This is one of the very first spy shot of the all-new 2011 Hyundai Veloster coupe, which is scheduled to go on sale in late 2010 or early 2011 and is expected to replace the Tiburon coupe.
Inspired by the two-door Veloster concept car from the 2007 Seoul auto show, the production-ready Veloster coupe packs attractive exterior body style with slopping roof-line, short front and rear overhangs. The production car will also retain the Saab-style wrap around windscreen. Clearly visible on the t
Even before the Cruze made its international debut some one and a half years ago, there were talks about a 1.4L turbo version. The talk is now over and this variant of the American model was finally unveiled at the New York Auto Show, called the Cruze Eco.
Starting with the front of the Eco, there's a new, wind tunnel-massaged front fascia complete with a class-first "Aero Shutter." Take a look at the air inlet area below the grill. During low speed city driving, the aero shutter is open. H
Daimler, the German giant behind the Mercedes-Benz automotive and truck business, has pleaded guilty to corruption charges brought by the U.S. Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and agreed to pay $185 million in penalties for its bribery practices.
In a 76-page filing in federal court, U.S. prosecutors said between 1988 and 2008, Daimler paid at least US$56 million in bribes to foreign officials in at least 22 countries that included China, Russia, Egypt, Greece
Mercedes has teamed up with China car manufacturer BYD to create a whole new automotive firm for the Chinese market. Though the name hasn't been cast in stone yet, it is by no surprise as to why Mercedes has chosen BYD to be their partner in China when you see the cars that BYD has produced so far. They look almost identical to the cars the Merc produced in the late 1990s! Not only do their cars look identical, their logo is 'inspired' by BMW as well. However, the main partnership between Merc
- The O/S system in this crashes occasionally...could the MMI system in our cars do the same occasionally too?
Recently we've read or heard that Toyotas and Hondas are being recalled for faulty electronic parts and this as well as that, but all the problems reported by Toyota and Honda are happening in America and nowhere else. This actual debacle could actually be caused by 'patriotic' Americans who do not want to see any Japanese company cause American cars companies to close shop. So they
Also making its world premiere at New York Auto Show today is a hatchback variant of Kia's hugely popular Cerato Forte. The five door model joins the current four-door saloon and two-door (Koup) coupe versions of the Forte.
Stylistically, the hatchback conversion of the Forte is far less adventurous than you would expect from a company that has churned out some interesting designs lately including the Optima and Sportage. There are no photos of the interior yet, but Kia's release makes word
Ford's sedan version for the ASEAN market of best-selling Fiesta will make its debut at the Bangkok Motor Show (26March - 6 April 2010) and will go on sale in Thailand by August 2010. Ford has already sold more than half a million examples of the Fiesta hatchback worldwide and hopes to increase its share of the market in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region with this sedan version. It will be built at the joint Ford-Mazda factory in Rayong, Thailand. This factory also produc
This is a follow up post to my earlier post on the 2011 Kia Optima (Magentis). These photos are live images taken from the New York Auto Show. As the saying goes, a picture speaks a thousand words and the world can finally see the all new Optima in its full glory.
These live images confirm my initial impression that the new optima scores better in the looks department as compared to its cousin, the Hyundai Sonata. The alloy wheel design resembles those from a certain European make. The bump
Proton has gone bonkers. On 30th March 2010, Proton launched a RM115,000 Proton Satria Neo called the R3 Lotus Racing Edition based on the Satria Neo CPS that is selling in Malaysia for RM60,000 at the very most. This edition celebrates Proton's involvement with Lotus Racing and is on sale in Malaysia and is limited to only 25 units. The car boasts a spec sheet that is impressive as over the top (really, really expensive) performance parts are utilized where possible.
This very expensive Pr
After months of waiting and speculation, the 2.0L turbocharged Sonata with Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) technology has been unveiled at the New York Auto show. The first time we saw a turbocharged direct injection engine in a car from the Hyundai corporate family was the 2008 Kia Koup concept that produced 290 horsepower. This same engine now powers the Sonata to the tune of 274 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque. Now, this should spell some seriously good performance figures given that
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We have recently been reading about Saab's sale to Spyker from General Motors. Now the other, purportedly more famous Swedish car company Volvo has officially been sold to China's Geely. Volvo is most famous for their brick-like 240 series vehicles, the P1800 coupe (due to it being featured in the television series 'The Saint' in the 1960s) and very fast semi-brick like 850T5 wagons that actually raced in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) in the 1990s. Ford, the previous ow
Like it or not, cars will be greener (read: no more V8 growls). Even if there is some sort of speaker to replicate the "sound", it will never come close to the real thing.
However, in our local context, owning a car with a V8 engine is reserved for about 2% of the population who are rich enough. Most of us would rather not hear our engines at all, not when it sound like moo-ing cows.
Which means, Singapore, given it's tiny area, lack of space to stretch ANY engine and ridiculous tax rule
Although Google and the Chinese government are having a little row right now, this hasn't stopped China's love for Google products. The production lines for the Roewe 350 have started rolling out the sedan, which is designed to spearhead Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC)'s future products. It is certainly headed for hundreds of thousands of Chinese homes. In the process, it will employ Google's Android operating system, up until now only seen primarily on mobile phones and a handfu
Coming up in just a few short days will be the official reveal of Hyundai's Sonata Hybrid Blue Drive (HBD), along with a high-line 2.0 liter turbocharged Sonata at the New York Auto Show.
Unlike the Camry and Civic hybrids which are barely distinguishable from their conventional counterparts, the Sonata Hybrid gets a completely new front fascia. The new look adds a massive lower grille inspired by the Blue-Will Concept that shown at the Detroit Auto Show in January. This looks much better t
In light of recent re-call issues faced by their fellow competitors, Mazda Motor Singapore is taking a step forward in protecting their brand as a whole. The car dealer has enlarged their tent to include Mazda Parallel Imports under their service wing. Singapore owners of parallel-imported Mazda vehicles in stock condition can now service and repair them at Mazda Service Centres at Alexandra and MacPherson.
Well, it doesn't end here.
With the service centre being equipped with Mazda Mod
The 2010 Hyundai Sonata is more stylish, more spacious, and better in every aspect than its predecessor. This seems to be the motto for Hyundai nowadays, as it rolls out a continual stream of new and/or revised vehicles that leave any old brand preconceptions in the dust.
However, what about the buyers with tighter budgets, shopping at an entry price point well below the Sonata? Well, as you see above, it looks like they won't need to sacrifice style for value much longer. This photo, poste
According to a reliable source , Mercedes-Benz will go all-hybrid with its next-generation S-Class lineup, with the exception of enthusiast-oriented AMG models. The luxury cruiser is expected to roll out in 2012, and it is understood that gas-only S-Class models will be the exclusive preserve of the company's performance arm.
Presently, Daimler only offers a single gasoline-electric variant of its W221 S-Class
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Now we bring you a report from the BBC news that might interest supercar enthusiasts and those that are fans of the Pagani Zonda. According to the BBC, on a test drive sometime in November 2009, a
When I first lay my eyes on the photograph above, it reminds me of the human-controlled robots in the movie Avatar, except that these have no arms. Coming back to the topic, General Motors and its Chinese partner Shanghai Auto (SAIC) presented a new trio of self-balancing two-wheeler concept vehicles that will be showcased in public for the first time at the SAIC-GM Pavilion at World Expo 2010 Shanghai that runs from May 1 through October 31.
Called the Electric Networked-Vehicle (EN-V), th
Jaguar surprised the motoring world with its XF, but that's definitely not the end of the road for Jaguar's design department. The new XJ completely overshadows its predecessors and I think owners of the old Jaguars would wonder why they even bought one in the first place.
The new XJ is sportier, more luxurious and much better looking than ever before. For starters, Jaguar listened to feedback about the XF's headlamps and that they should have followed the ones on the concept car, and now
Now we all know that going green is essential or so it seems, to our survival and our future generations as well. However, when this noble act of saving the earth becomes obsessive and as you will see, rather far fetched, it seems like car manufacturers are just jumping on the bandwagon to show that they're being 'green' and 'environmentally friendly' when in actuality, it may just be marketing ploys and the influence of pop culture.
In one of the most surprising revelations in the recent w
Yes, things are much better this time around in Melbourne, Australia. The Quantas Australia Formula 1 Grand Prix 2010 saw Jenson Button of McLaren Mercedes taking the chequered flag, Robert Kubica of Renault taking second and Ferrari's Phillipe Massa coming in third. But the good thing was it rained and there was racing instead of a procession of cars. This fact played a real part in Button's victory as he gambled on an early tire change from intermediates to full race slicks very early on.
I'm sorry BMW, but all your efforts to try convince yourselves that those who bought your 1-series are avid driving enthusiasts have failed. BMW had built the 1-series with the intention of spreading their gospel of the 'ultimate driving machine' and part of that picture they painted was the fact that rear wheel drive would be part of the recipe to build such a machine. However, it has now been revealed in a statement made by BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer during a telephone interview session with jo
Mercedes-Benz Malaysia gave a special treat to the Malaysian media on the 24th of March 2010 by inviting them to a preview of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. This preview is in line with the upcoming Malaysian Formula 1 race in Sepang on 4th April 2010. Mercedes Benz has deemed that the Malaysian SLS launch should coincide with this event as one prestigious launch should compliment the other. This event was held at Sepang and is one of the first previews of the car outside of Europe and the United St
