Monday, December 5, 2011

Senner Tuning Gives BMW X6 xDrive40d a Little More Oomph


Looking to offer BMW X6 xDrive40d owners more options for customizing their diesel-powered model, Germany's Senner Tuning has released a new performance and styling package for the sporty crossover.

For performance purposes, Senner Tuning begins with the X6's straight-six turbocharged diesel engine by adding a sport air filter and a remapped ECU to lift output from 306HP and 600Nm to 336-horses and 665Nm (490.5 lb-ft).

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VW Motorsport's Skillful New Signing, Sebastien Ogier, Wins the Race of Champions [Videos]


Almost all motorsport racing series are over, so it's time for the Race of Champions, an annual challenege between drivers competing in different kinds of racing such as Formula 1, WRC and DTM.

This year’s event was held last weekend at the Esprit arena in Dusseldorf, with the VW Group providing many of the cars like the VW Scirocco R, the Audi R8 LMS and the Skoda Fabia S2000. It also displayed its brand-new 300HP Polo R WRC, with which it will enter the world rally championship in 2013 in front of the crowd for the first time.

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Mercedes-Benz's First China-Made GLK Rolls Off the Production Line


Following a June 2011 agreement between Daimler and Chinese joint venture partner BAIC to further expand their collaboration in China with additional projects, Mercedes-Benz announced on Monday that the first locally produced GLK SUV left the production line at the Beijing plant of Beijing Benz Automotive Co. (BBAC). Read more »

Colossal Supercar Pileup in Japan Destroys Eight Ferraris, Three Mercedes and a Lamborghini [Videos]


In what may be if not the worst, one of the nastiest and most expensive supercar crashes of all time, 14 vehicles including eight Ferraris, three Mercedes-Benzes, a Lamborghini, a Toyota Prius and an unspecified Toyota, were involved in a massive pile-up on the Chugoku expressway in Shimonoseki, southwestern Japan on Sunday.

Luckily, no fatalities were reported though ten drivers suffered bruising and some minor injuries.

“The accident occurred when the driver of a red Ferrari was switching from the right lane to the left and skidded,” Mitsuyoshi Isejima, executive officer for Yamaguchi Prefecture’s Expressway Traffic Police unit told Bloomberg News. “It was a gathering of narcissists," said Isejima who added that the drivers were aged between 37 and 60 years old.

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Saab in Talks with Youngman and Chinese Bank to Secure November Wages


It’s been almost a week now since we last heard from Saab and as time goes by without a viable solution, the situation for the Swedish carmaker becomes more critical every day.

On Monday, Saab owner Swedish Automobile (SWAN.AS) announced that it is currently in discussions with Youngman Automobile and an unnamed bank in China about a potential investment in Saab.

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New Vauxhall Insignia BiTurbo with 195HP Diesel Returns 57.6mpg UK


A new and more powerful four-cylinder diesel engine has landed under the hood of the Vauxhall Insignia (sold under the Opel nameplate in the rest of Europe and as the Buick Regal in North America). The 2.0-liter unit delivers an output of 195PS (198bhp) at 4,000 rpm and a healthy peak torque of 400Nm (295 lb-ft) between 1,750 and 2,500 rpm. Read more »

China's Geely to Enter UK Market in 2012 with £10,000 Emgrand EC7


Only a week after Geely's Emgrand EC7 became the first Chinese vehicle to receive a respectable four out of five star safety rating under the Euro NCAP crash tests, and the owner of Volvo Cars announced that it is getting ready to enter the UK’s new car market with the first models to arrive at the end of 2012. Read more »

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Woman Speeds out of Ferrari Dealership in a Corvette and Flips Over [Video]


A very strange accident involving a yellow Corvette C6 and two more cars just took place in Norwood, Massachusetts. A witness told Boston's NewsCenter5 that the person responsible for the accident is an unnamed woman who "races cars for a living".

And what did this female racing(?) driver do, we hear you ask? Well, according to an eyewitness account, the woman in the Corvette stopped at a Chevrolet dealership in Norwood on Route 1 looking for a faster set of wheels. The dealer didn't have anything to offer her so she went over to a nearby dealership to test drive a Ferrari.

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Honda to Introduce New Hybrid Variant of Accord Sedan Next Year

[JDM Honda Accord pictured above]

There's plenty of news coming out from the sidelines of the Tokyo Motor Show and a lot of them concern Honda's future plans.

Along with the Acura-badged NSX hybrid concept that's heading to Detroit, we also learned that Honda is preparing a raft of hybrid powertrains for its mainstream models.

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Subaru BRZ GT300 Fires up on the Track: First Official Video


Only a select few will be able to get behind the wheel of the new BRZ GT300, but Subaru hopes to create a strong link between the production and the racing versions of its new rear-wheel drive coupe, both of which made their world premiere at this week's Tokyo Motor Show.

The impressive looking BRZ racer will compete in the in the GT300 class of the 2012 SUPER GT series in Japan. The GT300 cars are much more regulated than the vehicles in the GT500 class with their output limited to 300-horsepower, which means we may see Subaru opting for a turbocharger to increase the standard model's 2.0-liter boxer engine's output.

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Report: U.S. Car Buyers Take a Second Look at Diesel-Engined Cars


If you tried to find a diesel-powered car in the U.S. of A. you’d certainly have a hard time, as their total sales account for less than 3% of the total market. But the future may be different.

With gas prices constantly fluctuating and the government pushing manufacturers to improve efficiency, analysts predict that hybrids are not the only kind of vehicles that many buyers will turn to: diesel is another option.

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Friday, December 2, 2011

Video: Was This a Dangerously Close Call or a Ballsy Move?


A minor spat has broken out on Youtube over whether or not a Lotus Exige GT3 traveling close to 250km/h [155mph] should have passed in between a Mazda MX-5 and a Porsche Boxster during the Production Sports Cars CUE Enduro Series held at the Phillip Island circuit in Victoria, Australia.

If you watch the first video shot from an inboard camera on the MX-5, it looks like a rocket ship flew by inches away from the Japanese roadster. In fact, it all happens so fast that you have to actually pause the video to see the Exige GT3 driven by Barton Mawer.

According to the Philip Island Circuit's official website, the driver in the No66 MX-5 was Michael Hall. Here's what he said on Youtube:

"I'm chasing down a Porsche Boxster in the #66 Mazda MX5 whilst trying to hang onto the lead of Class E. Meanwhile Barton Mawer is trying to hunt down Alan Simonsen in the Lambo for the overall lead, and obviously not in the mood to waste any time."

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High Heels and Shiny Wheels: The 2011 Tokyo Motor Show Edition


Gentlemen, you may start your engines because we have a special treat for you today. After all the metal from the 42nd edition of the Tokyo Motor Show, it's time for something a little bit different but equally, if not more, interesting.

If the opening picture caught you attention, there's a lot more from where that came from in our high resolution gallery that you're more than welcome to enjoy directly after the break.

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Last MGB Roadster Ever Made Returns Back Home Through the Window


The MGB Roadster was an open-top British sports car that was launched by MG in 1962 and was followed three years later by a 2+2 GT Coupe. It had a very long life span, surviving until 1980.

At the time, the company changed hands from the British Motor Corporation to British Motor Holdings and then to British Leyland Motor Corporation. The decay and eventually, the fall of the British car industry began during that period.

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If Looks Could Kill: Meet the 1999 Subaru Impreza Casa Blanca Limited Edition


Subaru is one of those automakers that will either bore you to death or irk you with the styling of its products, but scarcely, if ever, cause any excitement with its designs.

The Impreza series is a characteristic example going from boredom to controversial and vice versa not only with each new restyling, but sometimes even within the same generation.

Time to meet the Impreza Casa Blanca - a special edition version of the first generation Sport Wagon with the 1.5-liter boxer engine that was introduced in Japan in 1999 to address the craze consumers had for retro styled cars at the time.

And yes, you read that correctly: the Casa Blanca isn't a abomination creation from some unknown coachbuilder but an official Subaru product and it was produced from 1999 to 2000 in a limited run of 5,000 units!

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GM May Redesign Volt's Battery, Puts Opel Ampera Sales on Hold


Providing a free loaner to Volt owners concerned about their car’s safety is all good and well – even better for some if the loaner is a Camaro or a Corvette.

However, General Motors, which is currently cooperating with the NHTSA to address the fire issues that ensued after the agency’s crash tests, may even go as far as redesigning its extended-range hybrid’s battery which is manufactured by South Korea's LG Chem.

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Dodge to Drop New Generation 2013 Viper at Next Year's New York Auto Show


The time for the return of the Dodge Viper after a two-year hiatus is almost up. In fact, we'll get our first look at the Chrysler Group's next halo car as early as next April at the 2012 New York International Auto Show.

Chrysler's SRT Brand President and CEO Ralph Gilles made the revelation in an interview with Viper magazine, while Automobile Magazine says that it has also confirmed the news with its sources at Dodge.

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UAW Protests outside Hyundai's U.S. Dealerships to Support Illegally Fired Korean Subcontractor Worker


Members of the UAW (International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America), one of the biggest worker unions in the U.S., protested on Wednesday outside more than 75 Hyundai dealerships across the country, from NYC to LA.

Hyundai itself was not the target, as one would have thought upon hearing the news. Rather, the union members who held "Stop Sex Discrimination at Hyundai" and "Reinstate Ms. Park" banners were showing their support for Ms. Park.

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Mid-Size Cars Sales Fall as U.S. Buyers Downsize to Smaller Cars


For decades, mid-size sedans like the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Ford Taurus have been best-sellers and the most common sight on American roads.

But the trend is starting to change. According to J.D Power and associates, an increasingly large number of buyers are downsizing and choose small cars such as the Chevrolet Cruze or even the Honda Fit.

In fact, J.D. Power forecasts that, for the first time in two decades, compact cars will outsell mid-size models by the end of the year. Moreover, it projects that by 2015, compact and sub-compact cars will have a 20% share in the U.S. market, while mid-size models’ share will shrink down to 14%.

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General Motors will have Four World Premieres in Detroit Including the 2013 Cadillac ATS


With the press days over at the Tokyo Motor Show, automakers are now turning their focus on the next big automotive event, which is the 2012 North International Auto Show that takes place in Detroit from January 10 to 23.

Today, we learned that General Motors is planning four world premieres but for now, the company will only tell us about one of the vehicles it will bring to Detroit, the 2013 Cadillac ATS, which is aimed squarely at the entry-level premium sedan segment rivaling the likes of the new BMW 3-Series and the Lexus IS.

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BMW Releases Teaser Film on Mystery New X6 M Model, Could it be the Diesel?


Those Bavarians are always coming up with something to grab our attention. Their latest mystery film is about a new edition or model of the X6 with the famed M logo.

The only official information we get from BMW is that the vehicle seen in the teaser clip will establish "a new category of automobiles" and that it represents "a new chapter powered by M".

The vehicle itself or rather certain parts of the crossover like the lights, hood and, of course, the moniker on the tailgate, are craftily blurred out.

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