The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reparatory surgery underwent by Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin yesterday went well, and the Martinsville winner is expected to make it into the Phoenix race, according to a press release issued by Joe Gibbs.
"Denny had his surgery this morning and everything went well," said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing.
"He will start rehab immediately and now we can concentrate on getting his knee back to the full strength. The doct… (read more)
The New York International Auto Show has brought a brother for the Toyota iQ and Aston Martin Cygnet, in the form of the new Scion iQ.
The Scion iQ is not just a rebadged Toyota: the vehicle’s exterior now comes with a sporty appearance. It features a redesigned front fascia with generous air intakes and a lower chromed strip. In addition to that, it uses fresh rims, which use a double-multispoke design. The minicar’s interior uses a redesigned center console that comes with a more high-tech … (read more)
And this is how Ford does it… The first carmaker in history to produce a car for the masses still has what it takes, some 100+ years since the inception of the Model T. After revealing the Figo some one month ago, an avalanche of orders swampped Ford’s dealerships, with the orders’ count reaching the 10,000 mark.
"We are delighted at the initial response to Figo, and are incredibly proud to have struck such a positive chord with Indian consumers," Michael Boneham, president and ma… (read more)
According to Scuderia Toro Rosso’s teenager Jaime Alguersuari, his team can kiss their chances of scoring some points in the series good-bye when tackling Herman Tilke-designed circuits. The predictable design of the German’s venues are no match to the STR5 characteristics, argued the Spanish driver.
During the last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, the STR teenager managed to drive some 34 laps ahead of Michael Schumacher until being passed for 10th place with only 5 laps to go, but that’s so… (read more)
Taking center stage at Mercedes’ booth at the 2010 NYIAS event is the world premiere of the new-generation R-Klasse, featuring a number of extensive updates including a completely redesigned front end and with a new "diamond white" paint finish.
The front section has therefore been made wider and features a horizontally structured bonnet, while the vehicle’s wings, radiator grille and surround, headlamps and bumpers with chrome underguard have all been completely redesigned. Additio… (read more)
Following the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix, Ferrari’s team principal Stefano Domenicali admitted that both cars had suffered from engine cooling problems during the aforementioned weekend, which was the main reason why the team decided to change the powerplants of both Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa prior to the Sunday race.
During the Sunday action, Felipe Massa experienced some slight problems with his engine, which was later explained by Domenicali by a cooling issue. The Brazilian … (read more)
And that’s that. The last auto manufacturing facility remaining on the West Coast, New United Motor Manufacturing (NUMMI) will close its doors today, sending home all of the 4,700 workers. The hugging, kissing and crying in the facility began last week, as Toyota began sending people home.
Until Wednesday, 3,200 people left their workplace for good, with an additional 1,000 more doing the same on Wednesday.
The final act at the NUMMI facility is scheduled to take place on Friday, at 12:40… (read more)
Yet another tuner stands up and shouts that the 580hp and 650 Nm (479 lf-bt) of torque offered by Audi RS6’s V10 are not enough: The Swiss tuner Sportec has developed a two-stage tuning package for the saloon and Avant versions of the German powerwar soldier. This is available in two power versions, in order to appeal to both performance interested and adrenaline obsessed drivers.
Stage One of the kit is an ECU upgrade that brings the power up to 650 hp, offered at 6,300 rpm and raises the … (read more)
Fernando Alonso admitted that his strong performances in the first 2 races of 2010 is something that he didn’t expect prior to the start of the season. Although expecting Ferrari to be a front-runner this year, the Spaniard now revealed that leading the overall classification comes a surprise after the Bahrain and Australian races.
Alonso debuted at Ferrari with a comfortable win in Bahrain, while scoring a 4th place in Melbourne following an impressive recovery race. More importantly, thoug… (read more)
The South Korean "New way to roll" continues to expand globally, bringing a fresh, new face to Kia’s lineup and adding more and more fans behind the carmaker. The latest Kia entry on the US market, the 2011 Sportage, broke cover locally at the New York International Auto Show this week.
The CUV, which will be available in the US in two trims (LX and EX), packs a 2.4l DOHC 16-value four-cylinder engine with Continuously Variable Value Timing. Additionally, a more powerful Gas Direct … (read more)
The German carmaker finally pulled the wraps off the racing version of the gullwing model, the SLS AMG GT3, which has been developed to comply with the GT3 specifications of the FIA. The car is therefore fitted with a AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine almost identical to that in the standard model.
However, unlike in the standard model, power in the SLS AMG GT3 is transferred via a six-speed racing transmission with sequential gear-changes. The driver shifts the gears using two shift paddles on the ste… (read more)
Chipmunks, eat your hearts out! A new crew is in town, taking all the glory away from Alvin and his sidekicks: the Hamsters. Featured in a 1 minute long video ad, the Hamsters managed to snatch victory and were named, together with their video, Automotive Ad of the Year by Nielsen Automotive Advertising Awards.
The Soul was designed to stand out in a sea of sameness and that same philosophy guided the creative development of the hamster campaign and to position Soul as Kia’s affordable halo v… (read more)
The 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon has made its world premiere at the New York International Auto Show.
The model measures 189.4 inches in length, 72.4 inches in width, 57.9 inches in height and has a wheelbase of 106.5 inches. It shows bold wheel arches that frame 17 inch 5-spoke aluminum rims, a combination that offers a sporty look
The vehicle’s entry-level powerplant is a 2.4 liter four cylinder engine that uses an aluminum block and the famous VTEC system. The unit is mated to a sequentia… (read more)
Michael Schumacher has had enough of Formula One! It seems the German is sick and tired of trailing the Toro Rossos, Force Indias or BMW Saubers in the championship – like it happened during the Australian Grand Prix – and decided to call it a season with Mercedes GP.
His performances this season have been far from satisfying so far, with the German barely making the Q3s in qualifying and settling for Top 10 point finishes only. In the first two rounds of the 2010 season, the 7-time world cha… (read more)
With the new Mulsanne still catching the eye of luxury automobile lovers, more than half a year since it was first presented, British carmaker Bentley decided to give us an insight into the redeveloped 6¾l, twin-turbocharged V8 engine that powers it.
The unit, a variant of the same powerplant featured on the original Mulsanne, Turbo R or S2 Continental, features two new control systems, namely cam phasing and variable displacement, which help the unit get a 15 percent improvement in emission… (read more)
American manufacturer Ford and Microsoft teamed up to offer a platform to help future owners of Ford’s electric vehicles optimize the way they recharge their vehicle and better manage their home’s energy use. The Microsoft Hohm energy management application will be integrated into Ford’s electric vehicles, starting with the Focus Electric next year.
Consumers are likely to turn to hybrid or electric vehicles in the near future, so the two companies thought that making energy management easy a… (read more)
The 2010 New York International Auto Show is the perfect occasion for an US-exclusive automaker to present its latest goodies to local consumers. Following the same principle, Toyota’s Scion unveiled yesterday the 2011 tC, a new model that borrows some design elements from the Fuse concept but also integrates several new technical equipment. But first things first.
The refined sports coupe is powered by a 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine with dual VVT-i powerplant that generates 180 hors… (read more)
Jaime Alguersuari insisted that, while he lost the chance to score his very first point in Formula One in Australia, he learnt so much more from eventual 10th placed driver at Melbourne, Michael Schumacher.
Dropping down the field due to a problem with his front wing – which he had to change early in the race – Schumacher had to do a recovery race all day and barely made the Top 10 with a few laps to go. However, the fight for 10th place was a thrilling one, as the Mercedes GP driver was hel… (read more)
Mazda’s North American division had just revealed pricing information for the 2011 Mazda2 model, which will begin to arrive in US showrooms in July 2010. Priced from $13,980, excluding destination charges of $750, the 2011 Mazda2 is available in two trim levels, namely Sport and Touring.
The entry-level Mazda2 Sport is powered by a 100 horsepower, 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine and is available with either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission (priced from $14,780).
Sta… (read more)
The 2011 Infiniti QX has made its world premiere at the New York International Auto Show earlier today.
The vehicle, now in its second generation, will be available in two versions, a 2WD one and a 4WD one, both powered by a 5.6 liter V8 engine that uses variable valve timing and direct gasoline injection to produce 400 hp (a 25 percent increase over the previous generation’s unit). This is mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission and returns a combined cycle fuel consumption figure of 16.6 … (read more)