Luxury Cars
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Yet another reason to be jealous of our European counterparts, lovers of all things fast and small may get a special treat from Audi come 2012: an RS-badged A1. All-wheel drive, a turbo 2.0-liter borrowed from the Golf GTI and some serious suspension and appearance tweaks could make for an awesome little package. It would, possibly, be the beastliest little hot-hatch around. Not in the near-wagon sense of the Focus RS/ST or Mazdaspeed3, but in the truer, classic sense, as the A1's platform should allow for something suitably lightweight to be built from it, even in all-wheel-drive turbo form...
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Video: 50 Cent Loads Lamborghini Murcielago With $2 Million Cash
Did you know a Lamborghini can carry several houses in its forward-mounted trunk? Well, it can, if you turn those houses into cash. How do we know this? 50 Cent put $2 million in cash into a Lamborghini Murcielago and captured the feat on video. The running commentary turns what would otherwise be...
Nelson Ireson -
Mercedes-Benz To Produce Shooting Break Concept
Just as the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe was previewed with the ConceptFASCINATION shooting brake at the Paris Motor Show back in 2008, so too was the 2011 Mercedes-Benz CLS four-door coupe, which was previewed as a shooting brake at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show. But the long-tailed model is no...
Nelson Ireson -
Video: Jay Leno's Garage Hands-On With The Rossi SixtySix C2-Styled C6 Corvette
Pairing the classic looks of the split-window C2 Corvette with the mechanical might of the C6 Corvette platform is the brilliant idea behind the Rossi SixtySix, which made its debut this summer at the EyesOnDesign event in Detroit. We brought you a first look at the car back in 2008, but now we...
Nelson Ireson -
2012 Buick Regal GS Preview
The 2012 Buick Regal GS is here, unveiled in Miami ahead of a likely showing at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show. Just as expected, it's essentially unchanged from its concept form, powered by a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder, and it gets a handful of other upgrades that should make it the driver's...
Nelson Ireson -
Aston Martin and Jaeger LeCoultre release third DB9-inspired watch
To celebrate the launch of its DBS supercar, Aston Martin called on Swiss watch company Jaeger LeCoultre to develop a new chronograph watch with a built in transponder that could unlock the car and fire up its engine. The two luxury marques have since released several timepieces, the latest being...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
We’ve heard it all before but rarely have we seen it executed successfully; mid-tier luxury brands attempting to move upmarket and compete with tier 1 brands such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Acura is one such company that has often stated reaching tier 1 status as its primary goal but has still failed to deliver and now Volvo, under the guidance of new owner Geely, is hoping to tread down that same path. The only difference is that Volvo insists it won’t be rushing into anything. With fears of another flop like the Phaeton, former Volkswagen of America boss Stefan Jacoby...
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2010 SEMA Preview: Toyota And Lexus Prepare An Armada
Two kinds of cars will be making their debut from Toyota and Lexus at this year's SEMA show: the NASCAR-inspired Camry, which is focused on performance, and the rest. The rest is composed of hybrid Lexus vehicles slammed, stanced, and body-kitted to present the most street-worthy image possible...
Nelson Ireson -
Remember All Those New Lotuses? Only The Esprit Is Real
Just a few weeks ago, Lotus loosed a crew of portly, modern, and Chapman-defying models on the world at the Paris auto show. But it turns out only the Esprit is real--at least for the time being. According to Lotus CEO Dany Bahar, who admits he's "not a car guy," only the new Esprit is actually...
Nelson Ireson -
Mercedes-Benz Goes In-Depth On 2012 SLK's Magic Sky Control Roof
The 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK is still more than a few months from its world debut, but Mercedes is so amped about the "Magic Sky Control" roof, it's already dumping the details on its photochromic folding hardtop. Like those lenses your nerdy physics professor used to wear, the glass in the Magic Sky...
Nelson Ireson -
Saab Production Plans Cut Back As Spyker Group Losses Mount
Developing and building cars costs money. Lots of it. The Spyker Group, new owners of Saab, are facing a $39.9 million shortfall this year due in part to the acquisition of the Swedish marque, and a new reports says production forecasts for the company have been cut accordingly. Building some Saabs...
Nelson Ireson -
Report: Cadillac ATS Sedan First To Market In 2012, V-Series Coming
It's good to have sources in this business, and GM Inside News has some of the best GM sources around. The fruits of their friendships? A timeline on when each of the different Cadillac ATS body styles will be released--and a solid hint at a V-Series version. The first ATS out of the gate will be...
Nelson Ireson -
The 2011 Hyundai Equus was just priced earlier this month, and alreday Hyundai is building hype for the car, with next week's SEMA show as an early focal point . The latest addition to the modded-Equus fold? One from Mummbles Marketing. Despite the unfortunate name, the Mummbles Marketing Equus looks to put an "elegant" twist on the big sedan, plus an extra flash of performance. Powered by a 450-horsepower turbocharged version of the 4.6-liter V-8, the Mummbles Equus adds a custom exterior look with interior upgrades, brake, wheel, and suspension modifications, plus the SEMA-obligatory audio...
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2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid Priced From $67,700, On Sale Next Month
The idea that hybrids and SUVs just don't fit with Porsche's image is, a this point, well-worn. But the 2011 Cayenne S Hybrid may serve to change some minds. On sale in November, the hybrid SUV sprints to 60 mph in just 6.1 seconds--while delivering 21/25 mpg city/highway. Those are impressive...
Nelson Ireson -
Video: 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon's First Commercial
The Acura TSX Sport Wagon (nee Honda Accord Euro Tourer) is finally headed our way, and this is the first promo spot for what Acura is billing as a sports car that loses none of the TSX's ostensible prowess. While it's hard to call a front-drive sedan a sports car with a straight face, Acura's TSX...
Nelson Ireson -
Cadillac Revving Up To Build ATS With $190M Lansing Investment
Small cars and Cadillac haven't, historically, gone hand in hand. But they will in the near future, as General Motors Company [NYSE:GM] is already stepping up work on the Lansing plant where the Cadillac ATS compact sedan will be built. The work entails $190 million worth of upgrades and additions...
Nelson Ireson -
BMW 1-Series to be rebadged a 2-Series for next-gen model?
BMW has already confirmed it’s working on a new front-wheel drive model to slot in below its current 1-Series and compete with the likes of the Audi A1 and next-generation Mercedes-Benz A-Class. But BMW has a problem on its hands: if it continues its current naming convention the new model...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Luxury Labels Lose Lead In Consumer Reports’ 2010 Reliability Study
Influential buyer guide Consumer Reports has come out with its annual new car reliability ratings and surprisingly it’s the mainstream brands that dominate and not the luxury makes. Honda and Toyota still dominate in reliability for the latest crop of 2011 models, and General Motors has also...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
BMW is now making it easier than ever to slide behind the wheel of a luxury car by launching a new rental program that allows customers to drive away in one of any BMW model currently on sale. Dubbed BMW On Demand, the pilot program is being run out of the BMW Welt In Munich, Germany and will initially run over a period of twelve months, and will be extended to other locations in Munich in a second phase. Cars can be booked via a hotline, online or at the BMW Welt itself and are rented out by the hour. The hourly rental fees vary depending on the model and the time of day. A BMW 1-Series, for...
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2011 Cadillac STS Ditches The V-8
Cadillac’s ageing STS sedan is soldiering on for yet another model year, despite most of the competition in the mid- to full-size luxury sedan segments being updated or overhauled in recent years. This is because the STS, along with the front-wheel drive DTS, is to be replaced by a single...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Early Look At BMW’s Future In Car Technology
The luxury makes tend to be the greatest innovators of technology in the automotive field, often pioneering the latest safety and comfort features in new cars. BMW has had its fair share of technology firsts and now the automaker is on track to carry on that tradition with a number of new features...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Report: BMW To Replace M3 Sedan With M3 Gran Turismo?
Apple-bottomed, hunch-backed, whatever you like to call them, the latest round of not-quite-hatchbacks from Germany's automakers, most notably the BMW 5-Series GT and Porsche Panamera, have taken root. But a new rumor out of the official BMW CCA magazine Roundel says the infestation may spread to...
Nelson Ireson -
Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S MC Sport Line Debuts In Sydney
Maserati's MC Sport Line is an option package designed to give the company's cars a decidedly motorsports-inspired look and handling treatment and has so far been offered on cars like the GranTurismo and hotter GranTurismo S in the past. Now it’s the Quattroporte’s turn to receive...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Report: Next Mercedes-Benz B-Class To Sport "Radical" Architecture
The next iteration of the Mercedes-Benz B-Class is rumored to be U.S.-bound, and we already have a good idea of what it looks like, both inside and out, from spy shots during testing. But according to a new report out of the U.K., there's a whole new car hiding just beneath the surface. In fact...
Nelson Ireson