Portal:Cars/Cars news/Archive

Archive of Portal:Cars/Cars news:

Saab's New BioPower
December 23, 2005

In next months Detroit motor show a 310bhp BioPower 9-5 concept car is set to be shown off by Saab. The car uses an upgraded version of the company's environmentally friendly engine that runs on ethanol produced from sustainable resources.

The Detroit show car makes its debut just ahead of the BioPower model. The 180bhp 9-5 BioPower uses the same eco-friendly fuel as the Saab concept car and is also able too run on unleaded fuel, or a mixture of the fuel types.

Porsche unleashes colossal Cayenne
January 5, 2006

Porsche is releasing a new, more powerful Cayenne Turbo, called the Cayenne Turbo S. The Cayenne is second in power only to the Carrera GT, has a top speed of 167mph and does 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds.

The biggest giveaways of the new Cayenne Turbo S, not counting it's performance, are the 20" alloy wheels and four exhaust pipes.

The Cayenne Turbo S is on sale from February 25 in the UK, priced from £81,565.

Ascari hits the track
January 23, 2006

Ascari is taking to the tracks with a full race version of the KZ1R.

This model packs a V8 BMW engine, and the improved performance comes from a stripped-out interior and extensive use of carbon fibre.

The KZ1R GT3 will take part in the FIA GT3 European Series on May 7.

GM posts first annual loss since 1992
January 27, 2006

General Motors Corporation has posted its first annual loss since 1992. GM reported losing US$4.8 billion in the fourth quarter of 2005 and a total loss of US$8.6 billion for the entire year.

GM admitted Thursday night that the loss could swell further as its pays pensions and healthcare costs to thousands of former workers. GM warned that the amount calculated for last year is preliminary and could rise before it is officially reported to the US securities and exchanges commission in March. (more...)

Google removes German BMW from search results
February 6, 2006

The search engine Google announced the removal of the official German BMW website from its search results today. Google is reported to have removed the website due to the use of a trick to raise its website ratings in the search engine's results. (more...)

Chinese government approved Nanjing purchase of MG Rover
March 13, 2006 The Chinese National Development and Reform Commission approved today the plans by Nanjing Automobile Group to revive the MG Rover brand.

The first MG produced in Pukou in Nanjing in the east of China will be the sedan version of MG-75, in the first half of 2007. (more...)

New York International Auto Show underway
April 19, 2006 The New York International Auto Show is currently underway at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. This is North America's second most important show, after the recent North American International Auto Show, and included a number of debuts. Important new vehicles included the Acura RDX, Infiniti G35, Jeep Patriot, Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, Lexus LS 600h L, Mazda CX-9, Mazda Mazdaspeed3, Mitsubishi Outlander, Nissan Altima, Saturn Aura, Saturn Outlook, and Suzuki XL-7.

(more...)

General Motors consolidates divisions
May 9, 2006 General Motors is consolidating its major operating divisions in an attempt to improve its model lineup and reduce costs. Saturn has joined Vauxhall and Opel as a distributor of European-designed products but each brand will remain independent in their respective markets. Buick, Pontiac, and GMC Truck were combined last year with over 60% of North American dealers selling all three. Similarly, Cadillac, Hummer, and Saab distribution in North America will be consolidated. Only Chevrolet will remain an independent channel in North America, though the brand is being applied to GM Daewoo cars in Europe.

Opel announces new Antara
May 10, 2006 In a press release, General Motors (GM) announced details of the upcoming Antara SUV from its German brand Opel, presenting official pictures of the new vehicle for the first time. It is confirmed that the Antara will join the Opel lineup in 2006, having a five-door body, contrary to the three-door Opel Antara GTC concept. The powertrains will include 2.4 L and 3.0 L V6 petroleum engines and a 2.0 L diesel - the engine choices are thus the same as for a related GM vehicle, the Chevrolet Captiva.

(more)

Mercedes-Benz sued over defective supercar
June 17th, 2006

Mercedes-Benz Dealership owner, Mark Johnston is suing Mercedes-Benz for a defective $1.7 million silver 2002 Mercedes-Benz AMG CLK-GTR that only 5 had been made. Johnston said that when the gears shifter the windows became "unglued." He's suing DaimlerChrysler, Mercedes-Benz USA, HWA and Mercedes-AMG $300 000 for a car he had hoped to sell for $2.5 million. The 6.9L V12 makes 612 horsepower.

TVR to stay in Blackpool
June 16th, 2006 The owner of the British independent sports car manufacturer TVR, Russian businessman Nikolai Smolenski, announced that the company will remain being based in Blackpool. Recently, there has been much uncertainty concerning the future of both the Blackpool factory and the company itself.

Nevertheless, the company confirms the facility's capacity is too small given its plans to manufacture up to 5000 vehicles annually. Smolenski announced that TVR will move to a new facility in a nearby location shortly, citing lack of appropriate skill levels as the reason for not being able to move anywhere else within the UK. TVR also declared they will present up to two new models at the next Geneva Motor Show.

(more)

New Chrysler Sebring introduced
June 22nd, 2006 In a press release, Chrysler officially introduced an all-new model of its midsize sedan, the Sebring. Continuing the nameplate running since 1995, the car is based on the JS/GS platform, shared with Mitsubishi Motors. The Sebring will also use the new GEMA 2.4 engine, as well as Chrysler's 2.7 and 3.5 V6 units. Production of the 2007 Chrysler Sebring will start in the third quarter of 2006 at the Sterling Heights Assembly plant.

(more)

Holden VE Commodore & WM Caprice Unveiled
July 15th, 2006 General Motors' Australian subsidiary, Holden, officially unveiled the long-awaited new Holden VE Commodore large car range. Holden Commodore has been Australia's best selling nameplate for many years, and a mainstay of GM Holden's range, but has lately suffered from Australian buyers' taste shift toward smaller cars and SUVs, with Holden losing the overall sales crown to Toyota. With the new VE range, Holden hopes to revive both the brand's and the segment's sales.

Unlike on previous occasions, the VE sedans debuted concurrently with their longer-wheelbase luxury versions, the Holden WM Statesman/Caprice range. On the other hand, the replacements for the wagon and Ute have not yet been announced.

The VE and WM ranges are built around the Global RWD Architecture, known previously as GM Zeta platform, which debuts in those cars. It is expected to spawn more rear-wheel drive vehicles for other GM divisions in the future.

(more)

Ford Taurus being discontinued after 21 year run
October 27, 2006 The Ford Taurus is being discontinued after a 21 year run. Due to unprofitable sales and decreasing customer appeal, Ford is cutting the car that ultimately saved them from possibly going out of business in the late eighties. The last Taurus rolled off the line on Friday, October 27, 2006. According to the Taurus Car Club of America, they are sad to see the Taurus go, though they are glad to see it discontinued, as it hurt to see what they say is "a great car" to just be sold off to fleets. The Taurus, at the end of production, sold over 7.5 million units, making it the fourth most successful model in Ford's history, behind only the Mustang, Model T and the F-150. Analysts are looking at the demise of the Taurus as an example of how the American automotive industry is shrinking in favor of the Japanese imports, like Toyota, who just took over Ford's spot as the second largest automaker in the world, only General Motors (more)

New Tribeca
10 May, 2007 First revealed at the New York motor show, the new Subaru Tribeca is due to arrive in the US late 2007 or early 2008. The new Tribeca has had a major facelift to repair the disasters look of the first generation Tribeca. An all new 3.6 litre flat six engine has replaced the original 3.0 litre engine. The new engine can deliver 190 kW ( 254 hp) and 334 Nm of torque. The five speed automatic has been revised to improve better quality especially when changing gears the rear suspension and dampers have also been upgraded to improve ride quality.

DaimlerChrysler sells Chrysler
14 May, 2007 First revealed in the Detroit News on May 13, DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche and Cerberus Capital Management Chairman, John Snow confirmed that Chrysler has been sold, dissolving a controversial 10-year merger. Chrysler's operations will be placed under a new holding company, Chrysler Holding LLC, with an 80.1% stake going to Cerberus and 19.9% remaining with the to-be-renamed Daimler AG. Cerberus will pay $7.4 billion in the transaction.

Both Ford and Holden bosses resign
2008-01-21

February 1, 2008 will be both a major and historic day for Australian motor vehicles. Both Ford Australia head Tom Gorman and GM Holden boss Chris Gubbey will be resigning, making the 1st of February the first ever day that both Ford and Holden bosses resign concurrently. Ford Australia boss Tom Gorman will be leaving for an unspecified job in Europe, and Holden boss Chris Gubbey will be leaving after only six months at the top job.

The departure of Gorman has been seen as bad timing, for the reason that his departure is only weeks away from the launch of the new eighth generation Falcon which is considered the most important in the model's 47 year history. 2007 has been a poor year for Ford Australia; the company has reported a loss in a record "one-million sales" year for automobiles sold in Australia. As for Holden many are puzzled about the short tenure of Gubbey; General Motors answer is that Gubbey is needed in Russia to use his experience with emerging car markets to their advantage.

Source:

Ford Motor Company announced the sales of its Jaguar and Land Rover operations
2008-03-26

March 26, 2008 Ford made an announcement its agreement to sell its Jaguar and Land Rover operations to Indian car maker Tata Motors. The total price is around US $2.3 billion in cash. Lewis Booth, executive vice president, Ford Motor Company says "This is a good agreement".

Source:

Fiat Group and Chrysler LLC confirmed in a statement that the two companies are to enter a global alliance
2009-01-21

On 20 January 2009, Fiat Group and Chrysler LLC announced that they are going to form a global alliance. Under the terms of the agreement, Fiat takes a 35% stake in Chrysler and gains access to its North American dealer network in exchange for providing Chrysler with the platform to build smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles in the US and reciprocal access to Fiat's global distribution network.

Source:

Report:Chinese company Geely to buy Volvo brand from Ford Motor Co.
2009-06-22

Geely will invest about $10 billion in Volvo and will produce a new vehicle with a Volvo badge in China. It also indicates the deal will only be made public when (and if, given Geely's track record of inking deals to make cars) the automakers can agree on technology transfers. Source:

Ferrari Launches Oddly Named 'LaFerrari'
2013-5-12

Ferrari has launched a new hypercar, the LaFerrari. Only 499 will be made, so most people won't get to drive it. It is the fastest Ferrari ever. It is 1255 kg with a 41:59 front-to-rear weight distribution. It can go from 0-100 km/h in less than three seconds, and if you keep going, it will reach speeds near 350 km/h. Powering it to such speeds is a naturally-aspirated 6.2-litre V12 that makes 789 bhp. There's also an electric motor, giving it a total of 949 bhp, and if you're wondering, all 499 are sold.