The first true Holden Cruze hot-hatch has been unleashed in
Australia, with homegrown tuning company Walkinshaw Performance
unveiling a high-performance version of the locally made small car with a price
tag just below $50,000.
Based on the $28,490 Holden Cruze SRi-V 1.4 iTi hatch, the $19,995 WP Cruze
Hot Hatch package introduces a number of visual and performance upgrades for a
total cost of $48,485 before on-road costs.
Power from...
This is the current Civic. Its replacement will be designed in the U.S.
Honda’s American research and development division will quarterback
engineering and other work for the next-generation Civic, says the company’s
U.S.-based head of R&D. Erik Berman, the president of Honda R&D Americas
told an industry conference audience this week that the company’s North American
division had grown enough to handle the next Civic in...
9:33 PM
2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, Falling, Korean, Renaults, Sales, Samsung, South, Tackle, Tries
It’s not only Europe that has Renault worried as the French automotive group is
now having troubles in South Korea with its Samsung unit.
Renault Samsung said on Friday that it would launch its first ever voluntary
redundancy programme in order to deal with falling sales both in its home market
and abroad.
According to Reuters, while the automaker did not reveal how many jobs
it wants to cut, a local media report made word...
A front-drive, entry-level 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan SE finished dead last in our
recent compact crossover comparison. During the test, we dinged the Tiguan for
its high price, rough ride quality, small cargo area, and "tall and tippy" feel
under hard cornering. So we decided to give the V-dub crossover another shot by
testing the top-of-the-line 2012 Tiguan SEL 4Motion. Would all-wheel drive and
premium trim make us change our tune about...
The global automotive market is still faltering, and even brands like Audi,
Mercedes, and BMW are taking action to overcome the failing global economy. Part
of this process of healing from the downturn is to lower production costs by
producing cars closer to their anticipated homes.
Mercedes has already announced that it will manufacture its C-Class in it
U.S. plant, starting in 2014. Audi has also let us know that it will be
utilizing...
For the first time in its history, the BMW Group, which includes the BMW, MINI
and Rolls Royce brands, delivered over one million vehicles (1,036,088 units to
be precise) in the first seven months of the year recording a 7.6 percent
increase over the same period in 2011 when it delivered 962,493 cars.
The German company also reported its best-ever sales result for July with a
total of 135,537 deliveries, up 5.0 percent compared...
After five years of development and countless Nürburgring Nordschleife hot laps,
Cadillac engineers finally handed over their new ATS to us for a few hours of
road driving and instrumented testing. One day with GM’s first Alpha-platform
car was enough to confirm that the ATS is the real deal—a true compact sports
sedan with the size, specs, and speed to run with the segment’s aristocracy,
especially BMW’s 3-series.
The ATS offers...
It's been a good sales month in China for General Motors and its 12 joint
ventures in the country as the Detroit-based company set an all-time record high
of 199,503 deliveries in July, up 15.1 percent over the same month last year.
In particular, the Shanghai GM joint venture posted sales of 97,064 units
(+5.7%), SAIC-GM-Wuling 98,694 units (+26.6%) and FAW-GM 3,379 vehicles (+3.1
percent).
Buick sales increased 4.8 percent...
When you push the start button, the 3.8-liter twin-turbo roars to life, ready to
dispense its 592 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque.
When you see the MP4-12C in all its carbon-fiber, composite glory, it looks
even nicer than it does in photographs.
The pump that drives the McLaren MP4-12C's hydraulic suspension system powers
up a little too loudly for a few seconds every time you come to a stop.
That's the only thing wrong...
If we are to believer the Chrysler Group's own words, hunters, fishermen,
campers and boaters should rejoice the introduction of the 2013 model year Ram
1500 Outdoorsman.
Originally unveiled as a new model series of the Ram 1500 two years ago to
cater to the needs of the aforementioned hobbyists and professionals, the
Detroit carmaker has now brought the Outdoorsman edition in line with the rest
of the 1500 range that was revealed...
Hyundai Motor Company Australia is looking carefully at the possibilities for
a performance sub-brand under the SR badge to exist alongside its standard model
range.
With the launch of the Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo in Australia this week,
Hyundai is effectively using this high-performance version of the Veloster as a
test case for more SR model variants to be rolled out.
Hyundai has looked at the success of Mazda’s SP range (SP25 and...
A report in Automotive News reveals a lofty goal for Mazda: reduce the
weight of new-generation cars by 220 pounds compared to the outgoing model. This
is part of the automaker’s plan to reach another lofty goal, namely achieving a
30-percent improvement in its global corporate fuel-economy average by 2015.
Both fit under the company’s long-term Sustainable Zoom-Zoom banner and fit into
its internal Building Block Strategy designed...
10:35 PM
2012, 2013, 2014, European, Exports, France, Korean, Monitor, South, Union, Wants
The spike in South Korean car sales in Europe the past few years has the French
worried as at the same time they are seeing their numbers drop amidst the debt
crisis that has engulfed the continent.
Just last year, sales of Korean cars in the European Union grew 24 percent,
even though the overall market contracted. French carmakers, on the other hand,
saw their sales drop with PSA Peugeot Citroen announcing plans to slash 8,000...
"Leaving well enough alone” doesn’t translate into German, especially the
dialect spoken by Porsche engineers. Witness the new, judiciously polished
Boxster, a machine that advances the modern sports car.
As before, the new Boxster is essentially a 911 with its engine set in the
middle, which is where Dr. and Ferry Porsche intended it to be in the first
place. In spite of a 2.3-inch-longer wheelbase and modest track-width bumps,...
