Author: autoevolution

Following the great amount of success registered by its latest iPhone App, Mercedes-Benz announced it is expanding the features to customers using smartphones like BlackBerry, Droid and other mobile devices with Internet capability. The new feature will also be supported by the marketing campaign titled "The coolest way to pay," launched in October 2009.

As with iPhones, users will be able to to make payments, view their account summary and request payoff information through the new… (read more)

As with just about all carmakers who posted today the sales figures for February, except Toyota, German carmaker Volkswagen announced it has started the year in style and continued in February by increasing the number of vehicles sold by 32.6 percent, compared to February 2009.

Specifically, VW sold 18,116 units last month, bringing the total number of cars sold to date to 36,135 total units, up 36.9 percent compared to the same period in 2009. The feat represents the eighth consecutive month… (read more)

Hyundai attended the 2010 Geneva Auto Show to showcase the i-flow concept model that demonstrated the "company’s evocative new form language, fluidic design," as it said in a release. The concept has an overall length of 4,780 mm, a 2,800 mm wheelbase, 1,850 mm width and 1,420 mm height which places it in the D-segment sedan category, hinting at a future family car that might be introduced by the South Korean carmaker in 2011.

The concept employs Hyundai’s first diesel-electric hybr… (read more)

There’s nothing more pleasing for a carmaker which nearly met its maker in 2009 to see itself back on track. Under the Fiat guidance, American carmaker Chrysler announced today its sales figures for February 2010, showing a slight increase compared to the same month of 2009 and at the same time a huge 48 percent leap compared to January 2010.

More precisely, Chrysler sold 84,449 units in the US last month, while finishing the month with 197,080 units in inventory, down 44 percent compared to … (read more)

Earlier today, the European New Car Assessment Programme published a new set of crash test scores. Out of the five models included in the latest test batch, the Kia Venga caught our attention, as it showed an unusual issue: during the crash, the driver’s seatbelt was partially sectioned by the lower seat rail.

This fact – that is also the reason why the car got a 4 star rating and not a 5 five star one – seems incredibly dangerous, as in the real world people tend to drive at much higher spee… (read more)

If you’re a speed-addicted Audi customer, your day has just got better: the German car manufacturer offers the opportunity to book exclusive racing commitments with the Audi R8 LMS.

For the first time, the Audi race experience offers customers the opportunity to participate in a race with a professional Audi ‘factory’ team without having to enter into a long-term commitment or to make a high financial investment, explains Klaus Demel, who is in charge of the Audi driving experience. I’m… (read more)

German tuner ABT Sportsline is obviously trying to get into the spotlight at this year’s Geneva Auto Show, and is presenting a modified Audi A8. Dubbed AS8, the car gets sportier, while maintaining its limousine essence. "With us this extraordinary vehicle doesn’t lose its character, we underline it," states Hans-Juergen Abt the General Manager of ABT Sportsline.

The team behind the project improved the 4.2-litre turbo diesel of the standard car, raising the 350hp (257kW) up to 385h… (read more)

While most of the automotive players present in the US, and especially the domestic ones, post increased sales for the past two months, the Japanese from Toyota begin to feel the heat caused by not as much by the massive recall as by the poor way in which they handled the situation.

The carmaker posted its February sales, with numbers showing a 8.7 percent drop compared to the same month of 2009. And remember, February 2009 was not a good month either… In all, Toyota sold 100,027 vehicles…. (read more)

Jose Maria Lopez was to become the first Argentine driver to set foot in the world of Formula One after 9 years – the last racer driving an F1 car was Gastón Hugo Mazzacane, for Prost Grand Prix, back in 2001 – when securing a deal with newly entered US F1 team for the 2010 season of the series.

And it didn’t come easy for his management team to get him that racing spot, as the deal was secured and backed by the very government of Argentina – a country that has recently gone through a severe … (read more)

Renault’s Romanian brand Dacia will arrive in the United Kingdom in 2012, company officials confirmed, with the first model to be sold in the country to be new Duster currently on display at the Geneva Auto Show. There are no pricing details at this time, but taking into account a 1.1 exchange rate, the right-hand drive Duster will be sold for around 10,800 pounds in the UK (it has a price tag of 11,900 Euros in 4×2 guise in Europe).

We’ve been watching closely Dacia’s remarkable success ove… (read more)

Yesterday, we reported that Aston Martin had brought the Toyota IQ-based Cygnet concept minicar to the Geneva Auto Show and that the company’s Chief Executive, Dr. Ulrich Bez, mentioned the existence of a market for the vehicle.

Now, Aston Martin has confirmed the car’s production and has released its official specifications.

The Cygnet uses one of the three engines from the IQ range: the 1.3 cylinder unit producing 98 HP. Just like in the Toyota, this is matted to the a six-speed manual t… (read more)

American engine manufacturer Cyclone was awarded by the Environmental Protection Department of Broward County, Florida with the Emerald Award, in recognition of the manufacturer’s green technology research.

"We are honored to receive this recognition, We know that our technology can have a material and widespread beneficial effect on the world we live, and we are working diligently to help our licensees and partners bring our engines to market as soon as possible, Harry Schoell, Cyclone… (read more)

February was a good month for Audi USA, as the German car manufacturer managed to get its sales up by 33.6% as compared to February 2009. Americans seemed interested especially in the A4/S4 models, the Audi Q5 clean diesel and the A5/S5 models.

In February Audi sold 6,216 vehicles, as compared to 4.653 in 2009. Over the first two months of 2010, the automaker’s sales went up 35.7% to 12,726 from 9,375 vehicles sold over the same period in 2009.

"Audi continues to build on the positive… (read more)

It has now been confirmed as an official fact that Spanish team Campos Meta will change its name into Hispania Racing F1 Team for the 2010 season of Formula One. The rumors that this will happen started surfacing in the Spanish media on Tuesday, but it was initially believed that the move would be confirmed during the media event scheduled to take place on Thursday, in Murcia.

However, during the course of this morning, the team announced via a press release that the new name has already been… (read more)

The Caterham Drive Experience (CDX) has been expanded to include an Advanced Drift Course, also at the helm of a Caterham Seven. This new experience is destined for those who have already tested their skills at the standard drift course, to help them hone their car control and gain further expertise, with one-on-one tuition from a qualified Caterham instructor.

Caterham’s official factory drive experience team already runs slalom, drift and circuit experiences at venues in the UK such as Silv… (read more)

Besides the so-many world premieres and concepts we’ve seen at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show, those who are attending the venue also get the chance to see some hot performance vehicles tuned by various companies across the world. Such an example is the Brabus E V12 Coupe, a model based on the new Mercedes E-Klasse coupe that will be offered as part of a limited series.

Power comes from a Brabus SV12 R Biturbo 800 twelve-cylinder displacement engine that produces 800 horsepower and a peak torque o… (read more)

Bugatti used the Geneva Auto Show to bring the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport to the public’s attention once again, as the carmaker presented two special editions of the car.

As we’ve talked about the Blue Carbon incarnation of the Veyron Grand Sport, we will now present the Veyron Grand Sport Grey Carbon.

The car uses a two-tone scheme that was first introduced on the Bugatti Sang Bleu edition. The top part of the hypercar’s body (this includes the doors and the side panels) is made of carbo… (read more)

Paul di Resta’s position within the Force India Mercedes throughout the 2010 season will be revised race after race, as confirmed by the team’s new CEO Otmar Szafnauer. The Romanian-born official made it very clear that, while nurturing the talent of the Scottish racer, his team has to keep a close eye on the 2010 standings in order to help their drivers achieve better performances in the championship.

Translated into English, this means that Di Resta’s initial running of the VJM03 on the Fri… (read more)

The revised version of Honda’s automobile driving simulator just went on sale in Japan, designed to allow users to experience and learn from potentially dangerous driving situations in a safe virtual environment. Honda has developed the simulator as an educational device to help develop drivers’ ability on the roads and improve road safety.

The new model includes a number of features to help users better develop their driving skills, including easy to understand graphics and descriptions of d… (read more)

Ever since Bugatti launched the Veyron, the company has been releasing special editions of the monster to keep it in the spotlight. Two new ones have been presented at the Geneva Auto Show: the Veyron Grand Sport Blue Carbon and the Veyron Grand Sport Grey Carbon.

The first version uses carbon fiber for the bonnet, monocoque and also for the rear section of the body. These are dressed in a Royal Dark Blue color, that allows beholders to enjoy the lustre of the fiber.

The radiator grille c… (read more)