Author: autoevolution

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) decided to issue a clear statement regarding the possibility of one or more teams not making the season opening round of the Bahrain Grand Prix. After the very president of the FIA Jean Todt hinted that the teams facing financial problems may be exempted from as many as 3 grands prix through the duration of the 2010 season, the ruling body stated otherwise.

According to the document, no team that is currently part of the 2010 Formula One entry li… (read more)

As announced, Honda has presented the Odyssey Concept at the Chicago Auto Show, offering us a preview which should be pretty close to the production version that is scheduled to enter the market this fall.

The Honda Odyssey concept has an unconventional appearance for the segment it belongs to. Compared to the current production model, the concept is lower and wider, following a more dynamic design trend which also gives the industry’s best selling minivan improved aerodynamics.

The most d… (read more)

Maybe in an effort to restore its image, Toyota Motor Manufacturing opened its new Visitors Center today and will offer special production site tours for the public. Visitors can enjoy both experiences for free.

The Visitors Center offers interactive, multimedia exhibits about the company’s history, the Toyota manufacturing process, the carmaker’s environmental commitment, the Tri-State’s industrial background and Toyota’s Indiana’s social activities.

The Toyota Indiana plant tour offers … (read more)

{img align=left}The Team Chevy 2010 has prepared a special experience for the public visiting Daytona International Speedway which hosts the NASCAR season-opening round this weekend.

The racing fans will be given the possibility to experience the Team Chevy Racing Display for a Victory Lane photo, can inquire about the team’s drivers (including Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart) about their favorite subjects and sign up for test-drive with a vehicle form the current Chevrolet line-… (read more)

Kia not only registered a great 2009 in the US, but also has a great start in 2010. The Korean manufacturer has just recorded its best-ever January sales in the UK, delivering 5030 cars to their customers. This means that their sales are more than 200% up compared to the same month last year.

The good news doesn’t stop here, as the Korean manufacturer has signed a deal to supply 92 cars to Avery Berkel, a market-leading supplier of retail weighing solutions. The cars will be delivered over th… (read more)

Kia Motors America named Michelle Wie official golf ambassador and spokesperson for the company and initiated a partnership with the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association).

Kia Motors will also become title sponsor for the inaugural Kia Classic Presented by J golf, which takes place in San Diego March 22-28 at the renowned La Costa Resort and Spa Golf Course. The Kia Classic is the LPGA tour’s first stop in America and will be broadcast nationwide on the Golf Channel. It will bring the t… (read more)

Honda India plans to expand capacity to meet the company’s annual 20 percent increase in demand, a Honda official said today. However, he gave no details on the investment or the additional capacity.

"We are doing an internal study on a second plant," said Shinji Aoyama, president and chief executive of Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt, which will reach its full capacity of 1.5 million units in 2010-2011.

"We cannot let our sales stagnate, we will take a decision soon,&q… (read more)

After Dallara and Lola, former Champ Car Series chassis supplier Swift also presented their car designs for the 2012 season of the IndyCar Series. As you all know by now, the premier open-wheel racing series in North America will change their chassis starting 2 years from now, and several manufacturers have already showed their interest in joining the bid.

The design concepts issued by Swift were already presented on the company’s website earlier today, the chassis featuring several variation… (read more)

In just a few days this February, two major snow storms hit the US, with forecasters warning that after the second one is over, the East Coast would find itself under 36 inches of snow. Roughly the same thing happened in the beginning of February in Europe as well, making parts of the Old Continent look like a scene just out of "The Day After Tomorrow".

That much snow falling all at once is a bad thing for a huge number of reasons, but that doesn’t concern us here. The snow is enou… (read more)

The Renault-Nissan Alliance has been intensively preparing for the launch of Nissan’s all electric model Leaf by creating partnerships with governments in order to promote the use of zero emissions vehicles. As the campaign continues, the alliance has just signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Christchurch City Council, New Zealand.

"We are proud to work with Nissan to understand if electric vehicles can become successfully launched in New Zealand," Mayor Bob Parker said. &q… (read more)

It seems that all great forces in Italy have joined to create a forceful competitor for Ducati in the World Superbike Championship this season. Backed by Italy’s No 1 airline company Alitalia, Aprilia Racing promises a great campaign in 2010, a year in which they hope to build on their wonderful performance in 2009.

Consequently, the team now unveiled their bike livery for the upcoming season of the WSBK series, with the new Aprilia RSV4 featuring the colors of the Italian flag. The new bike … (read more)

A recent survey on vehicle life span per owner and repairs shows that users are determined to keep their current vehicle much longer than the previous one, with some respondents willing to put at least 50,000 miles on their present car.

The study, conducted by AutoMD, an online auto repair resource, also reveals that most owners intend to use their current vehicle until it dies, performing their own repairs and being more sensitive to maintenance issues due to the current economic situation. … (read more)

Fiat’s decision to rearrange production in order to get profitable again in 2010 seems to have made workers fear for their jobs. According to just-auto.com, the workers at the Maserati plant located in Modena, northern Italy, went on strike on Tuesday.

The official reason for the strike is the brand’s management refusal to answer questions related to the possible move of the Maserati production to the Bertone factory in Turin. Giordano Fiorani, regional secretary of the Fiom union, told AFP t… (read more)

Although many fans were expecting a dominant Red Bull RB6 machine during the first day of testing on the Jerez track, the events at the Spanish track didn’t go quite smoothly for the Milton Keynes based team. Announced as a real title contender this year, the car broke down after approximately 3 and a half hours of testing this morning.

During the first half an hour of action on the Jerez track, Australian driver Mark Webber only managed the 9th (and last) fastest lap of the testing pack. Soo… (read more)

Kia is continuing its offensive and keeps renewing its line-up in the fight for market share. The Korean car manufacturer officially presented the Venga at the Frankfurt Auto Show back in September together with the specifications of the car.

As the model should go on sale in a few months, Kia decided to present some of Venga’s convenience features. Today, the automaker explained how the the Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC) works and when exactly it’s being activates.

HAC maintains braking… (read more)

Kelley Blue Book (kbb.com), a provider of new and used car information, reports an increase of over 91 percent in new-car web traffic for the Hyundai Sonata, after the car’s aggressive marketing campaign implemented during Super Bowl XLIV last Sunday.

The Honda Accord Crosstour and the Kia Sorento’s adds aired during Super Bowl also returned highly successful results, as the two car’s Internet traffic also considerably surged consequently.

This is the second consecutive year when Hyundai’… (read more)

Auction house Bonhams announced the Aston Martin DB2 Team Car VMF 65 will be one of the highlights at their upcoming auction, set to take place on May 22, 2010, at the Aston Martin Lagonda Limited Works Service. The car was raced by legendary drivers such as Stirling Moss, Peter Collins, Roy Salvadori, Tony Rolt, Lance Macklin, George Abecassis and Eric Thompson.

The coupe was built in 1950 as a title contender for that year’s Le Mans 24-Hours endurance race. It was one of three DB2 Coupes r… (read more)

Red Bull Racing manager Christian Horner issued a warning to the International Automobile Federation (FIA) during the unveiling of his team’s RB6 model for 2010, on Wednesday, insisting that the manufacturers’ exodus from Formula One might not be over just yet.

While it appears that economic difficulties have forced Honda, BMW and Toyota to quit the series during the last couple of years, Horner believes another reason may have caused the group withdrawal from the series. The British team man… (read more)

Chad McQueen, the only son of the legendary racer and actor Steve McQueen, recently partnered with Troy Lee Designs to form McQueen Racing, a company which will develop and license performance motorsport products, custom motorcycle projects, and limited edition performance accessories.

McQueen Racing will announce the first limited edition motorsport and motorcycle projects later this year and will become a sponsor of Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Honda racing team.

"I am thrilled to wor… (read more)

France’s largest carmaker, PSA Peugeot Citroen recently said that its 2009 financial results were heavily influenced buy the global financial crisis: the carmaker’s global sales saw a 2.2 % decrease to 3,188,000 units last year in the context of a market which fell by 3.1 %. PSA’s revenues dropped by 10.9 % to 48,417 million euro and the company registered a recurring operating loss of 689 million Euro.

However, the second half of 2009 saw PSA increasing its market share and registering an re… (read more)