Car Automotive and Design

Angry Woman Thrashes on Motorcyclist During One of the Craziest Road Rage Incidents Ever!

If you still don't believe that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, then we'd advise you to take a look at the following video that was shot in Brazil.

We can honestly say that it’s one of the craziest and most dangerous incidents of road rage that we have ever seen. Period.

Reports emerging from Brazil say that, according to the police report, the said incident took place on February 23. It all started when a woman driving a Fiat Palio Adventure allegedly cut off the motorcyclist at a red light.

From there on, a passenger in a following vehicle catches the entire episode on film. Apparently, some words and/or looks were exchanged and the motorcyclist kicks the front fender of the Fiat. That was a bad move because the woman immediately runs her car onto the motorcyclist knocking him down! Sounds crazy right? Wait, you haven’t heard the half of it!

Ford Video Teases New Performance Version of Explorer SUV

A new edition of the Explorer will soon be revealed and Ford wants viewers to take a guess at what it is by carefully watching a 26-second long teaser video.

The mesh grille, dark alloy wheels and of course, the throaty exhaust sound, all point to a performance variant of the fifth generation Explorer.

We'll know for sure on Wednesday, March 28, as Ford will be revealing full details on its SUV model, which will probably make it to the 2012 New York Auto Show. For the time being, head past the jump to check out the clip for yourself.

Extinct Species: Remembering Five Former Italian Car Makers

Two weeks ago, while wandering around the brand new Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena, I came across a particular brand of automobile that is a rarity to find. Located in the lower half of the Jan Kaplický designed building’s modern showroom was a 1961 Stanguellini Junior.

As I studied the contours of its red bodywork, I couldn’t help but think about all of the once great Italian names that have faded into a distant memory.

In the spirit of the Enzo Ferrari Museum, which aims to educate visitors about Modena’s rich racing heritage, I decided to take a moment to write about some of the many Italian automobile brands that are now a part of the past.

Mystery Spy Shots: Is this is the Next Generation Citroën C4 Picasso MPV?

Our scoopsters have spotted another mystery car undergoing cold weather testing at an undisclosed location in Northern Europe.

To help solve the enigma, our spy photographers told us that at this specific location, they know of two automakers currently testing their vehicles: Citroën and more recently, Qoros Auto, which is a car-start-up created by China's Chery Automobile Co. and investment firm Israel Corp.

While there's a chance the prototype could be a new model for Qoros, we'll agree with our spies that it's very likely a Citroën and more specifically, the next generation of the compact-sized, C4 Picasso MPV.

Lending credence to this is the fact that certain design elements such as the alloy wheels, the door mounted mirrors and even the window line are typical Citroën traits.

Lotus Appoints Mansory as its Official Customization Partner, First Models to Appear at Paris Motor Show

At the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, Lotus displayed a concept version of the Evora coupe developed in collaboration with Mansory.

The German tuning house also worked on the Evora GTE and other special Lotus versions such as the carbon fiber-bodied Evora GTE that was unveiled last month in Geneva.

Today, Lotus announced that from now on, Mansory will be its official customization studio. The German company will work closely with Lotus’ engineers on special editions of the Elise, the Exige and the Evora and the first samples of this collaboration will appear at the Paris Motor Show in September.

Maserati and Bulgari Team Up to Create Upmarket Octo Timepiece

If you were ever to associate cars with watches, the Toyota Camry's equivalent timepiece would be something in the likes of a Casio or Seiko: an affordable product that does the job day in, day out. Likewise, a Maserati would be like a Bulgari.

So it doesn't come to much of a surprise that Maserati and Bulgari joined forces or as the two companies put it, “to share their ideals” that are “admirably epitomized” in the Octo Maserati timepiece.

Grand Cherokee SRT-8 Teaches X6M, Gemballa and 911 Turbo Who's Boss, Loses to Mustang GT500

In the never-ending battle for supremacy on the drag strip, a previous generation Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 went out to prove its worth against a mix of stock as well as modified SUVs and sports cars.

The Grand Cherokee SRT-8 itself featured a supercharged version of the regular model's Hemi V8 pushing down 700-horsepower.

Its rivals were a BMW X6M tuned by Hamann with 670-ponies, a Porsche Cayenne Turbo-based Gemballa GT600 with 600-horses lurking under its hood, a stock Ford Mustang GT500 rated at 612-horsepower and a tuned Porsche 911 Turbo with 580-horses.

To see how the fights went down, hop past the break to watch the video.

Jeep Debuts Murdered Out "Altitude" Editions of Grand Cherokee, Compass and Patriot

The fans have spoken and they decided that the production version of the blacked-out, production-intent Jeep Grand Cherokee Concept we saw at the 2012 Houston Auto Show in late January, should be named "Altitude".

Jeep says the “Name My Ride” competition on Facebook was so successful that it decided to launch the same 'Altitude' package for the Compass and Patriot as well.

“The fact that well over 100,000 consumers entered our ‘Name My Ride’ contest reinforces the passion behind the Jeep brand' said Jeep boss, Mike Manley. “The extraordinary response to both the concept and the contest resulted in an easy decision to produce ‘blacked-out’ editions of the Grand Cherokee – and the Compass and Patriot," he added.

BMW Recalling 1.3 Million 5- and 6-Series Models Worldwide Over Electrical Problem

A massive recall for some 1.3 million BMW models worldwide, including approximately 367,000 vehicles sold in the United States and 290,000 in Germany is underway.

The Bavarian automaker said that the recall affects all previous generation 5-Series and 6-Series models built between 2003 and 2010.

According to a statement released by the automaker, in some "remote cases", the battery cable cover inside the boot of the affected models may not have been correctly installed.

Amazing Video Shows Stunt Plane Racing Lamborghini Gallardo, is it Real?

This breathtaking video of a Lamborghini Gallardo racing an aerobatics stunt plane popped up online and grabbed our attention immediately, and all for good reason.

What's amazing about this race is that the airplane is actually filmed flying less than 10 feet (3 meters) from the ground, almost touching the Lamborghini with its wing.

While it looks to be real, we can't be 100 percent sure as we have yet to find any information on where and when this alleged stunt race took place.

If any of you happen to know something, leave us a message in the comments section below.

Ford Debuts Frugal Fiesta ECOnetic with 85.6mpg UK or 3.3lt/100km in Europe

Ford announced today that it has commenced production of the new Fiesta ECOnetic. Available in Europe, the ECOnetic is powered by a 1.6-liter diesel engine with an output of 94hp (95PS) and a peak torque of 205Nm (105.2 lb-ft).

What makes this Fiesta special is that it returns an average fuel consumption of just 3.3 lt/100 km (equal to 85.6mpg UK and 71.3 mpg US) according to the European Fuel Economy standards, while emitting only 87g of CO2 per km.

New Dodge Dart Dresses Up for Global Rallycross with Travis Pastrana, gets 600HP 2.0L Turbo

There's a new hot Dodge Dart coming out but it's not for you. It's the racing version of the Chrysler Group's new compact sedan that will compete in the 2012 Global RallyCross Championship (GRC) Series this summer.

The motorsports edition of the 2013 Dart will be piloted by none other than four-time Rally America Champion and 17-time X Games Gold Medalist, Travis Pastrana.

Dodge made the announcement on Monday at the Hard Rock Cafe in Detroit.

Trashy Payback: Motorcyclist Throws Garbage Back Into Car

You've seen it done by others many times, and perhaps even done it yourself at one point or another. We're talking about littering from the car.

Usually, there's not much one can do about it most of the times, but one scooter driver somewhere in Asia took matters in his own hands when he observed a vehicle passenger throwing out some trash from the window.

What did he do? He stopped over on the side of the road, picked it up, then approached the sedan and graciously threw it in back to its rightful owner! Watch the video after the break.

Batman, Your Ride has Arrived: New Lamborghini Ferruccio Design Study by Marc Hostler

In about 18 months from now, in October of 2013, Lamborghini will celebrate its Golden Jubilee. While we expect a fitting tribute from Lamborghini to mark the 50 years from the day Ferruccio Lamborghini launched the company that bears his name to challenge Ferrari, independent designers have already begun spinning their own tributes.

The Lamborghini Ferruccio concept pictured here is the work of Mark Hostler, a transportation design student at Staffordshire University.

The World's Fastest Standing Mile Camaro hits a Top Speed of 253.1 mph – 407.2km/h

Everyone and their mothers know everything is bigger in Texas, but some things were faster too at this weekend's edition of The Texas Mile.

A heavily modified fourth-gen Chevrolet Camaro owned by Kelly Bise and built by Late Model Racecraft with driver Josh Ledford behind the wheel, set a new world record for the fastest standing mile Camaro at the Texas event.

Ledford managed to take the Camaro up to a top speed of 253.1 mph or 407.2 km/h. You can watch his amazing run in the video that follows after the jump.

New 2012 Dodge Challenger Rallye Redline with 305HP V6 Priced at $28,745*

The seventh annual Spring Festival of LXs that took place in Irvine, California, this past weekend, saw Dodge performing the public debut of its new 2012 Challenger Rallye Redline edition before it reaches U.S. dealerships in April.

The new model is based on the 2012 Challenger SXT Plus trim level with the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 adding some bespoke styling cues but more importantly, a more sportier chassis with changes to the steering system, suspension and brakes.

The Rallye Redline model is available in four colors, including Bright Silver Metallic, Tungsten Metallic, Bright White and Pitch Black, all of which come with red racing stripes running through the new performance hood, roof and deck lid.

Movado to Design and Produce New Ferrari and Scuderia Ferrari Watch Collections

Like most carmakers, Ferrari doesn't produce the merchandise it offers through its official stores. Instead, it cooperates with numerous manufactures that specialize on designing and manufacturing these products.

Today, the Italian sports car maker announced that it has signed a multi-year, worldwide license agreement with the Movado Group for the design, production and marketing of a new collection of watches under the Ferrari and Scuderia Ferrari brand names.

The Italian company said that the collection of Ferrari fan watches will be priced up to €1,500 euros (close to US$2,000 or about GBP 1,250) and will be sold worldwide through select wholesale distribution outlets as well as Ferrari's stores and the Ferrari online shop.

Formula 1: 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix Race Results

As the saying goes, you can’t judge a book by its cover. Likewise, you can’t predict the outcome of a race until the chequered flag drops.

Judging both from the first grand prix of the year, as well as Saturday’s qualifying practice at Sepang, the prime contenders for the top spot were the two McLarens, followed by Michal Schumacher in his Mercedes and, perhaps, Kimi Raikkonen’s Lotus.

Of course, no one in his right mind would not count Red Bull Racing's duo – or bet a dime on Ferrari winning the race. Well, if anyone had that inspiration, he must have quite a lot of cash right now, because Fernando Alonso won the 2012 Malaysian Formula 1 grand prix.

Holy Grand Expansion: Dodge Challenger SRT-8 Turned into a Four-Door Stretch Limo!

As you can see, there are no limits in what one can do when fantasy makes you its friend. Though somewhat less radical than the Dodge Viper RT/10 roadster limo we showed you a couple of weeks ago, the Dodge Challenger LX SRT-8 that was displayed at this past weekend's annual Spring Festival of LXs in Irvine, California, is one of those oddities that will always capture the crowd's attention. Read more »

Opel Ampera Wins 2012 Monte Carlo Rally for Electric and Alternative Propulsion Vehicles

In its debut appearance at the Monte Carlo Rally, the Chevrolet Volt's European twin, the Opel Ampera, picked up its first win in the electric and alternative propulsion category. From the seven Ampera models that competed in the rally, four finished in the top 10.

The French duo Bernard Darniche and Joseph Lambert finished first, while the Ampera teams with Charlotte Berton and Olivier Sussot ranked third, Jean-Claude Andruet and Patrick Lienne came in 7th and Hanns Werner Wirth and Daniel Riesen finished 8th.

China's Great Wall Motors to Launch in Britain with Steed Pickup Truck

More than two years after the IM Group revealed plans to begin importing the Great Wall Motor Company's lineup in select European countries, the UK-based automotive importer and distributor for Subaru, Isuzu and Daihatsu vehicles today announced that it will launch the brand in Britain.

According to the IM Group, Great Wall Motors will become the first Chinese automobile manufacturer to commence volume sales in the UK with the Steed pickup truck, which will go on sale at the end of April following its local debut at the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham on April 24.

Digitus Impudicus: Our Spies Spot the Audi Q5 Facelift Again, Test Driver Not Happy

After receiving the phallic salute from one of Audi's test drivers, our hardy scoop photographers swallowed their pride and continued with their work as usual snapping some new pictures of a very lightly camouflaged Q5 crossover.

For a vehicle with not a lot of styling changes over the current model other than the five-point grille, resculptured bumpers and possibly, new headlamp and taillight graphics, Audi's engineers are sure spending a lot of time testing the car.

This could be explained by the availability of new powertrains like the 3.0-liter supercharged V6 gasoline engine, which is offered in various states of tune with outputs ranging from 295bhp (300PS) in the A6 up to 328bhp (333PS) in the S4 and S5 models.

Formula 1: Malaysian Grand Prix Qualifying Results

Immediately after the 2012 season opener in Australia, the Formula 1 circus moved to Malaysia for the second race of the year.

In contrast to Albert Park, which uses public roads that are closed in order for the Grand Prix to take place and is a relatively easy track, the Sepang Circuit features an unusual layout, with a tight hairpin leading from the very long back straight to the pits.

In Australia, we got a first taste of each team’s pace during tge race. Apparently, the Malaysian GP qualifying session proved that the picture it painted was an accurate one.

A Street Full of Tuned Rolls Royce Phantom Limos, Coupes and Convertibles

How often do you see a street occupied by a plethora of Rolls Royce Phantom models of all sorts including the limo, the Coupe and the Drophead Coupe variants?

But wait, did we mention that all Phantoms were custom tuned? Now that's a sight you never forget.

You'd be inclined to believe that such a happening would most likely take place in Dubai, and you'd be partially right. We say partially because the street is named Dubai but it's not located in the United Arab Emirates but on the other side of the world in Tokyo, Japan.

Make your way through the jump to watch the videos.

Mitsubishi's Budget Mirage Supermini Enters Production, Launches in Thailand

The all-new Mitsubishi Mirage, a no-frills supermini that we first saw at last year's Tokyo Motor Show, has entered series production at the company's brand-new factory at Laem Chabang in Thailand.

The Japanese automaker's "global compact car" will first go on sale in Thailand next week before it is exported to other Southeast Asian countries followed by Japan, Europe and other markets around the world later this year.

R&T Pits 2013 Lexus GS 350 F Sport Against Audi A7 Sportback

Lexus has high hopes for its brand new 2013 GS sedan in the highly competitive executive segment, or at least it does in the North American market because Europe is a different story.

While one would consider the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the BMW 5-Series or the Audi A6 more direct opponents for the GS, Road & Track magazine chose a different adversary in the form of the Audi A7 Sportback.

Audi's A7 may split the difference between a traditional saloon and a hatchback offering an in-between body style, but it in essence, it remains an executive model, so R&T's test is not too far off.

It's a Racing World: Auto Inspired Office Furniture

We all like us some car flavored decorative pieces in our office setup, but Intro-Automotive is proposing something a little bit more radical with a motorsports-inspired lineup of office furniture.

The California-based company, which is a manufacturer of car floor mats, covers and sunshades, markets the office products under the PitStop brand.

The range includes two different office chair designs in the shape of a body-hugging bucket seat with some interesting details like the billet aluminum shifter knob that controls the height mechanism and the brake caliper base above the wheels.

NHTSA Wants to Increase Maximum Car Recall Fines, GOP Disagrees

In 2010 alone, nearly 20 million vehicles were recalled in the U.S. That's not necessarily a bad thing: on the contrary, it shows that car manufacturers are constantly monitoring their product for defects and make sure that they are rectified.

At least in theory because in reality, sometimes manufacturers fail to notify the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of defects in the five-day deadline mandated by U.S. law and try to avoid costly, and image-damaging, recalls.

Imposing a fine is one way to force carmakers to comply with regulations. The US$32 million Toyota had to pay in 2010 in the notorious sudden acceleration cases is the most notorious example.

Sauber's Formula 1 Driver Dreams of World War III and "Shotguns"

Kamui Kobayashi is 26-year old Japanese racecar driver who started out as a Toyota F1 test driver in 2007 before he got a regular seat with Sauber in 2010. In the first race of the F1 season, he finished a not-too-shabby sixth, one place behind Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and ahead of Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen.

Dreams are a strange thing, and we don’t really profess to know how the subconscious expresses itself during the time we’re asleep.

Now, don’t get us wrong; we’re all for the freedom of speech and the ability to tweet whatever one feels like posting. However, Kamui, whose name (says Wikipedia) “imitates the sound citing three Kanjiis from the sentence ‘enabling great dreams’”, sure did something weird today, even by Formula 1 standards.

Egyptian Refuses to Pay $150,000 for BMW 1M Coupe, Shoe-horns M3 V8 into a 120d Coupe

If you live in the States and can justify spending a little under $50,000 on a car, the $47,010 BMW 1M Coupe (335hp) is a sound choice for those looking for a fast and fun to drive bimmer as it only costs $7,710 more the $39,300 135i Coupe (300hp) and $13,090 less than the $60,100 M3 Coupe (414hp).

However, in other parts of the world where governments apply ridiculously high taxes on cars, not even the 1M Coupe is a reasonable choice. Take Egypt for example.

According to 1addicts forum member “hatembmw”, the 1M Coupe costs some US$150,000 in Egypt because of the insane taxes! Who can blame him for not wanting to pay that much money for BMW's entry-level M model?

“Hatembmw” settled on a different solution: he took a 120d Coupe, stripped it down and swapped the four-cylinder diesel engine with a 414hp 4.0-liter V8 from the latest M3!

Ferrari CEO Confirms V12 Hybrid, Says Six-Cylinder Engines are Also on the Table

A V12 engine is a rare sight indeed in the automotive world and if we had to pick one maker closely associated with it, then it would have to be Ferrari.

Even the very first model to bear the prancing horse logo, the 1947 125 S, was powered by a 1.5-liter V12 designed by Gioacchino Colombo and it would set the specs for Ferrari’s V12s until the end of the 1980s, long after its creator had left Maranello.

The thing is, even though Ferrari had stayed loyal to the V12 layout in its Formula 1 cars for more than five decades, in 1996, the F310 driven by new signing Michael Schumacher was powered by a V10 –simply because it was a better. Moreover, subsequent rule changes meant that today a V8 is mandatory.

2013 BMW X1 Facelift to Debut at New York Auto Show, U.S. Sales to Start this Summer

The BMW X1 will launch in the United States sooner than what the Bavarian company has led us to believe the last time we reported about the matter, as the automaker today announced that the facelifted X1 would receive its world premiere at next month's 2012 New York International Auto Show and go on sale in the States this summer.

When the German automaker introduced the X3's smaller sibling back in the summer of 2009, it said that it would offer the X1 in the States in early 2011, but that never happened with BMW constantly delaying its launch.

Back to the present, BMW said that the revised X1 will be offered in America with its new 2.0-liter TwinPower Turbo 4-cylinder gasoline engine. The automaker did not release any other details nor any photos of the facelifted model.

Aston Martin Rapide Receives a Heavy Facelift from an Audi Q5 in China

The world has one less Aston Martin Rapide to worry about today after a gunmetal grey example of the British luxury sports saloon had an unfortunate meeting with an Audi Q5 crossover on the busy streets of Beijing in China.

The two cars bumped heads with might, but fortunately, no one was seriously injured from the accident.

According to reports from the local media, police are still investigating the cause of the accident, so we don't know which of the two drivers is at fault here.

Volvo Shows More of its Pure-Electric C30 E Hatch

The all-new V40 may be hogging the spotlight these days, but there's another equally important model for Volvo's future, one which the company continues to develop. That's the C30 E, an all-electric version of the three-door hatchback that's currently offered for lease to select buyers across Europe.

To keep interest in the car (and the project) alive, Volvo has published another video of the C30 E undergoing further development in the northern regions of Finland. You can watch it right after the break.

Mazda to Exit Commercial Vehicle Manufacturing Business After 2015

More problems for Mazda Motor Corp., which doesn't seem to be going as well as its management had hoped after the company broke free (or so to speak) from the Ford group back in 2008.

Today, Japanese business daily Nikkei reported that Mazda has decided to pull the plug on its commercial vehicle division in the second half of the decade due to declining domestic demand.

While the company will continue to offer commercial vehicles, it will no longer develop or produce them.

Houston Police Show us how Thieves Can Strip a Honda Accord in Less than 10 Minutes

We don't know if you've seen this video that was sent to us by Carscoop reader Matt R., but it's pretty darn impressive.

Back in 2010, the Houston Police Department's Auto Theft Division teamed up with Allstate Insurance to demonstrate just how fast your vehicle can be stripped down to the bone for parts using an older generation Honda Accord sedan.

Three workers from auto body shops in Chicago were able to complete the feat in a mere 8 minutes and 19 seconds! Hop over the jump to watch the video.

Honda Announces Voluntary Recall of Certain 2006 CR-Vs Because they Could Lose Control

Owners of the 2006 model CR-V crossover in the Unites States will soon receive a notification from Honda to bring their vehicles to an authorized dealer for inspection.

The reason why Honda issued the voluntary safety recall on 1,316 examples of its model-year 2006 CR-V is a potential problem with the right front lower control arm that could cause the vehicle to go out of control.

Honda will voluntarily recall 1,316 model-year 2006 CR-V vehicles in the United States to inspect and, if necessary, replace the right front lower control arm.

Watch the New Saab 9-3 TTA Racer at its First Shakedown Test in France

Saab was born from jets but this new 9-3 TTA racecar was born from the love and the passion that the people behind Flash Engineering and Team Tidö feel for the bankrupt Swedish brand.

The first of four racing examples of the Saab 9-3 sedan that will participate at the 2012 TTA Racing Elite League in Sweden completed its first shakedown tests at the Alés track in France.

Spy Shots: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG to get Menacing Black Series Edition

There's a new star coming to Mercedes-Benz's range, and it's none other than the Black Series Edition of the German firm's flagship sports car, the SLS AMG 'Gullwing' coupe.

We first spotted the car back in October of 2011, but our photographers scooped another set of images of a prototype model while AMG engineers were performing cold weather tests in Europe.

The Black Series nameplate is reserved for the more hardcore versions of Mercedes' AMG sports cars. For the SLS AMG model, the package will bring more power, a lighter body, a tweaked chassis and a more purposeful appearance.

You'll be able to identify the SLS AMG Black Series from its wider front and rear fenders housing larger wheels than the 265/35ZR19 front and 295/30ZR20 rear tires found on the regular model, along with a bespoke front bumper with larger air inlets and a modified rear diffuser.

Sly Thieves Use Bread Van to Steal Fuel from Gas Station's Underground Tank!

What will they think of next? Surging gas prices caught the unwanted attention of some crafty thieves who used a bread truck as a cover-up to steal thousands of dollars' worth of gasoline from an underground tank in California.

Surveillance footage shows the two men rolling up to the pump with their delivery truck, supposedly to fill it up with gas. Which they did, but not in the way the gas station owner would have liked.

As you can see from the video, while one man was pretending to put gas in the truck, the other man sneakily lifts the lid off an underground tank. They then used their own pump to fill up the customized truck, which was equipped with a 1,000-gallon gas tank! Their downfall, of course, was that they got too greedy...

Colorado Giving Chevrolet Volt Buyers a $13,500 Tax Break

While the Obama administration is proposing a tax credit increase from $7,500 to $10,000 on alternative-energy vehicles for consumers in the near future, the state of Colorado is one-step ahead.

In addition to the federal tax credit of up to $7,500, Colorado is now offering residents who purchase or lease a new Chevrolet Volt a state tax credit of up to $6,000 for a total price reduction of as much as $13,500.

The Volt is priced from $39,145. If you include the $13,500 federal and state tax credits, the cost drops down to $25,645 for Colorado buyers.

2013 Subaru BRZ Completes 0-60mph in 7.3s, Quarter Mile in 15.3s in Edmund's Test

Something tells us that in the States, the 2013 Subaru BRZ will most likely carry a similar MSRP to its sister model, the 2013 Scion FR-S, at around $25,000, but until the Japanese automaker announces official pricing, we have a new video to share with you.

The crew over at Edmund's Insideline took the North American specification BRZ to the race track to see what kind of numbers it could put down.

Like the Scion FR-S and the Toyota 86, the BRZ is motivated by a 2.0-liter flat-four fitted with a direct fuel injection system yielding 200-horsepower and 151 lbs.-ft. of torque. Power is directed to the rear wheels via a standard six-speed manual gearbox or an optional automatic transmission with the same number of gears.

GM and PSA Peugeot Citroen Appoint Members to New Joint Panel

The fast moving alliance created last month by General Motors and PSA Peugeot Citroen is wasting no time getting things into order as the two companies today announced the creation of a joint panel with five senior executives from each side (see the list below for the names).

The so-called Alliance Steering Committee will oversee all activities that are currently part of the alliance and explore other potential areas of cooperation

Mercedes-Benz Shows Off the New SL65 AMG V12 in Motion

To keep the masses interested in its new 2013 SL65 AMG until sales start in September, Mercedes-Benz has offered up a pair of videos that walk us through its design details and show it in action on the road.

You can read all about it in our previous post here, but if you want the skinny, the flagship model of the new SL series employs the use of a tweaked 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V12 engine that's good for 621hp (630PS) and a peak torque of 1,000Nm (737 lb-ft).

GM Replacing 120-volt Charging Cords on Most Chevy Volts, but Don't Call it a Recall

All owners of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and some of the 2012 model will soon be notified by GM to replace their 120-volt charging cords with new ones after certain consumers complained about overheating problems.

GM spokesman Randal Fox told Reuters that he did not know the total number of the vehicles affected, but said it was fewer than the 11,000 or so Volts sold so far in the States. He also made a point to note that this was not a safety recall.

"It's just an effort to offer a more consistent charging experience. It's not a safety recall. It's more of a customer-satisfaction program," Fox said.

Blog Archive