Author: autoevolution

Gruppo Campari announced it has renewed its agreement with MotoGP until at least 2013. The company’s therefore stays as an official MotoGP sponsor. However, though so far the Cinzano brand was promoted through this deal until 2009, for the 2010 season, the beverage company will switch focus on Aperol.

The relationship between the two started ten years ago and since then, the Cinzano has become one of the main brands associated with MotoGP. As well as being a trackside sponsor, the drink has… (read more)

Marco Simoncelli will not come to San Carlo Honda Gresini MotoGP team empty-handed, but joined by his brand new backer Rifle. The well-known denim brand has decided to join the former 250cc champion in his first year inside the MotoGP series, therefore bringing a new flavor to the Italian team.

The Tuscan company is currently run by Sandro Fratini, sole shareholder and president of Super Rifle SPA, and will create a special line of clothing bearing the signature of Simoncelli. The range will … (read more)

General Motors Co decided to sell vehicles capable of running on bio-ethanol, but the matter of the fact is that pollution levels will not go down until the network of stations dispensing ethanol will be greatly expanded, GM Vice Chairman Tom Stephens said. By 2012, half of GM’s line-up will be able to run on E85.

"GM is spending about $100 million a year adding flex-fuel capability to our vehicles. We can’t afford to leave this capital stranded," Stephens said in a speech on Tuesda… (read more)

With the 2010 Geneva Auto Show just around the corner, all eyes are looking towards what Porsche will bring to the event’s floor, especially after the unveiling of the 911 GT3 R and the upcoming release of the new generation Cayenne.

Still, there are some out there who left all the glamor of the Geneva event aside and replaced it with the cold temperatures of the Arctic Sweden, to catch a glimpse of how the next Boxster will look like.

Still at least one year away from its release, the B… (read more)

At a recent dealer gathering, Big Dog Motorcycles announced the upcoming introduction of a lower price chopper. With production planned for May, 2010, the new model, simply called the Big Dog Chopper, will likely have an MSRP within the $21,000 range. According to Big Dog, the new bike will accelerate from naught to sixty in 3.9 seconds and a fuel economy of 42 mpg.

We are excited to participate in this price range with an uncompromising motorcycle of this caliber, Coleman stated. The new Big… (read more)

SEAT’s Cupid character is back: now, he is willing to let fans take over, using a new Facebook page.The hate it or love it character was the star of the SEAT Ibiza Cupra adverising campaign introduced on TV before Christmas and has appeared on over 4,000 bus stop billboards in the UK.

Initially, he was shown as a guardian archer of the new Ibiza Cupra, who flew above the car and shot people as they were taking their first glance at the 170HP hot hatch – of course, those hit instantly fell in … (read more)

Ferrari debuted their brand new chassis 282 Ferrari F10 today, but the timing wasn’t exactly the best for the Maranello-based team. Although Felipe Massa was scheduled to do some heavy testing at the wheel of F10’s newest version, the Brazilian spent most of the first 2 hours of the Wednesday meeting in the garage.

And that’s because the rain started pouring in showers in the early hours of the morning, while later turning into a heavy one (by 10.30 AM). That left everybody in the Scuderia ga… (read more)

Mazda Motor Europe renewed the partnership with all of Mazda’s six national sales companies (Austria, Mazda BELUX,Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany and Hungary) for the second year. SOS Children’s Villages is an international, non-governmental organization that helps children and young people in need.

Mazda Motor Austria has donated a Mazda2 to the SOS Children’s Village in Moosburg. Mazda volunteers also organized a painting event for the children, who decorated a white MX-5 roadster at the v… (read more)

Ford, the only American car manufacturer that did not ask for government aid in times of recession, had some important sales increase lately. Things seem to be back on track, so the automaker decided to donate 242 acres of coastal wetlands in Monroe County, Mich., to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to be included in the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. 

The area plays several important roles, as it is an important flyway for thousands of migrating birds, a habitat for bald eagl… (read more)

The new Mazda2 range won’t include the three-door entry-level anymore in Australia as the Japanese company revises its entire range and adds new features as standard. According to drive.com.au, the most affordable model will be replaced by a compact four-door configuration but prices might be increased a little bit.

The upgraded Mazda2 range is slated to arrive in local dealerships in May but prices are yet to be disclosed.

However, we do know that six airbags and stability control might b… (read more)

Fernando Alonso admitted that the upcoming season of Formula One will not be special only because he’ll get to drive for the team of his dreams, but also because he’ll once again battle against 7-time world champion Michael Schumacher.

The Spaniard was the one to put an end to Schumacher’s winning streak in the series back in 2005, when he became the first driver to win an F1 title after a 5-year dominance from Ferrari (he was driving for Renault at the time). He piggybacked on that performan… (read more)

French manufacturer Citroen announced yesterday it has partnered with Germany’s national railway company Deutsche Bahn to supply them with a fleet of the manufacturer’s electric C-Zero vehicle as soon as they become available.

The vehicles will be used by Deutsche Bahn as part of its mobility programs, meaning they will be given to customers via carsharing-like services. The C-Zero will also be part of the BeMobility electric transportation project in Berlin.

The C-Zero, developed in col… (read more)

Jeff Gordon decided to do some changes of his own prior to the start of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and the first one was switching from IMG to Indianapolis-based marketing company Just Marketing International.

According to a report issued by NASCAR’s official site, the 38-year old 5-time winner of the Sprint Cup Series proceeded to this change in order to seek deeper selection of business opportunities within motorsports that extend beyond endorsements. The Hendrick Motorsports driver… (read more)

For a while now, the Americans decided to become energy independent. President Obama announced a series of steps his Administration is ready to take in order to make this possible. The President said that the focus will be on biofuel, which is already an important industry in the United States.

In the annual analysis The Economic Contribution of the Ethanol Industry to the Economy of the United States, economist John Urbanchuk detailed the significant economic impact ethanol production repres… (read more)

The DFX Corse Team announced it has contracted Lorenzo Lanzi as the sole and full-time rider for the team in this year’s World Superbike Championship. The Italian, however, is not in his first year with the team, as he also raced last season as a replacement for the injured Regis Laconi. The team will compete with two Ducati 1198 machines.

"The economic situation is very difficult for everyone at the moment but we as a team have worked very hard in order to be able to line up this season… (read more)

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to impose new tailpipe emissions limits starting 2012 has made the state of Texas file a legal challenge with the US Court of Appeal, aiming to overturn EPA’s findings that emissions from vehicles endanger human life and stop the emissions from being regulated under the Clean Air Act.

"The powers that be in Washington are anxious to usher in a ‘new era’ by tearing down the old one, using sweeping mandates and draconian punishments, to … (read more)

BorgWarner has worked with BMW to develop a new generation of electric cabin heater BERU system, which is destined for the MINI E.

Rental MINI Es in the U.S., UK, Germany and other vehicles have been equipped with the application as part of a test program. The system has gone through a nine-month pre-testing program during its R&D phase.

The new cabin heater is connected to the car’s 400 volt electrical system and is installed in the vehicle’s air conditioning system. It manages to reach a… (read more)

Opel has already launched the new Astra range but everybody’s expecting the OPC flavor which is basically the most powerful configuration of the Astra. Well, here are some new spyshots of the Astra OPC, a model that will be probably released this autumn at the Paris Motor Show in September. However, some voices are saying that the first appearance could be made as soon as next month at the Geneva show.

Curiously, this front-Vauxhall rear-Opel model comes with only a few changes at the rear, w… (read more)

After Toyota, another Japanese car manufacturer seems to have some problems in terms of recalls, as Nissan confirmed that it is investigating potential driveshaft problems in North America, as a Result of Dana supplied parts. If the problem is real, the recall would only involve a small number of production SUVs and trucks of the Nissan and Infiniti brands.

Nissan/Infiniti vehicles built with one of these yokes will not experience a loss of control or present a safety risk even in the unlikel… (read more)

Jorge Lorenzo’s bad luck might be bigger than initially projected, as it seems the Spanish rider is looking at the prospect of missing the entire testing action prior to the start of the new MotoGP season.

Last week, we have reported to you that the 2009 runner-up sustained a hand injury during a motorcross training session, which led to an immediate medical intervention in a Barcelona hospital. The doctors’ verdict was grave enough, as the Spaniard was fitted with a hand protection for the … (read more)