Rumormill: Suzuki to unveil V8-powered Kizashi 3 at NY show

Hyundai is quickly proving with its Genesis luxury sedan that a lower-end Asian automaker can play in the V8-powered big leagues, and if the reports are to be believed, Suzuki wants in. The Japanese carmaker’s Kizashi concepts, unveiled in Frankfurt and Tokyo last year, proved popular enough for Suzuki to move ahead with production plans […]

BMW rolls out 5 millionth 5-Series

Get out the beer steins and lederhosen: the Bavarians are celebrating! Yesterday the 5,000,000th BMW 5-Series rolled off the production line at its factory in Dingolfing (yes, Dingolfing) less than an hour’s blitz down the autobahn from Munich. The original E12 5-Series was launched in 1972 with a design penned by Marcello Gandini and was […]

Lexus looking for successor to L-Finesse design

Lexus’ L-finesse design language was meant to stand for “Seamless Anticipation,” “Intriguing Elegance,” and “Incisive Simplicity.” If we put aside the marketing speak for a moment, the point of L-f was to give Lexus design a greater emotional connection with consumers. While it certainly didn’t stop Lexus from selling more cars, we have a feeling […]

Dragonslayer: Renault rolls out the Twingo Extreme

The Twingo still won’t take you to mythical Silene, but the UK gets its own specially pimped version of the entry-level Twingo called the “Extreme.” Think of it as a Tercel Blackhawk en français, s’il vous plaît. The Twingo Extreme consists of mostly graphics for the exterior, though there’s a few extra bits of gear […]

Aston Martin to return to ALMS GT1 in 2008 with Bell Motorsports

It was less than entertaining to watch the Corvettes race themselves in the GT1 class year, void of any competition from the Aston Martin teams that left the series to race exclusively in Europe. It was a shame, since the GT1 class has always been one of the best to watch. Despite Corvette’s dominance over […]

Fisker considering Detroit for production of the Karma hybrid

We were captivated by the Karma plug-in hybrid when it was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this month. Its curvaceous, aggressive design combined with its ability to go 50 miles without using any gas seems like a bargain at the projected starting price of $80,000. Fisker is hoping to deliver its first Karma […]

Nissan streamlines Nismo, extends parts availablity in Japan

Nissan’s in-house tuning arm, Nismo, is looking to expand its reach both in its home market and abroad, beginning with an S-Tune package for, of all things, the Tiida.
Beyond the Tiida (Versa here in the States), Nissan plans to offer Nismo parts and professional tuning at every one of its dealerships in Japan, with plans […]

Chicago ‘08 Preview: Official rendering of Suzuki Equator released

After this rendering of the Suzuki Equator pickup was published a bit early in the March/April issue of Truck Trend magazine and then scanned and published all over the internet, Suzuki decided it might as well let the public have a good luck at the truck instead of staring at a crappy scan. Thus, it […]

Official BMW 1-series performance catalog leaks out

The numero-uno forum for all things 1-series got a hold of BMW’s brochure for its upcoming line of performance parts, and as suspected, much of the kit originally seen on the tii concept will be available through authorized BMW dealers.
The photos we posted last week of the modified 1-series show the same car displayed in […]

HP Wars not over: RENNTech announces 695 HP package for Mercedes AMG models

While Mercedes-Benz and AMG may be claiming that future high-performance models bearing the three-pointed star will not place such a heavy emphasis on high horsepower, that doesn’t mean aftermarket tuner RENNTech is giving up the fight. The German tuner announced today a new Stage 3 package for any Mercedes AMG model powered by the company’s […]

Porsche affixes window sticker to Cayenne GTS

If you’re looking to augment your garage with something more punchy than a Cayenne S, but can’t afford the dilithium crystals required to power the warp engines in the delightfully obscene Cayenne Turbo, Porsche has come up with a new middle ground in the 405-horsepower Cayenne GTS. The V8 in Porsche’s newest SUV is basically […]

BMW considering ‘green’ brand

As expected, the recently adjusted U.S. CAFE requirements have put pressure on automakers. Specifically brands focused on performance and luxury must do the most to change their impact on the environment. One company that falls into this category is BMW. Last September CEO Norbert Reithofer hinted that the possible creation of a forth brand to […]

DC Auto Show ‘08: Ford updates Escape and Mariner Hybrids

As AutoblogGreen points out, Ford will soon be facing tough competition in the compact hybrid CUV segment with the introduction of the Saturn Vue two-mode hybrid. What better time, then, to update the Ford Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid for 2009? The big news is the addition of a new 2.5L four-cylinder to replace […]

Private Dancer: Tina Turner’s Mercedes-powered Lambo LM002

Tina Turner is one of the most successful performing and recording artists of all time. She’s won eight Grammies, hit the Billboard Top 10 seven times and sold more concert tickets than any other solo performer in history. Unfortunately she never learned how to drive stick, but having sold over 180 million records, she could […]

Geneva ‘08 Preview: Spyker to unveil long-wheelbase C8

Spyker may be down, but it’s not out. The Dutch exotic automaker has fallen on some hard times, but that’s not going to stop it from moving forward with at least some of its plans. The C12 Zagato has been postponed indefinitely, but at the upcoming Geneva auto show in March, Spyker is expected to […]

Detroit 2008: Steve Saleen presents… a bargain Chinese pickup!

Laugh if you must, the wares that CHAMCO were showing off at the Detroit Auto Show were certainly a lot more humble than what you’d find at Lexus. China America Cooperative Automotive is seriously considering bringing pickup truck to the United States that they’ve retained the services of Steve Saleen to help guide them through […]

HUMMER HX Design Managers talk about their new concept

Much to the consternation of the communications staff at General Motors the press photos and story on the new HUMMER HX concept got published a few days earlier than planned last week. Thankfully for us the company didn’t rescind their invitation to come down to the Design Dome at the Warren Tech Center to see […]

Ford Edge headed to Brazil

It seems like America is the only place where American cars aren’t popular. Buick has huge numbers in China, and Ford’s having a lot of success in Brazil. Sales of the Fusion sedan took off to the point that it now leads the midsize segment there. Riding high on the Fusion’s success, Ford’s sending the […]