Report: Mercedes to Eliminate Maybach Brand by 2014

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Report: Mercedes to Eliminate Maybach Brand by 2014
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Resurrected in 2002 as a way for Mercedes to take on rival BMW’s newly acquired Rolls-Royce brand, Maybach has been a sales flop and now Mercedes appears ready to finally admit as much. According to a report by AutoExpress, Mercedes will give the Maybach models a slight update (set to be revealed at the Shanghai… Continue Reading...

Report: Honda CR-Z Orders Reach 7,000 In Japan, Half of Yearly Sales Goal

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Report: Honda CR-Z Orders Reach 7,000 In Japan, Half of Yearly Sales Goal
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Honda has already locked down 7,000 orders for its CR-Z hybrid sports car, more than half of the car’s annual sales target of 12,000 units. Still, Honda should be cautiously optimistic as last year sales of the new Insight model started out strong but started to dwindle once Toyota released its third-generation Prius – a… Continue Reading...

Report: Suzuki Won’t Compete With Tata Nano, Citing Quality and Safety Concerns

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Report: Suzuki Won’t Compete With Tata Nano, Citing Quality and Safety Concerns
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Despite competition from Tata, known for building the world’s cheapest car, Suzuki has no plans to compete head-to-head with the Indian automaker. Currently Suzuki has a stranglehold on emerging markets like India, but Tata is looking to take a chunk of that with the Nano, which undercuts the already inexpensive Suzuki models. Slamming the Indian-made… Continue Reading...

Report: Fiat Bringing Jeep Brand to Russia

Report: Fiat Bringing Jeep Brand to Russia
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Fiat has announced an agreement with Russian automaker Sollers to bring its newly-acquired Jeep brand to Russia. Two automakers have formed a partnership that will see Sollers produce Jeep models in Russia, where there is significant demand for small SUVs. Two models said to be part of future production plans include the Compass an Patriot,… Continue Reading...

Report: Audi R8 GT3 Prototype Already Built, Awaiting Final Approval

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Report: Audi R8 GT3 Prototype Already Built, Awaiting Final Approval
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News that Audi is planning a light-weight version of the R8 emerged several weeks ago, but according to a recent report the car already exists – or at least one of them does, anyway. Designed to bring Audi’s R8 GT3 LMS car to the production realm, it could get the R8 GT3 moniker, designed to… Continue Reading...

PSA: Toyota Hybrid Instructional Video Teaches What to do in Case of Unintended Acceleration

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With all the news surrounding Toyota‘s recent recalls and the widely reported story of a runaway Prius in California (now believed to be a hoax), Toyota has decided to issue an instructional video of what to do in case of an, “unintended acceleration.” Toyota continues to insist that the problem is rare and the 2008… Continue Reading...

New York Preview: Nissan Juke to Get U.S. Debut at NY Auto Show

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New York Preview: Nissan Juke to Get U.S. Debut at NY Auto Show
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Having just received its world premiere at the Geneva Auto Show, Nissan announced the Juke will be sold in the U.S. and will give the crossover a North American unveiling at a private event just ahead of the NY Auto Show. Slotting in just underneath the Rogue in Nissan’s lineup, we’re excited to see if… Continue Reading...

Ferrari 599 GTO Set to Debut at Paris Auto Show this Fall

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Ferrari 599 GTO Set to Debut at Paris Auto Show this Fall
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According to the latest reports, the much-rumored Ferrari 599 GTO model will make is world debut at the Paris Auto Show this Fall. Using many components from the track-only 599XX, this new GTO (Gran Turismo Omolagato) will be the first car to bear the badge since the 288 GTO in 1984. According to an article… Continue Reading...

Spied: 2011 Kia Optima On the Streets in Korea

Spied: 2011 Kia Optima On the Streets in Korea
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Kia has already released two images of its 2011 Optima [Magentis] family sedan before its world premiere at the New York Auto Show later this month, but thanks to an amateur spy photographer in Korea we now have a few extra shots. These new angles confirm the Optima’s handsome good looks, especially as the car… Continue Reading...

Honda Recalls 412,000 Odyssey and Element Models Over Brake Concerns

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Honda has announced that it will recall a total of 412,000 vehicles due to a problem with the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) modulator, that could cause a soft brake pedal feel. In total, 344,000 Odyssey minivans and 68,000 Elements, from the 2007-8 model years are affected. Honda claims a “self check” mode for the system… Continue Reading...

New Front-Wheel Drive BMWs Coming Says CEO

New Front-Wheel Drive BMWs Coming Says CEO
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So far we have heard several reports of a new front-drive model from BMW, but now comes confirmation from BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer. “There will be front-wheel-drive BMWs in the smaller vehicle classes in the future,” said Reithofer during a press conference about the German automaker’s finances. The architecture will actually be both front-drive and… Continue Reading...

2011 Scion xB Gets a Mild Refresh, Slight Price Increase

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2011 Scion xB Gets a Mild Refresh, Slight Price Increase
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Scion will introduce a mid-cycle update to the boxy xB model for 2011, with some mild updates and a minor price increase. Included is a facelift with new front and rear bumpers, headlights and taillights and a new front grille. The changes aren’t big, but do add a bit more aggression to the already mean… Continue Reading...

Report: Infiniti M Sedan to Play Flagship Role For the Forseeable Future

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Report: Infiniti M Sedan to Play Flagship Role For the Forseeable Future
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Infiniti has had tremendous success with the G series of “entry-level” luxury sport sedans, rivaling industry leaders like the BMW 3 Series, but when it comes to full-on flagships, Nissan’s luxury arm has only ever produced failures. With the introduction of the new M for 2011, Infiniti is now saying it has no plans to… Continue Reading...

Report: U.S. Fiat 500 Getting New and Improved Platform Compared to European Models

Report: U.S. Fiat 500 Getting New and Improved Platform Compared to European Models
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Fiat has made the decision to use an entirely new platform for its tiny 500 model when it debuts in the U.S later this year. The new mini car A platform, which is also scheduled to be used for the upcoming 2011 Fiat Panda and Lancia Ypsilon, is an improvement over the current European offering…. Continue Reading...

Bugatti Releases New Galibier 16C Photos, This Time in Black

Bugatti Releases New Galibier 16C Photos, This Time in Black
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Bugatti still hasn’t confirmed that the Galibier luxury sedan will see production, but its looking considerably more likely as the automaker releases another round of photos – this time showing the heavyweight in monotone black. We like it considerably more this way, rather than the exposed carbon and blue shown before. These new photos have… Continue Reading...

Report: Camaro Cannibalizing Corvette Sales

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Report: Camaro Cannibalizing Corvette Sales
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Over the past year, Chevy has been proud of the success of the new Camaro, with sales exceeding targets. The Camaro sold 61,648 units in 2009, just shy of the Mustang with 66,623, despite the fact that the Camaro wasn’t even on sale for a whole year. But now it appears as though the Camaro’s… Continue Reading...

Report: Chevy Considering 4-Door Corvette to Compete With Panamera

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Report: Chevy Considering 4-Door Corvette to Compete With Panamera
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Back in 1980, General Motors toyed with the idea of producing a 4-door Corvette America. A prototype was built but the project was later dropped. As absurd as the concept sounds, GM now appears to be revisiting the idea and with Porsche seeing great success with its Panamera, the 4-door Vette might very well see… Continue Reading...

Lexus Returning to Nurburgring 24 With New LFA Race Car

Lexus Returning to Nurburgring 24 With New LFA Race Car
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For the third straight year in a row Lexus will compete at the Nurburgring 24 Hour race, once again using one of its LFA supercars. And much like the past two years, the team will be operated by Gazoo Racing, which fields Lexus race cars in Japan’s Super GT series. There’s no word from Lexus… Continue Reading...

Ford Mustang GT Gets Best-In-Class 17-MPG City, 26-MPG Highway

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Not only does Ford‘s new 5.0-liter V8 for the 2011 Mustang GT make incredible amounts of horsepower, but it also achieves best-in-class fuel economy. Thanks in part to a new six-speed transmission and Ford’s Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT), it gets 17/26 mpg (city/highway) with the automatic and 18/25 mpg with the manual.  This… Continue Reading...

Hyundai Customers Most Loyal to Their Brand Says Kelley Blue Book

Hyundai Customers Most Loyal to Their Brand Says Kelley Blue Book
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According to the most recent numbers released by Kelley Blue Book, Hyundai now has the strongest brand loyalty among its customers. Over the past year Hyundai owners looking to purchase another Hyundai went up 10.4 percent to a total of 56.4 percent, outranking long-time first-place brand Toyota. Honda, meanwhile, continues to hold on to the… Continue Reading...

New York Preview: Porsche 911 Turbo S to Make North American Premiere in NY City

New York Preview: Porsche 911 Turbo S to Make North American Premiere in NY City
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Receiving its world premiere at the Geneva Auto Show just a few weeks ago, Porsche will unveil the high-performance 911 Turbo S model at the New York Auto Show for the first time in the U.S. on March 31st. With the current Turbo having been around for a few years and having just received a… Continue Reading...

Volkswagen R GmbH Officially Announced as New VW Performance Brand

Volkswagen R GmbH Officially Announced as New VW Performance Brand
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Once again the rumors were correct with VW now officially announcing Volkswagen R GmbH,  a special division of the German automaker dedicated to “sporty exclusive models.” Something akin to BMW M or Mercedes AMG, VW’s R brand will oversee the development of special R models as well as R Line design packages and special “Volkswagen… Continue Reading...

2011 BMW 5 Series Touring Announced for Europe

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2011 BMW 5 Series Touring Announced for Europe
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On the heels of the release of the 2011 5 Series at the Geneva Auto Show, BMW has now unveiled the 2011 5 Series Touring (wagon). Designed for the European market and possibly not scheduled to arrive in North America at all (due to the release of the similar 5 Series GT), the Touring model… Continue Reading...

Report: Electric Volkswagen Jetta, Audi A6 Hybrid Slated for Production

Report: Electric Volkswagen Jetta, Audi A6 Hybrid Slated for Production
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With Audi‘s recent unveiling of the A8 Hybrid at the Geneva Auto Show and news the Q5 Hybrid is on its way, Audi has made known plans to add more hybrid models, starting with the A6. According to a report by AutoWeek, the next-generation A6 will be offered in full hybrid form late in 2012… Continue Reading...