luxury car
Lincoln To Get Unique Styling And Powertrains
As part of a revitalization program for Lincoln vehicles, Ford announced a series of measures aimed to take Lincoln even further upmarket. Speaking at the Detroit Auto Show, Ford’s Vice President for Global Product Development Derrick Kuzak said that the Blue Oval was aiming for a “full differentiation” of Lincoln. Future Lincolns would not share any…
Buick Verano GS, Hybrid A Possibility According To GM Executive Ed Wellburn
Although there is no high-performance version of the Chevrolet Cruze, its platform-mate, the Buick Verano, could see a GS version sometime in the future, according to GM’s Ed Wellburn, a senior figure in the General’s design department. Wellburn claimed that GM was “toying” with the idea of a Verano GS, and that concept sketches have…
Detroit 2011: Audi A6 and A6 Hybrid Unveiled
Audi pulled the wraps off its redesigned executive class A6 and its hybrid variant at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show. The Audi A6 will be available in a choice of two gasoline and three TDI engines with power output said to range from 177 hp to 300 hp. Meanwhile, Audi engineers managed to make the…
2012 Mercedes-Benz S350 Bluetec To Debut At 2011 Detroit Auto Show
Fans of old school Mercedes-Benz diesels can rejoice, as M-B is adding yet another oil-burner to its North American lineup. The 2012 S350 BlueTec 4MATC will bow at the 2011 North American International Auto Show. Featuring Mercedes’ stellar BlueTEC V6 turbodiesel engine and the 4MATIC all-wheel drive system, the S350 will put out 210 horsepower…
2011 Chrysler 300 Pricing Starts At $27,995
The all new Chrysler 300 will start at just under $28,000, rising to $41,145 for a full-blown AWD equipped 300C with a 5.7L Hemi V8. The base car, equipped with a 3.6L V6 making 292 horsepower, will start at $27,995 when it goes on sale in early 2011. The Limited model will start at $31,995…
Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG To Live Another Day
Looks like our reports of the Mercedes ML63’s death were premature, even if they were easily rationalized. The folks at Motor Trend have confirmed with M-B that the ML63 will continue on for 2011, but it still may not be long for this world. With a new ML due out for the 2012 model year,…
2011 Acura RL Refreshed For A Dwindling Audience
The 2010 Acura RL holds the dubious title of Canada’s Worst Selling Car, with just 33 sold in 2010. Our northernly neighbors, who by all rights should be swayed by the car’s roomy interior and all-wheel drive, don’t seem to care for the car, and neither do Americans. For 2011, the RL gets yet another…
Hyundai Sonata Wagon Previewed With i40 Concept
Hyundai‘s previous generation Sonata is still on sale in European markets, and with a new alphanumeric naming convention being established, the next Sonata will apparently be known as the i40 when it makes its European debut at the 2011 Geneva auto show. So far, the i40w station wagon has been the only variant previewed so far. We…
Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe Is A Compact Car According To EPA
In what might be the most perverse story of the day, the New York Times is reporting that the Environmental Protection Agency is classifying the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe as a compact car, due to their standards for classifying vehicles, which measure interior volume. The same regulation has the Aston Martin DBS classified as a “minicompact” alongside the…
North Korean Officials Like Their Volkswagen Passats
The cars of North Korea (affectionately known as The Hermit Kingdom) have aroused a lot of interest over the years. Kim Jong-Il, North Korea’s dictator, is apparently a big fan of Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedans, and the state owned industry even made some knock-off Mercedes 190Es for a time. But recent photos have surfaced, showing dignitaries…
Volvo Considering Diesels For U.S. Market, Smaller Engines In 2013
Despite the American introduction of diesel engines from most major European brands, Volvo remains non-committal to the prospect of diesel powertrains in America. Volvo offers a broad range of diesels in Europe and other markets, but Stefan Jacoby, CEO of Volvo, offered little, stating “We are taking a deep look at whether we will introduce…
2012 Audi A6 Unveiled
Hours after we brought you leaked pictures of the 2012 Audi A6 comes the first official specs and photos of the new car, which should continue the current A6’s strong challenge to the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. North America will definitely see the 3.0L Supercharged V6 making 300 horsepower that’s being used in the…
2012 Audi A6 Photos Leaked
Audi is supposed to be revealing official pictures of their new mid-size A6 sedan within days, but a dutch site has apparently leaked the pictures first. Not surprisingly, the car looks like it splits the difference between an A4 and an A8, with Audi design cues so ubiquitous, that the car almost looks generic. We’ll…
Volvo To Abandon “Premium” Strategy
Volvo‘s CEO Stefan Jacoby is calling for a new focus for Volvo, and wants to see the Swedish automaker abandon its position as a premium brand meant to compete with Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. “Let’s ditch this talk about premium,” said Jacoby while speaking to Autocar magazine. “It sounds like a pricing strategy and it’s…
Acura ZDX Is America’s Most Expensive Vehicle To Insure
A report by insurance comparison website InsWeb suggests that the priciest car to ensure in America isn’t a Nissan GT-R or some other foreign exotic favoured by the young and reckless, but the strange looking Acura ZDX crossover. According to the site, there is little data on the ZDX, as few people have bought one,…
CONFIRMED: Porsche Cajun Gets Greenlit
Porsche‘s supervisory board has given the go-ahead for a new “efficient and sporty model” to be dubbed “Cajun”. Referencing the Cayenne (seen above), the official Porsche news release dubbed the Cajun as an “entry-level” model, similar to the Boxster in terms of positioning, and stressed that the vehicle will be light weight and agile. No…
Buick GL8 Minivan Makes Its Debut For Chinese Market
In the Chinese market, Buick is kind of a big deal. Driven by emperors in pre-Communist times, the brand has carved itself a nice as a premium automaker that’s still accessible to the middle class. Most of their products are carried over from the American market (though built locally), but some, like the GL8 minivan…
Porsche And Bentley May Share Technology
Porsche CEO Matthias Muller wants to start sharing technology with Bentley, even going as far as calling for a “common architecture”. When asked about further variants of the Porsche Panamera, Muller stated that they were possible, but went on to mention the Bentley alliance as an alternative. Ostensibly, competition between a Porsche-derived Bentley and another…
Range Rover Tuner Overfinch Forced Into Bankruptcy
Overfinch, a Range Rover tuning outfit favored by sports stars and other celebrities, has gone bankrupt after trying to find a buyer. Rival firm Project Khan is rumored to be a front runner for Overfinch. The company’s expertise goes beyond just big bodykits and wheels. Overfinch is famous for creating the first automatric transmission Range…
2011 Jaguar XJ Being Recalled For Wiper Malfunction
Jaguar is set to recall 6,475 XJ sedans due to a problem with the windshield wipers. The malfunction may occur due to the windshield wipers losing synchronization and possibly hitting each other while activated. Dealers will begin sending notifications out on December 13th, and owners can contact Jaguar at 800-452-4827 or NHTSA’s vehicle safety hot line at…
Porsche Sales Up 86 Percent Thanks To Cayenne, Panamera
Porsche purists who derided the brand’s introduction of the Cayenne SUV and Panamera sedan should be thankful for the existence of the two cars – without them, the brand may not have survived through the past decade. Instead, the Cayenne led Porsche to an 86.4% increase in sales, with Cayenne sales up 151%. Panamera sales…
Porsche Panamera To Get Diesel Engine In 2011
Porsche‘s CEO confirmed that the brand will launch a diesel powered variant of the Panamera sports sedan in late 2011. Using the success of the Cayenne diesel as an example, CEO Matthias Muller made the announcement during an interview with Germany’s Westfalen-Blatt newspaper. The Panamera diesel is expected to get a 3.0L V6 TDI engine…
Buick Regal To Get eAssist
The Buick Regal will get GM’s eAssist mild hybrid system next year, according to rumors on GM Inside News. The eAssist system will debut on the Buick Lacrosse 4-cylinder, an engine shared with the Regal. It is also expected to appear on thew upcoming Chevrolet Malibu, though eAssist is expected to remain exclusive on Buick…
2011 Acura TSX Gets Extremely Minor Refresh, More MPG
The Acura TSX is still a solid if overlooked choice in the entry level sports sedan segment, and possibly the only luxury sedan that’s used as a race school training car. For 2011, Acura has slightly upgraded the interior and exterior styling as well as given the car a minor bump in mpg. The front…
