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Volkswagen Golf VII to Bow at 2012 Paris Motor Show
Volkswagen’s Golf is getting a makeover, marking the seventh incarnation of the marque. Details on the Golf VII are still vague, except the official public reveal, which will take place at the 2012 Paris Auto Show. With the trend towards fuel economy, and the Golf’s history of being a very fuel conscious car, one can only assume…
Fiat 500 Abarth Comes With Richard Petty Driving Experience
Fiat has finally announced the pricing on their 500 Abarth model for the American market, starting at $22,000 and will include a segment-exclusive, full-day Abarth driving experience. The 500 model that’s been “designed for track-day enthusiasts and driving purists who want the ultimate high-performance small car at an attainable price,” the 500 Abarth is powered…
Fiat 500 Wagon Slated for U.S. Market In 2013
It’s no surprise that the 500’s return to North America did not make the splash that Fiat expected. Having sold less than 20,000 vehicles in its first model year in the United States, the 500 only did half as well as the company initially forecasted. The success of the 500 is essential to the Italian…
2012 Ford Fiesta WRC Rally Car Livery Unveiled
Ford recently unveiled their new 2012 Ford Fiesta WRC Rally Car in its full livery at the Autosport International Racing Car Show in Birmingham, England. This will be the Fiesta’s second year competing in the WRC and the race team is looking forward to building off of its success last year when it won the…
Chrome Fiat Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari By Office-K [Video]
It appears that the Japanese have also embraced Italy’s compact Fiat 500, but this was hardly what we expected from a Japanese tuner. Office-K out in Japan got their hands on a limited edition Fiat Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari and figured it’d look a whole lot better in chrome. The Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari comes…
Lotus-Parent Proton Sold to Private Conglomerate DRB-Hicom
In a deal eclipsing $410 million, DRB-Hicom purchased a 43 percent stake in Proton, a Malaysian automaker better known for its ownership of the famous British sports car brand, Lotus. Originally, the stake belonged to Malaysia’s state-owned Khazanah Nasional Bhd. However, as Proton has not made a profit in the last two years, multiple prospective…
Toyota Prius Camper Van Might Be The Most Ridiculous Thing Ever: 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon
We’ve seen a lot of strange things come out of Japan’s aftermarket over the years, but this might be the most ridiculous thing yet. Relax Cabin, a Japanese aftermarket company, specializes in camper conversions and apparently thought Toyota Prius owners would have a demand for such a thing. We guess there’s a remote possibility that…
Takeros Honda Fit Turbo Gets Wide and Wild: 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon
Known for modifying wagons like the Honda Odyssey and Nisaan Stegea, Japanese tuner Takero’s recently expanded its product offering to include the Honda Fit – with impressive results. First came aerodynamic components, followed by suspension parts, now Takero’s has revealed a wide body kit for the Fit at the Tokyo Auto Salon, plus a turbocharger…
Mugen Honda CR-Z RR Concept Double Take: 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon
Built by Honda‘s Mugen tuning division in Europe, the on-again-off-again CR-Z RR concept is, at last word, off again. So weren’t we shocked then to discover not one, but two of the cars on display at the Tokyo Auto Salon. As much as we’ll miss its good looks of the CR-Z RR with its wide…
The Artiga is an Asian Hot Hatch That isn’t Japanese: 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon
Here’s a piece of trivia. What is the above hot hatch from the Tokyo Auto Salon and where is it from? We’ll, the answer to the first question is that it’s called the Artiga. And the second? Well Asia of course. However, despite being displayed at Japan’s largest aftermarket expo, it’s not a Japanese car….
Mazda Demio Smart Stylish Looks, Well, Smart and Stylish: 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon
One of numerous Mazdas on display at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon, the Demio (sold as the Mazda2 in North America) Smart Stylish, delivers as promised with a classy look that adds some luxury appeal to this sub-compact. Based on the new ultra-efficient Skyactiv 1.3-liter model, the Smart Stylish gets a complete aerodynamic overhaul, with…
Audi A6 Allroad Quattro Announced
Audi has completed their A6 series with the announcement of their new A6 allroad quattro wagon featuring four different engines to choose from, one TFSI gasoline powerplant and three TDI diesel options. All four powerplants are 3.0L turbocharged engines and incorporate Audi’s start-stop system. Fuel consumption across the board has been reduced approximately 20-percent compared…
Hyundai Veloster Turbo Gets 201-HP, Matte-Gray Paint: 2012 Detroit Auto Show
For many, there is only one problem with the Hyundai Veloster: it’s slow. Funky asymmetrical design aside, the interesting new Hyundai product left enthusiasts wanting and so to solve that issue the Korean automaker has unveiled a new turbocharged model today at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. With a twin-scroll turbo mated…
Ford Focus Electric to get Interior Made From Recycled Bottles
Those heading to the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and/or the 2012 Detroit Auto Show may want to recycle their plastic bottles while at the convention center. Ford and Unifi will be collecting plastic water bottles constructed of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from the two shows and will recycle them to make the Repreve seating material…
First Ford Focus Electric Goes To Google
Google is all about advancing technology in order to improve our world and lifestyle, and it appears that they also support any other company that’s pro-technology. The massive search engine turned all-things technology firm was given the keys to the first Ford Focus electric vehicle off the assembly line. It’ll be interesting to see if…
Honda Fit Retains Consumer Reports “Best Small Car Value” Title
During its evaluation of finding the year’s best value vehicles, Consumer Reports, tested cars, SUVs and trucks from a total of 11 different categories. Scores were determined based on a five-year ownership cost of each vehicle, including depreciation, insurance premiums, fuel costs, interest on financing, repairs and maintenance and sales taxes.
2014 MINI Cooper to Get “Modern” Look, Deliver Up to 45 MPG
The launch of the next generation MINI Cooper has been reportedly been pushed back, but according to reports, it will be well worth the wait. Sharing a platform with the next-generation 1 Series, the BMW will arrive first with the MINI (code named F56) being revealed in late 2013. While similar, insiders say the two…
Yo-Auto To Manufacture Russia’s First Hybrid In 2012 [Video]
Russian automaker Yo-Auto is promising to deliver the country’s first hybrid car in 2012. The company, founded by billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, hopes to sell “peoples’ cars” for under $10,000 each for their first models. Now those vehicles for under $10,000 won’t be hybrids naturally given the price tag, but the pre-orders are allowing customers to…
MINI Rocketman Could Be Developed In Collaboration With Toyota
Earlier this week we reported rumors that MINI will be heading to production with their Rocketman, and now we have reason to believe that Toyota may play a role in co-developing the vehicle. Recently, BMW announced a partnership with Toyota to help form more eco-friendly projects, and now MINI may be getting in on some…
Hyundai Takes New Social Media Campaign To Times Square
Hyundai has launched an inventive social marketing program called the “HYUNDAI RACE” at Times Square, one of the busiest city cross streets in the world. By downloading a controller app from the iTunes app store, participants can enjoy the HYUNDAI RACE featuring the all-new Hyundai Veloster on a prominent billboard via Hyundai WiFi. Steve Shannon, Hyundai Motor…
Hyundai Veloster Wins 2011 GOOD DESIGN Awards’ Transportation Category
South Korean automakers have been on a roll for the past two years and there are no signs of letting off. A radical departure from Hyundais of the past, the new Hyundai Veloster earned GOOD DESIGN award in the transportation category. Held at the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, GOOD DESIGN awards are handed…
Toyota Prius c Reaches 60,000 Orders In Japan
Toyota‘s upcoming Prius c is known in Japan as the Aqua hybrid, and Toyota of Japan is reporting that they’ve received 60,000 orders for the compact sedan as sales start rolling on the new hybrid. The latest hybrid model from Toyota looks to have a promising start as Toyota hopes to have a monthly sales…
Dodge Caliber Production Ends With Dart on the Horizon
No real surprises here, but Chrysler has finally pulled the plug on the Dodge Caliber’s production in anticipation to the unveiling of the all-new Dodge Dart next month at the Detroit Auto Show. We’re frankly surprised the Caliber even lasted this long, having debuted in 2006 as a replacement to Dodge’s Neon to much negative press….
Ford Focus ST-R Hits the Track [Video]
Ford‘s track-ready Focus ST-R isn’t cheap at $98,995, but it sure comes with plenty of punch as a turn-key race car powered by a 2.0L EcoBoost powerplant. To show off what the hot hatch is all about, Ford Racing and Andy Vrenko took it to its natural habitat – the race track. The video does…
