Author: autoevolution

  • 2010 Geneva Auto Show: Brabus G V12 S Biturbo Widestar

    Visitors to the German tuner’s booth in Geneva will find a host of severely modified vehicles designed to show the guys at Brabus still mean business. Celebrating its world debut is the Brabus G V12 S Biturbo Widestar off-roader, based on the Mercedes G-Klasse, and with a price starting at 394,900 euros.

    The vehicle is powered by a twin-turbo twelve-cylinder Brabus SV12 S engine with 700 hp / 515 kW at 5,100 rpm and with a peak torque f 1,320 Nm (973 lb-ft) at 2,100 rpm.The top speed is rate… (read more)

  • UK Auto Market Expands by 26 Percent in February

    The UK automotive market continues to grow: the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Trades released the country’s February sales reports that show a 26.4 percent increase as compared to the figure registered in February 2009.

    This surge makes February the eight consecutive month in which Britain’s car market expanded. The rising trend has been driven by the government scrappage scheme: official figure show that the current scrappage program supported the sale of 367,506 vehicles – 19.6 percen… (read more)

  • Villeneuve Disappointed with FIA Decision

    After the International Automobile Federation (FIA) released the final entry list for the 2010 Formula One Championship, it was pretty clear that neither US F1 nor Stefan GP would be getting any piece of F1 action through the course of this season. While the guys in North Carolina were rather expecting the verdict, the Serbs from Cologne were bumped by the news, as their efforts of securing a functional F1 operation for 2010 have been very intense through the past couple of months.

    However, m… (read more)

  • Washington State Speed and Intersection Cameras to Stay

    Sad day for Washington State motorists who would have loved to see both speed and intersection cameras be gone from the poles: an US District Judge from the Western District of Washington decided to rule against three separate challenges to the use of safety cameras made by more 40 people who received tickets due to the cameras.

    American Traffic Solutions, the manufacturer of the road safety cameras was very pleased to hear the ruling, calling it yet another validation of the legality of safe… (read more)

  • Mitsubishi Australia Launched Lancer ACTiV

    Mitsubishi Australia decided to add a new entry to their line up: the automaker launched a new limited edition Lancer called ACTiV based on the ES model. Lancer ACTiV offers a lot of interior and exterior additions and has a price of Au $21,990.

    The Lancer ES is already an extremely well appointed and popular vehicle. The additional features available as standard increase the street presence and highlight the superior value of the ACTiV variant, said MMAL Vice president of brand marketing, Pa… (read more)

  • HRT F1 Confirms Karun Chandhok for 2010

    The last piece of the puzzle in the 2010 Formula One Championship has been set, as Hispania Racing F1 Team confirmed that Indian racer Karun Chandhok will compete for a full-season for the Spanish team, alongside Brazilian racer Bruno Senna.

    The rumors about the move have surfaced in the media ever since last week, but it was only on Thursday morning, prior to the team’s organized media event in Murcia, that principal Colin Kolles finally made it official.

    I am very pleased to use the Mur… (read more)

  • Ferrari 458 Italia Rides on Hamann Wheels

    The German tuner Haman has targeted the Ferrari 458 Italia, but instead of releasing a complete upgrade package, like we would’ve expected, the tuning house only developed two types of light alloy rims for the car.

    The first set is a split rim forged one, while the second is an ultra light forged version. Both sets of rims come in a 21 inch size and feature a Cross spoke design. The bodies of the rims come dressed in black Spider paint, while their flanges uses a polished finish that matches … (read more)

  • smart fortwo Edition Urbanstyle UK Pricing Announced

    Based on the 2010 passion model, the smart fortwo edition urbanstyle has become available to the British customers, wearing a price tag from £11,495 on the road. The car, however, will only be limited to 230 coupe models in the UK, while the cabriolet version will be avalable as a special order only.

    The 230 units will be split in 160 units featuring the 71bhp (mhd)engine and 70 with the turbocharged 84bhp unit.

    Finished in dark grey matt that extends to the 6-spoke, 15-inch alloy wheels, … (read more)

  • Geely Plans to Quintuple its Production by 2015

    Volvo’s buyer, the Chinese carmaker Geely, has set itself an annual domestic production target of 1.5 million units, due to be achieved by 2015, a move that will quintuple the automotive producer’s current production figure, as Gasgoo reports.

    Besides acquiring Volvo from Ford, Geely has recently announced that it will buy the Chinese special vehicle manufacturer Zhejiang Zhongyu Automobile Co. The company plans to use both acquisitions to change its business profile – it intends to add luxur… (read more)

  • BMW Confirmed for 2010 Isle of Man TT

    The Isle of Man TT event promises to bring a number of exciting features this year. After revealing that a KTM superbike will race this year and it will also see the British racing debut of a Moto2 Grand Prix machine, organizers announced that German manufacturer BMW will also take part at the event.

    The BMW Superbike will be ridden in both the Superbike and Senior TT races by German Rico Penzkofer, an official test rider for BMW. In fact, the 34-year-old has been involved in the developments… (read more)

  • Monster Signs 2-Year Deal with Le Mans

    We knew Monster Energy was paying a great deal of attention to the world of the MotoGP, but the fact that they’ve chosen to become title sponsors of a Grand Prix certainly topped their recent commitments within the series. As confirmed by the official MotoGP site, the North American energy drink company will sponsor the French Grand Prix – held at Le Mans – for the upcoming 2 years.

    The new commitments adds up to the ones Monster Energy already has going with the Yamaha bike manufacturer, nam… (read more)

  • ESPN Offers NASCAR Fans Behind-the-Scenes Look

    NASCAR fans will have the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at ESPN’s mobile tv studio. ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage is a Sports Emmy Award-winning traveling television studio used throughout the network’s multi-platform NASCAR race coverage.

    "We work with ESPN each week to bring the excitement on the track to life for viewers with the Tech Garage," said Kris Malkoski, vice president and general manager of the Craftsman brand. "We’re thrilled about this tour because it … (read more)

  • Porsche Panamera Redefined by Mansory

    The ex-British exclusive tuner Mansory offers new tuning package for a German car: this time the company’s choice of vehicle is the Porsche Panamera.

    The tuner developed heavy modifications for the Panamera Turbo’s 4.8 liter heart, as it fitted the engine with larger turbo chargers, a stainless steel high-spec exhaust system and a remaped ECU. The powerplant’s standard figures of 500 HP and 700 Nm have been upgraded to 690 HP and 850 Nm. The hypersaloon’s all wheel drive systems send the powe… (read more)

  • BIO Asks Congress to Recognize Algae Biofuels

    The Americans are set on using more and more biofuel, and the country needs to become energy independent, as the president himself stated. The administration supports the cause, but apparently not all biofuel producers have the same benefits.

    It seems that algae biofuel producers are at disadvantage, because they are not recognized in the tax code as advanced biofuels makers. So the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) decided to take action and urged Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ma… (read more)

  • Mazda6 UK Pricing Announced, Goes on Sale Early

    Things seem to be going well for Mazda in the UK, as the company announced it will bring forward the on-sale-date for the Mazda6 facelift models. The decision was taken thanks to the strong demand from both retail and fleet British customers, the carmaker says.

    Although the Mazda6 facelift range was supposed to go on sale officially on April 1, petrol models will be in dealer showrooms from mid-March and diesel models will arrive during May.

    Mazda also informs the Mazda6 saloon body style… (read more)

  • NUMMI Pension Funds Pass to PBGC

    The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) announced yesterday it will assume responsibility for the underfunded pension plan of the 5,800 employees and retirees of New United Motor Manufacturing (NUMMI), pending the plant’s liquidation by the end of the month.

    Fearing the pension plan "will be abandoned as a result [of the closure] and unable to pay benefits when due." The NUMMI/UAW plan is currently 55 percent funded, with assets of $161 million to cover benefit liabilities … (read more)

  • McLaren Hit Back at Illegality Claims

    McLaren Mercedes responded promptly to the latest reports that appeared in the British media regarding their potentially illegal rear wing on the MP4-25. Although UK’s The Telegraph quoted Red Bull’s boss Christian Horner as saying that both his team and Ferrari have already asked the FIA to look into the matter, a spokesman for the Woking team claims otherwise.

    We’re very confident that our car is entirely legal – and we’re not aware of any protest. In fact, we’ve spoken to Ferrari this morn… (read more)

  • HUMMER Sets May 1 Target for New Life-Saving Deal

    One of the brands that have not survived the economic crisis, Hummer, might have a chance to live on in case an interested party shows up by May 1. This basically means that General Motors is still open to talks and might give a chance to Hummer to survive, but only if the involved parties reach an agreement before the aforementioned deadline.

    "We’re going to do everything in our power to bring this home in the next couple of months," Hummer CEO Jim Taylor said in a statement accord… (read more)

  • Ram Gets Live, Mobile TV

    Truck owners will get more entertained behind the wheel as Mopar, Chrysler Group’s service, parts and customer care brand, will present mobile TV into Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram vehicles. The first truck to get the new technology will be a Ram 2500 showcased at the 2010 Dallas Auto Show.

    After this announcement, Chrysler Group LLC has just become the first automaker in the United States to offer live, mobile TV to its consumers. The programs will include college and professional sports, br… (read more)

  • BMW to Lease 700 Electric Vehicles

    Taking advantage of the 2010 Geneva Auto Show presence, German carmaker BMW confirmed through Ian Robertson the release onto the market of a fleet of 700 electric vehicles, to be leased to customers in major global cities. Two hundred of those will be leased in the US. The test fleet should be ready in two year, BMW says.

    The fleet will be between 600 to 700 units, about 200 units for the United States and about 300 to 400 in Europe in large metropolitan areas such as Berlin, Paris and London… (read more)