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Brabus is well known taking already high performance Mercedes-Benz cars and giving them ridiculous horsepower and price tags. In that sense, they don’t disappoint with the new E V12 Black Baron, although the styling result is questionable. The Black Baron is based on the new 2010 Mercedes E Class W212, and features a 6.0 liter twin-turbo V12 bored out to 6.3 liters and capable of 800 horsepower and 1047 lb-ft of torque (engine is electronically limited to 811 lb-ft).
Watch as rally expert Ken Block practices Gymkhana at an unspecified airport strip. Gymkhana courses are similar to autocross, except that they incorporate alternative driving styles such as drifting and feature obstacles such as cones, tires, road barriers, and abandoned buildings. Drivers must maneuver through the track using techniques such as drifting, e-brake reversals, u-turn or 360 degree spins, and other advanced non-traditional styles.
Just days before its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Toyota has unveiled more details about its upcoming Prius plug-in hybrid. The PHV concept will be based on the 3rd generation Prius’ Hybrid Synergy Drive, but will incorporate lithium-ion batteries for the first time in lieu of nickel metal hydride.
General Motors, in a massive effort to reverse its eroding market share, will offer customers a 60 day money back guarantee period in which they can return their car with no questions asked. GM will be pouring millions into its “May the Best Car Win” marketing campaign through the end of November, hoping to drive more customers into dealerships nationwide.
Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen yesterday claimed that the era of "legacy luxury" –products that convey status without regard to cost or resources consumed – is now at the end of its life cycle, with Audi representing the new era of "progressive luxury." This may be hard to imagine, but apparently Porsche agrees, and is now purposefully advertising the mpg of its new Panamera, and we must say, we’re surprisingly impressed.
GM’s board agreed to sell its Opel and Vauxhall units to Magna International, a Canadian and Austrian auto-parts manufacturer, and Russian auto maker OAO GAZ Group which is controversially backed by Russian controlled OAO Sberbank, ending an uncertain bidding war that included rival bidder R.H.J. investment bank from Belgium. The German government, which is financing a large part of the deal, has yet to approve, although Magna was their preferred option.
The Murcielago has been a long standing icon of the Lamborghini brand – an extreme sports machine with brutal power. Its soft contours interlaced with razor sharp edges are a perfect expression of style and speed. As a final effort before retiring the Murcielago name, Automobili Lamborghini has released the limited edition (350 units) LP670-4 SuperVeloce. Extensively redesigned, inside and out, the LP670-4 SV is more powerful, lighter, and faster than its predecessor, the LP640.
According to Time Magazine, the Kia Soul is the most exciting new car of 2010. My brain immediately cycled through a few other cars debuting in 2010, such as the Corvette Grand Sport, Audi R8 V10, Aston Martin One-77, the wildly popular Chevy Camaro SS, and even stretched to the Convertible Lexus IS – Nope. They, for some reason, think that a small cube shaped econobox is the most exciting of all new 2010 vehicles. This enticed us to read on in hope of more exciting cars in the list, but somehow Time makes an even worse choice, leading us to wonder how much some of these contenders paid to make the list.
To launch the 2011 Ford Fiesta in America, Ford decided to give a Fiesta to 100 “agents” for six months to help spread the word. The Fiesta is a premium small car that currently sells very well in Europe, but Ford’s challenge in the states is to convince people that there is such thing as a “premium” small car. We’ve seen some interesting videos from the Fiesta Agents, but none as exciting as BBC’s Top Gear. While they aren’t technically Fiesta Agents, they sure do a great job thoroughly testing the Fiesta, including having it chased by a Corvette inside a Mall. Check it out!
These days, you can’t just drive down a dusty Texan road, set up a rig, and drill out large pools of oil. All of the obvious oil reserves have long been pumped dry, so oil companies spend millions on high tech equipment to map the ocean floors seeking large deposits of oil in deeper and deeper waters. Once the companies drill, there’s still no guarantee that there will be enough oil down there to pay back the investment. This is why BP’s new find in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico is such a big deal.
Honda today unveiled two official Crosstour simulated images. The upcoming crossover is undoubtedly a direct competitor to Toyota’s new and similarly styled Venza CUV, although Honda has adopted a rounded back end a la Porsche Panamera. The Crosstour will slot in Honda’s lineup between the CR-V and the Pilot SUV.
It took nearly 10 years for Toyota to sell one million hybrid vehicles, but it has quickly accelerated, achieving the second million in just 2 years, 3 months. As of this past August, Toyota had sold over two million hybrid vehicles globally, with the U.S. being by far the largest market.
