product Planning Ben Mitchell, pushing him for details on a possible GS-F to...
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Mercedes-Benz and AMG have turned to Facebook to generate some hype about the upcoming debut of the ML63 AMG. The timing seems to hint at a possible unveiling of the “Sport” SUV at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show. The teaser photo clearly reveals that the new AMG variant of the ML packs a much...
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Brabus has unveiled arguably their best project yet, a Mercedes-Benz CL Coupe packing 800-hp thanks to a stroked 6.3L V12 twin-turbo. Based on the CL 600, the tuning geniuses at Brabus modified the factory 5.5L with a custom crankshaft, larger cylinder bore and new forged pistons. But the engine modifications didn’t stop there. With the...
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We’ve already known that former Formula 1 double world champion Mika Häkkinen will be piloting an SLS AMG GT3, and now we have our first preview of him preparing to get back behind the wheel in a competitive fashion. It’s been four long years since Mika has raced competitively, so it’s interesting to see how...
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