germany
Gumpert Apollo Wrecked By 20-Year Old In Germany
Chalk it up to youthful hubris. A 20-year old man totalled a 200+mph Gumpert Apollo on a country road in Germany, careening 60 meters into a pasture and reducing the 700-horsepower car to scrap. A girl was in the passenger seat, rather unsurprisingly—what’s surprising is that she was willing to be seen in the Apollo,…
Autobahn May Lose Sections Of De-restricted Highway Located Near Porsche, Mercedes-Benz
The world famous Autobahn, known for its sections of speed-limit-free roads, looks set to lose some of its famous stretches of highway, with the election of a new, environmentally focused government in the home state of manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. With the Green Party having emerged victorious in a regional election in the state…
2012 Nissan GT-R Inventory Safe For U.S. Consumption
Despite being an ultra-niche vehicle, interest in the Nissan GT-R always remains strong, and car enthusiasts have been fretting about whether Japan’s natural disasters have impacted production of the revised GT-R. According to an interview with David Reuter, Nissan Americas vice president of communications, supplies of the GT-R are safe, with roughly 70 percent of…
Germany Rejects E10 Ethanol Infused Gasoline
While motorists in North America have had 10 percent ethanol infused gasoline all but forced on them, and Brazil operates almost entirely on E85 biofuel, German motorists have slammed the door shut on the corn-based fuel by simply refusing to purchase gasoline that is made up of 90 percent dino-juice and 10 percent ethanol. The…
BMW, Peugeot, Citroën to Develop Hybrid Technology Together
World War II jokes aside, the French and the Germans are joining forces this time…and for powers of good. BMW and PSA Peugeot Citroën plan to invest 100 million Euros and the efforts of 400 employees into developing hybrid technology, to be shared by both brands. The program, excitingly titled “BMW Peugeot Citroën Electrification,” will…
Audi Struggling to Meet Consumer Demand
Audi can’t get ’em out the door fast enough. The comapny’s factories are running at full capacity to meet record demand for the A6 sedan and A3 hatchback, forcing buyers to wait an average of three to four months to take delivery. During normal sales periods customers usually take delivery of their cars within eight…
BMW M5 Concept To Debut At Shanghai Auto Show
The long awaited next generation BMW M5 will get its first showing in (lightly disguised) concept form at the Shanghai Auto Show. With China becoming a rapidly important market for BMW (read: sales are booming), the new car, codenamed the F10, will surely be a hit with performance-minded buyers in China and the world over….
Lexus In Danger Of Losing Sales Crown To BMW, Mercedes-Benz
Although Lexus managed to snatch the U.S. luxury car sales crown away from its German rivals for the 11th straight year in 2010, the company is off to a slow start, already being outpaced by BMW and Mercedes-Benz. While Lexus sales are down 17 percent, Mercedes-Benz is up 11 percent and BMW is up by…
BMW Prepares For 4-Cylinder Onslaught
BMW has always been known for their trademark inline-6 engines, but the recent industry-wide trend of downsizing has led to BMW adopting turbocharged four-cylinder engines as an alternative to smaller, naturally aspirated I6 engines in the name of efficiency. First to get the turbo-4 treatment is the X1 small crossover, although Jim O’Donnell, head of…
2012 Mercedes C63 AMG Gets New Transmission, Styling
The Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG will get some significant tweaks for 2012, with an official debut at March’s Geneva Auto Show. Arrving this summer as a 2012 model, the biggest news is the addition of Mercedes’ 7-speed MCT gearbox, used in the SL63 and other top-tier AMG cars previously. While the C63 makes 451 horsepower and…
BMW Driving School Teaches You Defensive Driving At Former Soviet Airbase
Some driving schools teach you the rules of the road. Others show you how to get the most out of your car while driving at the limit on a closed circuit. A rarefied few, like BMW‘s facility in the former East Germany, can show you how to get away with life and limb intact should you ever…
Volkswagen May Offer European Jetta In North America If Sales Are Strong
Volkswagen‘s newest Jetta was designed to be a volume leader, selling for about $15,000. But Volkswagen loyalists, who previously loved the Jetta for its premium feel and sporty character, have decried what they see as a cheapening of their beloved compact sedan, and Volkswagen seems to be listening. After driving a European market Jetta, with…
BMW X1 Delayed For U.S. Market, Canadian Launch To Proceed On Time
BMW‘s upcoming X1 crossover will be delayed by almost a year, due to extreme demand in the European market. BMW’s Leipzig, Germany plant can barely produce enough vehicles for Europe, and BMW USA has decided to delay the small crossover’s American launch until at least the fall of 2011. Canada will be getting the X1…
Detroit 2011: Mercedes-Benz SLS E-Cell; Faszination Mit Strom Und Gelb!
Thanks to Google Translate, we were able to whip up a wacky title for this article, but the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell is all business, aside from the Banana Popsicle Yellow paint. Making 525 horsepower and 649 lb-ft of torque through all 4 wheels, the SLS E-Cell will hit 60 mpg in 3.9 seconds, a couple tenths…
BBS Files For Bankruptcy
BBS wheels are arguably one of the most famous brands in the automotive industry. Appearing on everything from Volkswagens to Formula 1 race cars, the high-quality German made rims have been a staple of both the “show” and “go” sides of the industry for decades. But reports out of Germany state that BBS filed for…
BMW X3 M-Sport Package to Join 2012 1 Series, 1M Coupe, 650i Convertible Debuts in Detroit
The German automotive giant BMW is about to make a big splash at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, with no less than three unveilings. First up will be a slightly tweaked version of the current 1-series coupe and convertible, which is getting a face-lift. The recently announced 1-series M Coupe will also be present at…
Volkswagen New Midsize Sedan Revealed
Volkswagen‘s New Midsize Sedan, the car designed and built in America, for American consumers, has been revealed in a series of spy photos that show the car undisguised. Not surprisingly, the car looks like a 2011 Jetta with bigger proportions, trading the Passat’s distinctive styling for something as generic as a badgeless car in an auto insurance commercial. Clearly,…
Porsche To Hire 100 Engineers, Likely For Hybrid R&D
Porsche is going on a hiring blitz, looking to recruit 100 engineers for its Weissach research center, ostensibly to help shore up ranks for the expected hybrid car blitz that was alluded to at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Porsche’s official press release (posted below the jump) directly mentions that engineers will be able to…
German University Students Develop Autonomous Car Controlled By iPad
Following the news of Google’s self-driving car, there’s news that the German’s have been working on a pretty cool idea – an autonomous car controlled by an iPad. This latest addition to the market, brought to you by the AutoNOMOS Labs project at Germany’s Freire University, combines a modified Volkswagen Passat that is equipped with…
DTM Series Confirmed For USA, In Partnership With NASCAR And GRAND-AM
After days of back-and-forth rumors concerning the arrival of DTM touring car racing in the United States, the series debut in the United States has been confirmed for 2013, in partnership with NASCAR and GRAND-AM sports car racing. The announcement comes as BMW also stated that they plan to return to DTM in 2012, giving…
Audi Launches New Q7 3.0 TDI In Germany
Audi is launching a revised version of their 3.0 TDI in the German market that sees a slight reduction in power in exchange for improved efficiency. New new Q7 TDI will pump out 204 horsepower and 332 lb-ft through an 8-speed transmission and return 33 mpg, comparable with some four-cylinder sedans. 0-60 will take 9.1…
BMW 6 Series Concept Shown In The Metal [Paris 2010]
BMW let the public catch a glimpse of their 6 Series Concept, a car that’s been widely previewed online in advance of its debut. Although it’s been labeled a “design study”, you can be sure that 95% of what’s shown here will make it to the showrooms. Technical details are scarce, but BMW touts full…
BMW Releases Videos Of 6-Series Coupe
BMW‘s 6-Series Coupe “Concept”, is about as much of a concept as the earth is flat. BMW has released a couple videos in addition to the photos previously leaked, with one showing the car’s exterior and the other detailing the slightly more interesting interior improvements. Just like the current 6-Series set the trend for BMW’s…
GM To Launch Opel In Chile, Israel
General Motors’ Opel division is set to expand outside of Europe with its establishment in Chile and Israel. Reports say that GM has inked a deal with an independent distributor to sell Opel vehicles in Israel, independent of GM’s vehicle distribution channel in the country. Despite selling Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac and Isuzu, through one channel,…
