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Report: Audi A7 Destined for the U.S. as an A8 Alternative
Audi of America’s top man, Johan de Nysschen has confirmed that the upcoming Audi A7 will go on sale in North America. Many had already assumed as much, but until now Audi hadn’t even officially stated that the car existed. And with the A5 Sportback not destined for U.S. shores, the future of the A7…
Rumor Mill: Is Volkswagen Planning a Toyota FT-86 Competitor?
Volkswagen is hell-bent on cracking the U.S. market and has decided to follow a production plan that will see it essentially follow in Toyota’s footsteps – for better or worse. Now that plan seems to include a possible entry-level sports car designed to compete against cars like the upcoming Toyota FT-86. In an interview with…
Report: Volkswagen’s New Compact Sedan to Retain Jetta Name
Volkswagen has confirmed that the company’s new compact sedan will retain the Jetta badge. Until now it has been known only as NCS (New Compact sedan) and is part of a two-pronged attack that Volkswagen will be making on the U.S. market (and on Toyota). Volkswagen plans to increase almost four-fold, growing its sales from…
LA 2009: We Catch Up With Volkswagen’s Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition in Los Angeles
There was no pomp and circumstance surrounding the unveiling of the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition at the LA Auto Show. In fact, the car didn’t even get an unveiling. We thought it would be best to snap a few pics of it, however, as when Volkswagen announced the car a few weeks back…
LA 2009: BMW X6 ActiveHybrid Makes M Power, Passable Fuel Economy
The seconds of two production hybrids to get their North American debut at the LA Auto Show, the X6 ActiveHybrid joins the ActiveHybrid 7 in using the new green technology to make ridiculous amounts of power with modest (very modest) improvements in fuel consumption. In fact, BMW’s engineers have chosen to exploit hybrid technology to…
LA 2009: MINI Mum on Details for Coupe, Roadster Concepts
With California being an important market for BMW’s MINI brand, the LA Auto Show would have been a perfect place for execs to spill a few more details on the planned production versions of the MINI Coupe and Roadster Concepts. Would have been… Se we got yet another opportunity to look at the funky new…
LA 2009: Audi A3 TDI Named 2010 Green Car of the Year
Audi is no doubt thrilled that it’s new A3 TDI model was just awarded the honor of Green Car of the Year today at the LA Auto Show. It sounds perhaps more prestigious than it really is, however, as the award has only been given for five years by the Green Car Journal. The list…
LA 2009: Volkswagen Winds-Down New Beetle With “Final Edition” Models
It may have been a big deal when it launched back in 1998 but the New Beetle just doesn’t have the staying power of the original. Volkswagen has announced the “Final Edition” model of the car, unveiling both the limited edition coupe and convertible models at the LA Auto Show. VW will build 1,500 units…
LA 2009: BMW Declares War on Lexus LS Hybrid with 455-hp ActiveHybrid 7
BMW officially declared war today on the Lexus LS hybrid, with its own hybrid version of the 7 Series. A hybrid 7 of any sort would be a serious competitor to the LSh, but the ActiveHybrid 7 is a true BMW, offering not only a dynamic drive (relatively speaking), but a big increase in performance…
LA 2009: More Powerful Porsche 911 Turbo Arrives at LA Auto Show
Along with the Boxster Spyder world premiere, Porsche gave North American debuts to the updated GT3 RS and the popular 911 Turbo model at the LA Auto Show today. For 2010 the 911 Turbo gets an all-new, larger 3.8-liter engine with direct-injection, making 500-hp. Possibly more important, however, is the fact that the clumsy bush-buttons…
LA 2009: Audi E-Tron North American Debut With Electric Orange Paint
Alongside its new flagship R8 Spyder sports car, Audi also unveiled the E-Tron Concept for the first time on U.S. soil at the LA Auto Show today. And we have to say, it looks much cooler in its new orange paint. Living up to its “Tron” name the oddly shaped E-Tron appears to be part…
LA 2009: Audi R8 Spyder Drops Its Top In the Golden State
It’s sure to be one of, if not the car’s largest market, so it’s no surrise that Audi chose the Los Angeles Auto Show to introduce Americans to the new R8 Spyder. Having recently been given it’s world premiere in Frankfurt Germany after years of speculation and spy photos, the 525-hp drop-top R8 is finally…
LA 2009: Lighter, More Powerful Porsche GT3 RS Arrives in the U.S.
Porsche’s barely street-legal GT3 RS has received a long list of mid-cycle upgrades for 2010, including a larger and more powerful engine as well as an even lighter curb weight. Thanks to an increased displacement from 3.6 to 3.8-liters, the new engine makes an additional 15-hp for a new total of 450. That power hits…
LA 2009: Mercedes Gives First “From-Scratch” AMG Model Its U.S. Debut in Los Angeles
With a very large percentage of all AMG vehicles sold in Southern California, it’s not surprising that Mercedes-Benz chose the LA Auto Show as the first North American location to showcase the performance brand’s first ever ground-up vehicle. Inspired by the 300SL Gullwing, the new SLS AMG is powered by AMG’s first “from scratch” engine….
LA 2009: Porsche Boxster Spyder World Premiere
The Porsche Boxster Spyder is one of a handful of world premieres at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show. The lighter-weight and more powerful Boxster model gets a Carrera GT-inspired clamshell rear with bulges to accentuate this car’s two-seat layout. Other design features include lower side windows for a chop-top look. But what really makes…
LA 2009: Volkswagen Up! Lite Concept Gets 70 MPG, Could See Production
Volkswagen’s big news at the LA Auto Show was the world premiere of the Up! Lite Concept, a hybrid diesel based on the company’s upcoming small-car architecture – meaning it could very well see production. As a natural progression of the two-seater L1 concept that debuted at the Frankfurt Auto Show, this four-seater offers practicality…
LA 2009: BMW’s Futuristic Turbo-Diesel Plug-in Hybrid Arrives in LA
Undoubtedly the focal point of BMW’s display at the LA Auto Show, the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept embodies the German automaker’s high efficiency philosophy and is being shown in LA for the first time since its word debut in Frankfurt. The Vision ED Concept is also a true BMW, offering impressive fuel economy while not sacrificing…
LA Preview: MINI Coupe and Roadster Concepts Ready for North American Debut in LA
MINI’s two new concept cars are slated to make an appearance at the LA Auto Show, giving Los Angeles residents and local media a first chance to see the two fun cars since their world premiere at the Frankfurt Auto Show. MINI has confirmed that the Coupe Concept will go into production along with another…
Official: 2011 Audi A8 Debuts in Miami
Audi’s all-new A8 model for 2011 was unveiled yesterday during the Design Week festivities in Miami and we have to admit that the anticipation might be better than the real thing – t0 look at anyway. That’s not to say the new A8 isn’t a good looking piece of sheetmetal, but it’s not the revolutionary…
LA Preview: Watch Out Lexus, BMW to Give Hybrid 7 Series its U.S. Debut in Los Angeles
Along with BMW’s futuristic Vision EfficientDynamics Concept, the German automaker will also showcase hybrid versions of the 7 Series and X6, both if which are slated to go on sale in the near future. The ActiveHybrid 7 uses the same twin-turbocharged V8 as found in the 750i, but pairs it with an electric motor and…
LA Peview: BMW’s Hugely Powerful, But Not So Efficient, X6 Hybrid Headed to Los Angeles
When BMW first introduced its X6 model, one of the many questions surrounding it was, “who wants a vehicle like this?” Apparently the answer is BMW engineers. The X6 platform seems to be a favorite for the German automaker’s latest and greatest technology. After introducing two standard gasoline versions of the CUV, it was then…
Spied: MINI Cooper S Diesel Spotted Testing in Germany
MINI may be preparing to launch a line of high-performance diesel models in Europe in the near future. The speculation comes as both a Cooper and Clubman were spotted at MINI’s test facility in Germany. Both cars happened to be dressed up like the more performance-oriented S models, but had typically diesel exhaust notes. MINI’s…
Report: AMG Considering Diesel-Power For Future Products
Mercedes’ AMG division is always one step ahead when it comes to performance, but recently the engineering division has made it clear it also wants to be first when it comes to more “green” technologies including reduced weight and alternative fuels – or even fuel alternatives. The brand’s flagship Black Series cars are already moving…
LA Preview: Volkswagen Bringing 170-MPG L1 Concept to LA Auto Show
As amazing as the 71-mpg Polo BlueMotion model is that Volkswagen plans to show at the LA Auto Show next week, the German automaker will also show another fuel-efficient vehicle that gets more than double that car’s mpg rating. Called the L1 Concept, this tiny two seater uses just 1.38 liters of diesel per 100…
