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Renault Alpine A110-50 concept does its papa proud

2012-05-27T14:19:00.001-07:00

Renault has officially released details on its Alpine A110-50 Concept. Designed to pay homage to the original Alpine A110, the machine wears a body crafted from carbon fiber and dipped in a shade of the same iconic Alpine Blue we all know and love. Up front, designers worked in a set of half-ring yellow LED lights reminiscent of the hood-mounted fog lights found on the original. That's pretty

BMW 7 Series keeps raising the bar

2012-05-27T14:15:00.001-07:00

BMW unveiled a host of upgrades that will allow its 7 Series sedan to once again set new benchmarks for performance, luxury, efficiency, and safety. The 2013 BMW 740i/Li now features the automaker's latest 3.0L TwinPower Turbo inline 6-cylinder engine that produces 315 horsepower. Meanwhile, the 2013 BMW 750i/Li gets a revised 4.4L TwinPower Turbo V8 rated at 445 horsepower (+45). With an 8-

2012 Vauxhall Mokka review

2012-05-27T14:12:00.001-07:00

The Vauxhall Mokka is the company’s answer to small SUVs such as the Nissan Juke and Skoda Yeti. It doesn't go on sale until late autumn. However, engineers from Vauxhall – and its sister brand Opel – are currently testing prototype versions in Germany. We joined them to find out if the Mokka is worth waiting for. What's the 2012 Vauxhall Mokka like to drive? The first prototype we tried

Nissan announces 100% electric van production

2012-05-25T18:04:00.001-07:00

Nissan announced that its e-NV200 electric van will be joining the LEAF at its Barcelona plant at some point during the 2013 financial year. The automaker will invest 100 million Euros ($129 million) and create around 700 new jobs at the plant and throughout its local supplier base. The new van is based on the current NV200 and represents a major addition to Nissan's global fleet of light-duty

Volvo Protects Pedestrians with V40 Hatchback’s External Airbag

2012-05-25T18:01:00.001-07:00

A pedestrian airbag is the latest safety technology from Volvo, which hopes to eliminate all injuries and fatalities from those in a Volvo by 2020. The automaker has confirmed the new pedestrian airbag will be standard on the European V40 hatchback. Twelve percent of traffic accident victims are pedestrians; in Europe it’s 14 percent. Most serious head injuries in auto-pedestrian collisions

Facelifted Audi R8 caught undisguised

2012-05-25T17:57:00.001-07:00

The facelifted Audi R8 has been caught virtually undisguised, ahead of its debut at the Moscow motor show in August. Exterior revisions include new LED headlights and two round tailpipes like those from the R8 GT. A new grille, which appears to have been optimised for improved airflow, will also be offered. Audi hopes the changes introduced in the facelift will see the car through to the

2013 Chevy Camaro ZL1 Convertible Stops By, Shows Off New Retro Rearview Mirror

2012-05-25T17:55:00.001-07:00

Al Oppenheiser sweats the details. The Camaro chief engineer pulled the frameless rearview mirror off of his ’68 and told those responsible for the modern car’s reflective surfaces to “make me one like that.” This throwback element will be standard equipment on all 2013 versions of the retro-futuristic Camaro; we saw it in person as installed in the preproduction Camaro ZL1 convertible

Audi R18 Ultra Wins Inaugural Race at Spa as Audi Takes Top Four Spots

2012-05-06T14:53:00.001-07:00

Audi used the Spa 6 Hours to debut its newest race cars, the R18 Ultra and the R18 e-tron quattro, delivering a thrilling premiere with highly successful results. The German automaker claimed a 1-2-3-4 finish, with its R18 Ultra taking first and third, and the diesel hybrid e-tron quattro taking second and fourth. So at least for one race, diesel has triumphed over diesel hybrid, but Spa

2001 Chevrolet Camaro Intimidator SS Could be Yours for $49,900

2012-05-05T14:56:00.001-07:00

Missed out on the limited edition Chevy Camaro Intimidator SS when it first came out? Here’s your chance to get your hands on one that’s basically new with just 48 miles on the odometer and selling for $49,900. Only 83 of these special Camaros were made, commissioned by NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt and built by GMMG. The vehicle was originally owned by NASCAR president Mike Helton, where it

Audi A2 Aims Cross Hairs at Nissan Juke

2012-05-04T21:00:00.001-07:00

The small crossover market isn’t very well explored yet, which makes it ripe for picking. Nissan already caught on to this with the Juke, but it seems Audi is smelling blood in the water too. Should it reach production, the A2 would probably be based on the A1 platform but obviously with much more ground clearance. Given its similarity to the A1, it would be a likely host the same 1.4-litre

2012 BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe review

2012-05-04T16:43:00.001-07:00

The BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe is BMW’s first ever ‘four-door coupe’ – a sleek saloon in the same mould as the Audi A7 Sportback and Mercedes-Benz CLS. We wouldn’t be at all surprised if the Gran Coupe also appeals to those in the market for a Porsche Panamera, because it’s difficult not to be bowled over by the sheer quality of the Gran Coupe’s stylish, sophisticated cabin and the elegance of

Baby Porsche Boxster Still Coming, Delayed to 2017

2012-05-04T16:09:00.001-07:00

Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche have been kicking around the idea of small, mid-engine, rear-drive coupes and convertibles for several years now. Porsche wants a modern day 550 to slot below the Boxster and a new Automobile report suggests the project — thought to be shelved — has been pushed back to 2017. Thank Volkswagen’s on-again off-again BlueSport roadster based on the same MSB-M platform

BMW Announces M Performance Parts for 3-Series and 5-Series

2012-05-04T14:02:00.001-07:00

BMW announced today that M Division performance parts for both the 3 Series and 5 Series will be made available to consumers. Items being sold are the same as what would otherwise be found in the high-end M Division cars. An extensive list is being made available to allow enthusiasts to squeeze more performance out of their 3 and 5 Series sedans. Starting with the wheels, 20-inch aluminum

Lingenfelter Camaro ZL1 breaks speed record

2012-05-04T13:57:00.001-07:00

On April 30th, 2012, Hot Rod Magazine's David Freiburgher managed to push a modified Chevy Camaro ZL1 up to 326 km/h in Uvalde, Texas. The standard ZL1, built in Oshawa, uses a 6.2L V8 engine that produces 580 hp and 556 lb-ft of torque – good for a top speed of 297 km/h. With the Lingenfelter upgrades, the muscle car cranks out a whopping 720 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque. It's the first time

2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in review

2012-05-04T12:51:00.001-07:00

The Toyota Prius Plug-in, as its name suggests, is a version of the Toyota Prius hybrid that you can plug into the mains. A full charge takes 90 minutes and gives the car a range of around 15.5 miles in electric-only mode, at speeds of up to 51mph. By contrast, the regular Prius struggles to do two miles at crawling pace before it needs help from its petrol engine. What’s the 2012 Prius

Piaggio X10 review

2012-05-04T12:46:00.001-07:00

Take a ride on Piaggio's new X10 and you have to wonder how much more you're really getting with the latest batch of high-profile GT scooters. BMW's C650 GT, which costs double the X10's £4,999, while the Suzuki Burgman and Yamaha T-Max both cost more than £8,000. Yet around town the X10's little 330cc engine offers as much performance as most riders will need, with equipment levels just as good

Scion FR-S TRD With Five Axis Aero Kit – Video

2012-05-04T12:41:00.001-07:00

There remains to be no official word on a higher-horsepower version of the Scion FR-S, however, those looking for some added cornering performance and style are in luck. At a recent drive event in Las Vegas (read our Scion FR-S Road Test here) Scion announced a long list of TRD goodies that will be made available for the FR-S, and even has a prototype car on display to show them off. Included

Mercedes A25 AMG: new spy pics

2012-05-04T06:07:00.001-07:00

Mercedes-Benz has tried to keep the new Mercedes A25 AMG hot hatch a well-guarded secret, but test mules sporting minimal cladding have been caught testing in southern Germany. The German car maker is expected to officially unveil the Mercedes-Benz A25 AMG at the Paris motor show later this year. The new pictures reveal some substantial tweaks to the standard car’s styling compared to the

Aston Martin Readying Special Car for 100th Anniversary

2012-05-04T06:04:00.001-07:00

Aston Martin will next year celebrate its 100th anniversary, and so the company will launch some sort of special-edition centenary car. According to Auto Express, the car could be a limited-run version of the existing Aston Martin DBS. “This will be an entirely new model,” Aston Martin CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez told Auto Express. “We have to do something remarkable to mark our centenary. It won’t be

2012 Jaguar XJ Supersport Speed Pack

2012-05-04T06:00:00.001-07:00

The Jaguar XJ Supersport with Speed Pack is Jaguar’s fastest saloon yet. Adding the new Speed Pack to the V8-powered, Supersport version of the XJ luxury saloon raises its electronically limited top speed from 155mph to 174mph. There's no increase in power over the 'standard' car; you still get 502bhp. However, Jaguar has made changes to the engine management and tyre pressure monitoring

Nissan Juke-R Scheduled for Limited Production Starting This Summer

2012-05-03T20:37:00.001-07:00

The Juke-R may have been just a prototype, but now Nissan says it will put the high-performance crossover into limited production. The Juke-R melds the mechanical components of the Nissan GT-R with the body of a Juke crossover. Back in January, we called upon Nissan to consider building the Juke-R. Nissan has so far received three orders for a copy of the Nissan Juke-R, and is currently taking

BMW Safety Tech Keeps Wandering Head from Getting Into Trouble

2012-05-03T20:33:00.001-07:00

BMW’s clever new ad shows your head is not always in the right place when behind the wheel, as one fellow discovers when his head wanders off to places it shouldn’t be. We must warn the video below is NSFW, since the fellow encounters a pair of bare female rumps at a nude beach. A man’s disembodied head appears to be enjoying time on a tropical getaway. He, err his head, goes snorkeling, gets

2012 Subaru Impreza 2.0i Sport Premium Hatchback Manual

2012-05-03T17:55:00.001-07:00

Subaru’s latest Impreza is familiar to small-car buyers in one way—it offers standard all-wheel drive—and fresh in another: It actually boasts competitive EPA fuel-economy ratings. Our manual example (what, did you think we were going to order one with the CVT?) is pegged by the EPA at 25 mpg in the city and 33 on the highway, which compares very favorably to the previous manual hatch’s 20/27

An Awesome-R Shade of Awesome: Nissan to Sell 545-hp Juke-R in Limited Numbers

2012-05-03T17:49:00.001-07:00

So remember the two GT-R–powered Juke crossovers that Nissan Frankensteined into existence and dubbed the Juke-R? Of course you do; no self-respecting car enthusiast forgets a small, frog-faced hatchback that was force-fed the guts of a supercar. (As for us, our first-drive experience cattle-branded the thing into our gray matter.) Apparently a few well-heeled customers didn’t forget about it

Mustang V-6 and Subaru BRZ Go Head to Head at Streets of Willow

2012-05-03T17:45:00.001-07:00

The long-anticipated Toyobaru twins hit showrooms soon and many want to know if these sports cars are worth buying over the similarly priced and more powerful Mustang V-6. In this Feature Flick, Motor Trend’s Angus MacKenzie takes to the canyon roads to get a better impression of the Subaru BRZ and Mustang V-6 with the Track Pack. Matching the 200-hp four-cylinder BRZ against the 305-hp V-6