British automotive tabloid AutoExpress is reporting that Volkswagen‘s long awaited two-seat sports car has been approved for production. Designers have reportedly stayed true to the Bluesport concept that previewed the car at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. The car is expected to weigh in at around 2600 pounds, roughly the same weight as a Mazda...
Continue Reading...
A Nissan GTR powered by something other than a traditional gasoline engine will arrive in the future, but tree-huggers looking to go fast will have to wait a while. Kazutoshi Mizuno, chief engineer of the R35 GTR admitted that the car will have to move to switch to alternative fuels, but that’s far as as...
Continue Reading...
The venerable Range Rover has been given a few upgrades for 2011, including an all-new 4.4L diesel engine displacing 309 bhp and getting 30.1 mpg. The new diesel is also coupled to an 8-speed automatic, which should filter down to the rest of the lineup soon. The new Range also gets a rotary knob similar...
Continue Reading...
Volkswagen‘s all new Passat has been revealed in a rendering obtained by Auto Express, one the allegedly came from a German dealer brochure. The new car clearly adopts the “corporate face” that Volkswagen is instituting, similar to the front fascias of both the new Polo, Golf and Touran. Auto Express reports that motivation will come...
Continue Reading...
With the success of oil-burning hot hatches like the Seat Leon Cupra FR and Volkswagen Golf GTD, as well as a general trend towards “green” products (whatever that means), Mini is preparing to launch a diesel version of their Mini Cooper S hot hatch. Due to emissions legislation, BMW won’t offer the diesel in North...
Continue Reading...
File this one under “completely out of left field.” GM engineers are looking for any possible way to cut costs from their Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, and anything is currently on the table. Among the possibilities being investigated is a rotary engine, a powerplant long abandoned by nearly every automaker except Mazda, who still produces...
Continue Reading...
Mercedes-Benz diesels have a fearsome reputation for being some of the toughest cars on the road. While most vintage German machinery has been sent to the scrap heap due to astronomical repair bills or oxidization, there are a number of diesel powered Mercedes-Benz cars from as far back as 1972 still kicking around, thanks to...
Continue Reading...
A British journalist recently decided to challenge BMW‘s claim that its new 320d EfficientDynamics sedan could drive for 1000 miles on a single tank of diesel, and managed to achieve the feat, driving exactly 1,013 miles. Tom Ford, the driver of the BMW, kept the windows up and the air-conditioning off, but avoided hypermiling tricks...
Continue Reading...
Land Rover is apparently working on a front drive SUV, as part of a push for smaller vehicles that produce fewer emissions. Autocar is reporting that the vehicle will be known as the Compact Range Rover, a smaller addition to the lineup that should emit significantly less CO2 than the current Range, without having to...
Continue Reading...
Infiniti doesn’t offer a diesel engine in North America, but not having one in Europe is tantamount to brand suicide. The first oil-burner from Nissan’s premium brand will be the FX30d GT, retailing for £45,150, or roughly $67,000. For another£2,000 ($3000), buyers can upgrade to the FX30d S, which is the “sportier” trim level. Both...
Continue Reading...
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...
Continue Reading...
With the launch of two hybrid models in 2009, Mercedes-Benz has announced it will add two more hybrids to its lineup starting in 2011. More impressive, is that neither is a run-of-the-mill type of hybrid. Due out first is the E300 BlueTec Hybrid, based on the new E-Class model. It will be a hybrid and...
Continue Reading...
The CEO of auto parts supplier Bosch today told a crowd at the National Summit for Clean Transportation that U.S. automakers must adopt diesel technology in order to meet the strict new CAFE standards the Obama Administration has laid out. The new legislation will see fleet averages for passenger cars rise to 35.5 mpg for...
Continue Reading...
Today Volkswagen officially launched the return of the Golf GTD – a Golf that is high in both performance and fuel economy, thanks to its diesel engine. With 170hp it outstrips the TDI model by 30 ponies. The real difference, however, is in the torque where the GTD makes 258 ft-lbs of the good stuff....
Continue Reading...
Can a gasoline engine best a diesel one in endurance racing? It can during qualifying, as Acura proved by claiming the pole for the 12 Hours of Sebring race, set to take place tomorrow. Scott Dixon shocked pretty much everyone on Thursday by piloting the de Ferran Motorsports Acura ARX-02a to the pole with a...
Continue Reading...
sidebar...
