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MINI To Join B-Spec Racing
MINI has announced that they will be entering the B-Spec racing class in 2012, with MINI of Charleston, a franchise owned by Hendrick Automotive Group. The B-Spec car will be a base Mini Cooper Hardtop with a 1.6L 121-horsepower engine. The car will weigh 2,535 lbs and KW Variant 1 coilovers, upgraded brake pads and…
MINI To Offer Recaro Seats As An Option
MINI is finally offering Recaro seats as an option for their various models, but only in one configuration. The Recaro seat option will come in black Dinamica and leather only, but they are heated. They will be available for all the MINI models except for the Countryman and Convertible. Pricing is set at $3,000 on Cooper…
2013 Chevrolet Spark Revealed Ahead of LA Auto Show with Tiny 1.2L Engine
Chevrolet’s answer to the Fiat 500, Smart ForTwo and Scion iQ will finally make its debut stateside at the upcoming LA Auto Show. The 2013 Chevy Spark mini car not only offers more passenger and cargo room than its tiny competitors, the hatchback is the only car in the segment to offer a seven-inch color…
MINI Launches New Social Media Map App For Smartphones
MINI does social networking right. Introducing the MINI Motoring smartphone app, available for both Android and iPhone, it allows fellow drivers to share their favorite driving roads with each other. Probably the best automotive app ever created, the only complaint we have is it should have been invented sooner. After making an account, drivers can…
Kia Ray Micro-Box Revealed
Is the Kia Soul just a touch too big for your needs? Well if you happen to live in Kia’s home market of S. Korea, you could look into their newest offering, dubbed the Ray. While the name might sound similar to the sea creature, the Kia Ray is neither sleek or stealthy. What it…
Suzuki Previews Three City Car Concepts Ahead of Tokyo Motor Show
While Suzuki cars might not be very popular in North America, in its home market of Japan, they are a very big deal indeed. So to serve their home market, Suzuki is bringing a trio of concept cars for the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show. These are the Regina, Q Concept and the Swift EV Hybrid….
Mitsubishi Mirage Targets 70-MPG with Tiny 3-Cylinder Engine: Tokyo Motor Show Preview
Mitsubishi is looking to re-enter the sub-compact segment in the U.S. and will do so in the near future with an all-new global small car, which will officially be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in just a few weeks. Using a tiny 1.0-liter 3-cylinder engine and stop-start technology, as well as extensive weight savings,…
Subaru Advanced Tourer Concept to Showcase Turbo Hybrid Tech: Tokyo Motor Show Preview
Along with the highly-anticipated debut of the BRZ sports car, Subaru will also reveal a concept car at the Tokyo Auto Show, giving a strong hint as to the brand’s first hybrid vehicle. An evolution of the Hybrid Tourer Concept, the Advanced Tourer Concept will get a smaller 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine, using both direct-injection and…
Vauxhall Unveals 280-HP Astra VXR Hatchback
Vauxhall revealed its hot new hatch, looking to take away some of the spotlight from Ford’s Focus and Fiesta ST. The brand new VXR hatchback is the fastest and most powerful production vehicle from Vauxhall yet, boasting 280-hp and 295 lb-ft of torque from a turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder. Vauxhall is also claiming that their new…
Volkswagen WRC Polo R Looks Promising In Testing, Carlos Sainz Driving
Volkswagen’s WRC entry in the form of a Polo R is out testing a little over a year before its official competition debut. The Polo R recently got its first bout of testing on a 1.5-mile tarmac track out in the vineyards in Trier, Germany. Behind the wheel during test was Dakar winner Carlos Sainz…
Ford Focuses On The Focus With Nine Customs: 2011 SEMA Show
To say that Ford put a focus on the Focus would be an understatement at this year’s SEMA Show. Nine different, fully customized Focuses were shown off in the Ford booth, with several of them part of a spectator voting competition. Projects ranged from mild to wild, with a plethora of colors being splashed on…
2012 Ford Focus Electric Priced from $39,995
Ford says it will deliver a few Focus Electrics before the end of the year (the car’s initial launch is targeted for California and New York/New Jersey) and indeed the company has already opened up a website for taking orders, though it says the vast majority won’t find owners until next year.
Ford Fiesta ST Concept Revealed Ahead Of LA Auto Show Debut
For long one of the most beloved hot hatches in Europe, the Ford Fiesta ST Concept will be unveiled at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. Recently at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Ford revealed a three-door ST concept, a sign that perhaps the hot-hatch sub-compact would not be offered in North America. This new five-door…
Ford Fiesta B-Spec, Focus ST.R Video, First Look: 2011 SEMA Show
Celebrating 110 years of racing history at the SEMA Show, Ford‘s display includes some of the brand’s most iconic race cars. And while the folks at the Blue Oval had plenty of aftermarket tuner cars to announce, fans of motorsports were treated to the debut of two new Ford race cars, the Fiesta B-Spec and…
Ford Fiesta Concepts Debut: 2011 SEMA Show
Even though the Fiesta was last year’s news, Ford handed out a trio of them to be customized and shown off at this year’s SEMA Show. None of the projects were crazy exotic, but really show off what the Fiesta can achieve when done with the right modifications. The Candy Purple Fiesta is a creation…
Hyundai Veloster Storms The Show Floor: 2011 SEMA Show
The Hyundai Veloster is arguably this year’s hot sport compact, and Hyundai came out in full force with a collection of Velosters covering both the “show” and “go” ends of the spectrum. First up is the hotly anticipated ARK Performance Veloster, featuring the first application of a turbocharger on the Veloster. With Hyundai’s subsequent announcement…
Volkswagen Polo On SCCA B-Spec Entry List, 2012 Debut Possible
While reviewing the SCCA B-Spec rules, we came across a list of entries for the upcoming class and stumbled upon a few interesting candidates – namely the Volkswagen Polo, which the rule sheet claims may be imported for 2012. Other entries, like the Hyundai Accent, Scion iQ and xD and Fiat 500 are interesting in…
Kia Rio B-Spec is a DIY Race Car for Under 30K: 2011 SEMA Show
As promised Kia has unveiled its Rio B-Spec race car at the 2011 SEMA Show today, based on the brand’s all-new Rio 5-Door sub-compact. More of a kit than an actual race car, this is a project for the do-it-yourselfer. On top of the $13,600 price of a Rio, Kia’s racing partner Kinetic Motorsports will…
Mazda2 Turbo Delivers MazdaSpeed3 Power in a Smaller Package: 2011 SEMA Show
It’s plenty of fun even with just 100-hp, but Mazda isn’t called the Zoom Zoom brand for nothing. Revealed today at the 2011 SEMA Show is a tuner car concept dubbed the Mazda2 Turbo. Rather than some bolt-on turbocharger this sub-compact gets a complete swap from its big-brother, the Mazdaspeed3. Borrowing that 2.3-liter direct-injection 4-cylinder,…
Hyundai Veloster Turbo Confirmed, Will Bow at Detroit Auto Show
Rumored for months and perhaps even years, Hyundai has confirmed it will offer a Veloster Turbo model. Announced by Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik at a media dinner in Las Vegas on the eve of the SEMA Show, the car will officially debut at the Detroit Auto Show this January. Krafcik was mum on…
Chevy Sonic Concepts Feature Ricky Carmichael, Race Car – 2011 SEMA Show
Chevrolet unveiled the first of what will surely be many concept cars based on their new Sonic compact car, with a lifestyle/tuner car designed with input by Motocross legend and NASCAR driver Ricky Carmichael, and a ready-to-go racer intended for SCCA competition. The Sonic All Activity Vehicle – Ricky Carmichael Concept features a full suite…
Fiat 500 Abarth Confirmed for LA Auto Show Debut
Fiat has officially confirmed it will add a third model to its U.S. lineup, debuting the new 500 Abarth at the LA Auto Show. Looking like a kitted-out version of the standard 500, this car is certain to hit the sweet spot with enthusiasts, and is expected to come equipped with a turbocharged 1.4-liter 4-cylinder…
Saab Production May Restart In 8 Weeks
According to Inside Line, Saab may be ready to re-start production at its factories in as little as 8 weeks, after being sold to two Chinese automakers for $142 million. While Saab was valued at $660 million this summer, both Pang Da and Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co. managed to purchase the company at a rock…
AJAC Car Of The Year Finalists Announced
Our friends to the north have been keeping busy by choosing their pick for the car and truck of the year, before snow takes over. So over the last week, the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) had assembled in the Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario to see which cars are the best in their category. The winners…
