With Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmamnn desiring a third vehicle for his company’s product lineup, the Lamborghini Estoque appears to have been given the go-ahead rather than the obvious choice of an SUV. Although Lamborghini pioneered the exotic SUV segment with its outlandish LM002, the company will forge ahead with the Estoque, after Audi decided to...
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The ostentatious among us may be left without a chariot, as Mercedes-Benz is apparently mulling over a plan to kill the under-performing Maybach brand. The first Maybach concept debuted in 1997, a time when the first dot-com bubble was rapidly growing, and a super-luxury car was a smart move for Mercedes. With the 180 degree...
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Lancia’s version of the Chrysler 200, likely dubbed the Flavia, will debut at the Geneva Auto Show in March. While the idea of a Lancia-badged Chrysler is unpalatable to many enthusiasts, the fact that Chrysler has decided use the much vilified 200 will surely make it the automotive equivalent of the Antichrist. Fiat CEO Sergio...
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Honda is recalling 2,277 Accord and CR-V models due to a wiring defect that may have occurred during the vehicle’s assembly. An electrical coupling that was possibly damaged during the engine installation process could lead to the vehicle stalling. While no incidents have been reported, Honda is keen to fix the defect, which only affects 2010 model...
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A BMW 750i that was stolen from BMW USA at the Detroit Auto Show was recovered by police after being stolen outside a Detroit hotel. The BMW was being used to transport executives around Detroit during the North American International Auto Show. Thieves took the car as it was being loaded onto a transport truck...
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In the hubub surrounding the Hyundai Sonata and Hyundai Genesis, the Hyundai Azera gets overlooked as neither fish nor fowl. The full-size front driver has fallen off the map. Evidently, there is still a market for the Azera, and the latest generation has just been launched in Korea as the (appropriately named) Grandeur. The new...
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Although there is no high-performance version of the Chevrolet Cruze, its platform-mate, the Buick Verano, could see a GS version sometime in the future, according to GM’s Ed Wellburn, a senior figure in the General’s design department. Wellburn claimed that GM was “toying” with the idea of a Verano GS, and that concept sketches have...
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Volkswagen revealed the new 2012 Passat the night before the 2011 Detroit Auto Show but we’ve now got the first live photos of the Tennessee-produced mid-sized sedan. As reported yesterday, the 2012 Volkswagen Passat will be available with three drivetrains, a 170 hp 2.5l five-cylinder engine (with five-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission, a 140...
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The long awaited 2012 Volkswagen Passat has finally been revealed a day ahead of its world premiere at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, looking very much like the recently released 2011 Volkswagen Jetta, sporting the same corporate face and profile in a larger package. Built at VW’s new Tennesse facility, the Passat’s 191 inche length...
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Fans of old school Mercedes-Benz diesels can rejoice, as M-B is adding yet another oil-burner to its North American lineup. The 2012 S350 BlueTec 4MATC will bow at the 2011 North American International Auto Show. Featuring Mercedes’ stellar BlueTEC V6 turbodiesel engine and the 4MATIC all-wheel drive system, the S350 will put out 210 horsepower...
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The all new Chrysler 300 will start at just under $28,000, rising to $41,145 for a full-blown AWD equipped 300C with a 5.7L Hemi V8. The base car, equipped with a 3.6L V6 making 292 horsepower, will start at $27,995 when it goes on sale in early 2011. The Limited model will start at $31,995...
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These spy shots of a purported 2012 Buick Lacrosse GS struck us as a tad strange, but hey, GM did make a Cadillac CTS-V Wagon, so why not do another niche performance luxury vehicle? The most obvious visual difference are the Opel Insignia OPC wheels, which make the Lacrosse’s dowdy sheetmetal look pretty mean. The...
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Ford‘s F-Series truck is America’s best selling vehicle for the 34th straight year, moving an astounding 528, 349 units, up nearly 28 percent from 2009. In second place was the Chevrolet Silverado, which moved a relatively paltry 370,135 trucks, but saw a 17 percent jump in sales. The Toyota Camry and Honda Accord duked it...
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You may have never heard of Guangzhou, China, but with nearly 12 million people, the industrial metropolis is a major player in the Chinese auto market. Making its debut at the show is one of China’s most anticipated new cars, the MG3 hatchback and MG6 sedan. Although Chinese cars are a laughing stock in much...
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Tesla‘s Model S Sedan will be profitable for the company, even at lower volumes thanks to its cheaper batteries. While Tesla says it only needs 20,000 vehicles a year to make money, whereas competitors like Nissan need to move 500,000 units annually to amortize the R&D costs of their EV systems. Tesla’s battery systems are...
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Volkswagen‘s New Midsize Sedan will debut at the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit this month, as part of VW’ quest to increase sales in American to 800,000 units by 2018. The NMS, like its smaller sibling, was designed with the North American market in mind, and will compete head-to-head with the Honda...
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After 71 years of acting as Ford’s middle child, the final nail in the Mercury coffin was pounded in, as dealers removed all remnants of Mercury logos and signs from their dealerships, marking the end of the brand’s existence once and for all. Mercury vehicles ended production in October, although a final order for government...
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When most people think about Saudi Arabia, they think about a country that produces 10-million barrels of crude oil every day, a country where temperatures in the summer can reach over 130-degrees, and a country where the Sheikhs live in mansions bigger than some high-end resorts. While there is a huge car culture there, with...
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The new Chrysler 200 is reportedly set to add another trim level to its lineup, with an emphasis on sportier handling and more agressive looks. Dubbed the 200S, the new car will echo the Chrysler 300S, a trim level offered on the larger 300 cars that bridges the gap between the standard 300C and the...
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Armored cars are an expensive proposition, nearly always costing well above $100,000, and for this reason, they’re rarely anything but luxury sedans or SUVs. The problem with this phenomenon is that the places where armored cars are really needed, discretion is often better than driving an ostentatious bling-mobile. Texas Armoring, one of the leading armored...
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Tesla Motors announced that 3,000 people have submitted their deposits for a Model S sedan. Slated to go into production in 2011, Tesla also announced that crash testing and other necessities will begin next year, with deliveries starting in 2012. So far, Tesla has sold 1,400 Roadsters, and is helping automakers like Toyota and Mercedes-Benz...
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The Audi A7 is barely on sale, but rumors are already starting about the high performance RS7 that many expect to appear in the next couple years. With torque-vectoring all wheel drive, carbon ceramic brakes and an adjustable suspension, the RS6 should have the chassis upgrades to match the rumored 600 horsepower twin-turbo V8. With...
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If you’ve ever taken an auto shop class, you’ll remember the shop cars as being anything but desirable. K-Cars, T-Body GM’s and Ford Panthers involved drug related homicides often littered the garage area, while a crusty old teacher instructed you on the finer points of rebuilding a 3-speed automatic transmission. For some lucky kids in Orange County,...
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Finalists for the North American Car and Truck of the Year have been announced, with Chrysler dominating the truck field, and electric vehicles comprising 2/3rds of the car category. The Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee, both built on the same platform, were nominated in the truck category, as well as the re-designed Ford Explorer....
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