Author: autoevolution

A new electric vehicles test program will debut in Germany: the E-mobility in commuter traffic project will be implemented in the Rhine-Ruhr region.

The development aims to offer full electric mobility for the everyday commuter traffic along the A40 motorway and is focused on the towns of Mulheim, Essen and Dortmund. A fleet of 150 electric vehicles will be available for the aforementioned route. The program will have its dedicated charging infrastructure, due to be introduced next year, and … (read more)

Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) has announced the introduction of its plug-in all-electric walk-in van (WIV) chassis. The new domestically engineered chassis model is the first all electric chassis in the North American industry. It includes HVAC system.

The new all-electric chassis has been developed in collaboration with Enova Systems, which has a vast experience in developing and producing electric and hybrid systems for commercial vehicles.

In partnership with Enova we h… (read more)

Japanese carmaker Nissan announced the tweaked version of the GT-R is already available at Nissan dealerships across the United States. The 2011 Nissan GT-R, entering its third year of availability in the North American market, has an MSRP of $84,060.

The upgrades brought to the new model year includes a fresh list of new features and simplified model lineup.

By removing the previous GT-R base model, Nissan offers the GT-R Premium as the only available 2011 model.

Among the new techni… (read more)

We are more than happy to offer you a piece of news that defies the global financial crisis: the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain will have a full capacity for the 2010 season, as the entries of 28 cars have been confirmed.

The achievement also marks a record in the series’ history, as the previous maximum number of participating vehicles was 27. This was registered during last year’s season, at the Brands Hatch race.

"This is an incredible situation for the Carrera Cup GB," sa… (read more)

Another Formula One season has gotten under way this weekend and Rubens Barrichello doesn’t seem to change the way he looks at the sport. Most of you might remember that the majority of the recent F1 seasons started with the Brazilian veteran telling the media that he wants to become world champion.

While quite close to doing so last year, with the title winning Brawn GP team, Barrichello insisted that his goal hasn’t changed for the 2010 campaign either.

Going into my 18th season I fee… (read more)

The National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Work Truck Show has brought to the public Navistar’s International TerraStar Class 4/5 commercial truck. The new truck has a new range of commercial-duty features, like a MaxxForce 7 V8 diesel engine or the largest cabin available in the Class 4/5 trucks.

The International TerraStar comes from the same blood lines as the rest of our commercial truck line-up, said Jack Allen, president, Navistar’s North American Truck Group. Its commercial-duty d… (read more)

British sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars today announced the Lotus Elise facelift price for its home market. When the new model goes on sale next month, it will wear a price tag starting at 26,550 GBP and going up to 34,500 GBP for the top of the range SC model.

Officially unveiled one month ago, the Elise adopts the family design introduced by its sibling, the Evora. At the front, it has received a new front bumper, which incorporates larger air intakes. This is complemented by a new headl… (read more)

Honda has revised its range of aftersales vehicle and motorcycle care products, PRO Honda.

The products in the PRO Honda range have been created to help customers look after their cars and maintain them in an optimum condition. The range has been given a styling facelift, through the use of new packaging and labeling.

Honda has split the products into three categories: Service and Maintenance, Cleaners and Polishers & Assembly and Repair.

The Service and Maintenance group includes clean… (read more)

Nissan Motor Thailand (NMT) has just officially announced that production on the new Nissan March in under way. The event was celebrated with more than 200 guests and employees, including representatives from the Thai government and Trirong Suwanakiri, deputy prime minister.

The vehicle will be officially launched on March 26 at the Bangkok International Motor Show 2010 and will be the first vehicle produced under Thailand’s eco-car program. The eco-car title is not easy to obtain, as the car… (read more)

We’re not sure what Flavio Briatore’s plans for the future are, but what we can bet on is that the 59-year old Italian will never return to Formula One in the future. And that’s because the Italian himself admitted it when recently asked if he is considering an F1 comeback as a team manager or even owner.

I exclude it 100%. I still have affection for F1 even if it would have been better to have left at the end of 2006 when (Fernando) Alonso won his second title, said Briatore, according to ES… (read more)

The upcoming Honda Civic Tour will feature rock band Paramore, encouraging fans to go green by donating a portion of every ticket purchased to an eco-fund designated for sustainability efforts. The tour will kick off on July 23 in Raleigh, NC and visit 31 U.S. cities and one Canadian city.

Joining Paramore on tour are Tegan and Sara, the hugely popular pop rock act who released their sixth studio album, Sainthood, in 2009. Other amazing supporting artists will be announced at a later date.

… (read more)

It seems that there is no such thing as a bad time of year for real golf enthusiasts, but only the bad gear. But that’s no longer an excuse, as BMW has just launched the BMW Golfsport Collection, which is supposed to offer the correct gear for any course. All the products have been developed and produced in collaboration with gold specialist OGIO.

The BMW Golf Umbrellas are very fashionable (white with green contrasting stripes) and gentlemanly elegant (black with contrasting stripes in silve… (read more)

Rizla Suzuki finally unveiled their bike livery for the upcoming 2010 season of the MotoGP. As they have already debuted the GSV-R in testing this winter, the team now presented a slightly revised livery ahead of the Qatar outing next week.

The new color scheme – while still blue – was created by Troy Lee Designs, also a well-known player in racing overalls and helmet livery designing.

During recent testing, the GSV-R showed some impressive pace in the hands of MotoGP veteran Loris Capiro… (read more)

Remember we told you a few days ago that plans for a right-hand drive version of the Camaro have been put on hold due to a change of priorities within GM? If you live in Australia, you’re in luck. GM’s decision will not affect Performax’s plans to import, modify and sell RHD Camaros Down Under. If anything, they should be glad that they no longer have competitors.

At first, the company will start selling the range-topping 2SS variant with a LS3 6.2-litre V8 producing 426 HP (318 kiloWatts). … (read more)

How else could a tuning company celebrate the arrival of the spring season (and, actually any other event) if not by releasing a new bespoke product? The German tuning company AC Schintzer makes no exception to the rule and introduces the Type VIII alloy rims.

The single piece Type VIII comes in a two-color paint scheme and is destined for BMW cars. The company recommends its use for the new models in the German manufacturer’s range, including the 5 Series GT (F07), the X1 (E84) and the Z4 (… (read more)

Mopar is now offering customers $2,000 in "Mopar Bucks," which they may use to buy select performance parts, service contracts and accessories when they purchase a new 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T, R/T Classic or SRT8 muscle car. Dodge Car Brand designers and engineers worked closely with the Mopar brand to further enhance the appearance of today’s Dodge.

Mopar’s new exterior appearance package, with an MSRP of $1,995, includes a unique body-color hood with scoop, body-color rear &quot… (read more)

It’s official, all-electric vehicles are spreading everywhere. Just recently Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL) has announced that it received two full-production i-MiEV electric vehicles.

The vehicles’ arrival into the Port of Brisbane was witnessed by Queensland’s Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability, the honourable Kate Jones. Mrs Jones also presided over their first official Australian inspection, together with customs, shipping and port authorities.

The two vehicles… (read more)

Former McLaren Mercedes F1 Team boss Ron Dennis decided to keep his word and came to Bahrain to join his team at the start of a brand new campaign in Formula One. As revealed a few months ago, Dennis plans to visit his former F1 team a few more times this season, being that his long-time friend Max Mosley is no longer president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA).

Last year, following the multitude of scandals his team was involved in during recent seasons – culminating with the … (read more)

Bernie Ecclestone was a fan of the newly established Stefan GP team from the get go, as the Formula One supremo constantly lobbied for the Serbian outfit throughout the media in recent months. However, when the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) met a couple of weeks ago, they decided not to hand Zoran Setfanovic’s team an entry into the 2010 championship, despite the fact that they had already shipped their cars and equipment to Bahrain.

Additionally, the FIA decided to keep US F1 out of the s… (read more)

Celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, Mercedes-Benz will feature a collection of iconic as well as new vehicles at the event, set to take place at the Ritz-Carlton grounds between March 12-14, 2010.

The displays includes the legendary Le Mans-winning 1952 300 SL and 1956 300 SL "Gullwing" Coupe, along with the 2011 SLS AMG.

The 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is the first vehicle entirely designed by AMG. The car will be produced in limited editi… (read more)