All Entries in the "Auto News" Category
Renault strengthens China links
Renault is set to strengthen its links with China, despite the sale of several of its cars being banned there following claimed safety and technical problems. The French firm has signed a non-binding letter of intent with Chinese manufacturer Great Wall to carry out a feasibility study on building cars together to be sold in [...]
The New Vauxhall Astra interior revealed
These are the first offical pictures of the interior of the new Vauxhall Astra. The new Vauxhall Astra is scheduled to go on sale in December, after being shown in the metal for the first time at September’s Frankfurt motor show. Vauxhall says the interior ‘marks a major shift towards premium design and quality’. Taking [...]
GM agrees to sell Saab to supercar company Koenigsegg
General Motors confirmed Tuesday morning that it has a tentative agreement to sell Saab to a group led by Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg Automotive. The deal would close by the end of the third quarter and put Saab in the hands of an upstart, boutique car company known for producing eye-catching cars with gaudy horsepower [...]
Audi adds A5 Sportback in Europe but stiffs U.S. customers
Audi is expanding the A5 lineup in Europe with a Sportback version–we’re talking a four-door with a coupelike roofline. It will join the coupe and convertible A5s now on sale. The bad news? It’s not coming to the United States. European buyers get a choice of two gasoline and three diesel engines. But our friends [...]
2009 Nissan Nismo 370Z starts at less than $40,000
The latest iteration of Nissan’s factory-tuned Z car comes in at just less than $40,000 as it goes on sale Wednesday in the United States. The 2009 Nismo 370Z starts at $39,850, including a $720 destination charge. The car offers enthusiasts more power, a sport-tuned suspension and aero improvements over the coupe. The Nismo 370Z [...]
A new batch of Ford Mustang Cobra Jets is on the way to racers
The 40th Anniversary 2008 Mustang Cobra Jet, announced about a year ago, has been such a huge success for Ford Racing that the company will build a 2010 model, available later this year. Like the ’08 CJ, just 50 examples of the turnkey race car will be built, the minimum number to homologate the car [...]
Mercedes striving for even greater safety
At Mercedes, safety research has always been high on the agenda. A total of 31 ESF prototypes have been built at Daimler for this purpose, all based on series production models. Most of these were then destroyed in crash tests, though some survived to go on public display. The most up-to-date of all, the ESF [...]
GM to sell Saab to Swedish custom car maker
By Louise Nordstrom Associated Press STOCKHOLM — Saab Automobile, General Motors’ struggling Swedish unit known for its family cars, was rescued today by a consortium led by Koenigsegg Automotive AB, a tiny company that produces only a dozen custom-made super cars a year. Having penned a memorandum of understanding, GM said the sale would include [...]
Mercedes menace: SLR Stirling Moss lives up to the hype
Where to start? That’s the question when confronted by the amazing Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR Stirling Moss. No matter how often you’ve seen it in pictures, nothing prepares you for the impression the low-slung two-seater leaves as it hovers into view and you get the key for a world-exclusive drive. Created as a parting gesture in [...]
Bentley history takes center stage at Pebble Beach
Bentley’s blend of aristocratic cars and pure speed will take center stage at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance as the storied British luxury carmaker marks its 90th anniversary. And it will celebrate in style at the Northern California concours, with four classes of Bentleys set on the 18th fairway of Pebble Beach. Sure to be [...]
60,000 take up car scrappage cash
More than 60,000 orders for cars under the UK’s scrappage subsidy scheme have been placed since the initiative was announced, new government figures show. Car buyers are given a £2,000 discount on a new car if they scrap one that is at least 10 years old. Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said the scheme had given [...]
Jaguar XJ: Dramatic design marks the next Big Cat
Jaguar’s next-generation XJ luxury sedan will incorporate design features from the C-XF concept first shown at Detroit, AutoWeek has learned. Although prototypes captured by spy photographers are disguised with BMW-style grilles, the face of the new 2010 XJ will feature Jag’s gaping square grille and a curvaceous body with a rakish, coupelike rear window. The [...]
Oil falls below $71 as US dollar strengthens
Oil prices fell below $71 a barrel Monday in Asia as a three-month rally lost steam amid a strengthening dollar. Benchmark crude for July delivery fell $1.32 to $70.72 a barrel by late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Friday, it fell 64 cents to settle at $72.04. [...]
After 50 years, Honda confronts new challenges
In 1959, American Honda Motor Co. incorporated in Los Angeles as the first overseas subsidiary of Japan-based Honda Motor Co. NEW YORK – In 1973, the local newspaper in Akron, Ohio, sent a photographer to Rick Case’s filling station to take pictures of his signs bearing gas prices. The Middle East oil embargo was in [...]
GM, Chrysler execs defend dealership closings
GM CEO Henderson: Cuts ‘quite painful,’ but necessary to preserve jobs General Motors and Chrysler executives defended the closings of hundreds of dealerships Friday as House lawmakers questioned whether the decisions would save any money or help the troubled companies rebound. “Many dealers and the communities they serve frankly feel blind-sided,” said Rep. Greg Walden, [...]
Vintage motorcycles set to take over Road America
Road America will be two-wheel heaven this weekend, as the iconic circuit plays host to vintage-motorcycle racing. Put on by the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association, the races run on Saturday and Sunday. They will feature motorcycles from the 1920s to the early 1970s, Superbikes from the 1970s and 1980s, and more-modern racers from the [...]
2010: Maserati GranTurismo: Fun is automatic
Having two personalities is not normally desirable, but for the Maserati GranTurismo S Automatic, it works. Grand-touring cars, by their nature, lead double lives, packing in enough performance to satisfy demanding drivers while being practical enough for every day. This latest iteration of the GranTurismo is yet another fine example from Modena. Maserati listened to [...]
Formula One teams are on the 2010 entry list released Friday
All the current Formula One teams are on the 2010 entry list released Friday, but five of their entries are subject to conditions being met and a deal being agreed upon by next Friday at Silverstone. Meanwhile, U.S. F1, Campos Grand Prix and Manor Grand Prix are the new teams selected to compete next year. [...]
Camaro, Mustang, Challenger set for modern pony-car war
Forty summers ago was a magical time for performance-car enthusiasts–specifically for fans of high-horsepower pony cars. The summer of 1969 broke with Detroit in a high-octane horsepower war among the Big Three automakers. With the carmakers trying to outmuscle one another, the winners were the customers. By 1969, Ford’s Mustang had been around nearly half [...]
Max Mosley meets with Formula One teams as deadline looms
Max Mosley is meeting the Formula One Teams Association team principals in London on Thursday–although it is believed that not all of them may be present–as both sides of the 2010 entry dispute try to hammer out a resolution. The entry list is due to be published Friday with Williams, Force India and Ferrari (against [...]
2010 Fisker Karma
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GM: Workers, Towns Face Life Without Automaker
Ferrari officially launches virtual racing Academy