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Countless cars are stolen all over the United States every year, but we imagine there aren't too many that involve cranes. Strange as it might sound, that is exactly what one thief used to steal a 2008 Jeep Wrangler from an Indiana car lot last week. More »
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A line of nearly complete cars at the Lotus factory in 2008 is quite a sight. We are willing to bet memories of track days and driving fun have replaced the new car smell by now. (Photo Credit: Exfordy) More »
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Nissan will be recalling 242,720 2005-2009 Xterras, Pathfinders and Frontiers due to a faulty airbag sensor. More »
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GM's reporting 221,983 US sales in December, 2008, down 31% compared with a year ago. GM kept the title of US sales leader, with a market share remaining steady at just above 22%. More »
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Every weekday in 2008- except for Christmas Day- we saw another cool street-parked vehicle from the streets of Alameda, California. Now I'm going to share my personal favorite ten DOTS finds of the year. More »
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Horsepower at the flywheel or wheels? It's an important distinction in powertrain bragging rights. Thanks to dyno wizardry from Hyper Power International, you can now know both. MT's tried it first with the GT-R. More »
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UPDATE: The 2009 Nissan Cube's price will start at $13,990 and we've even had a chance to test drive the Cube. Read our impression here. The Nissan Cube is hoping to capture the boxy chic market the Scion xB pioneered when it goes on sale in the US market next year. We think the Cube has a lot going for it. When it does arrive the funky little 2009 Nissan Cube will sport the same 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine found in the Nissan Versa, good for 122 HP and 127 lb-ft of torque. These will come mated to either Nissan's CVT transmission or a six-speed manual, for those who like to stand out in a crowd and row their own gears. Further differentiating the unique econobox from the rest of the market will be the "water drop" interior accents in the headliner and controls that give the appearance of rippling water. As with the Fit and Scion, the Cube will come loaded with features such as a sliding "sofa style" bench, remote keyless entry, an iPod-ready sound system and standard ABS. Buyers will also be treated to a host of other dealer-added accessories that could help propel the odd wagon into the hearts and homes of budget-conscious-yet-trendy buyers. Full details in the press release below. More »
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What's a dog-and-pony show without some kind of award? At this year's LA Auto Show they'll be awarding Green Car Journal's fourth Green Car of the Year Award to one of five finalists. The competitors this year are the yet-to-be-unveiled 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, the BMW 335d, Saturn Vue 2-Mode Hybrid, Smart Fortwo and Volkswagen Jetta TDI. The winner will be announced at a November 20th press conference, and we know which one we'll be pulling for - the 2010 Ford Mustang. Complete details, if you're into that kind of thing, below. More »
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Even though the Nissan 370Z hasn't been officially revealed yet, it hasn't stopped it from showing up in a trailer for the upcoming video game Need For Speed: Undercover. The game is due out next month, right about when the car is expected to be unveiled at the LA Auto Show. From all the other photos we've seen, this car definitely looks like the 370Z, though we're not sure just how accurate the in-game car will be, or just how much Nissan has been cooperating with the guys at Need For Speed. More »
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While exterior styling grabs all the new and concept car headlines, (and booth babes grab the eyes) it's the interiors that have the most potential to alter the way we experience our automobiles. Far from the squeaky, rattly, ill-fitting monuments to black plastic that are present on nearly every car at nearly every price range, show car interiors explore both new materials and new forms, as well as new ways for drivers and passengers to interact with their vehicles. Here are 14 of the 2008 Paris Motor Show's best dashboards and the ways in which we think they'll influence those on their road-going counterparts. More »
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Since we got a pretty good look at the Seat Exeo in European patent filings, it was pretty low on the priority list at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. Now that everything has settled down and we're home again, we figured it was time to circle back and show you our live shots of Ben's Audi A4 the Seat Exeo from hall three of the show. You'll note the striking, original design language of the car, with a commanding presence that can't help but take Seat in a bold new direction. Complete details and more pictures of the actual Exeo below the fold. More »
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Unless you're deep in the bowels of the automotive journalism industry, it may come as a surprise the Paris Auto Show is — despite the big reveals and beautiful flora and fauna — one of the worst of the global shows to cover. First off, the show is big. Really big. It's over a half mile across, and spread out over six main buildings with huge elevation changes — that's a lot of hiking. To compound this issue, the press room is on the far side of the convention center campus, half a mile away from anything useful. And, as we said two years ago, albeit more colorfully, it's the world's worst press room. So terrible is it in fact, we managed to use it for all of about 10 minutes before running to happier pastures at Volvo (thanks Volvo!). But, as a service to the Paris Motor Show planning committee, we've put together a list of the top ten reasons the Paris Motor Show press room sucks, along with ways to improve it. More »
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Pessimists will say China is no place for intellectual property; those people don't know what they're talking about. Take this vehicle displayed by importer China Automobile France. It's called Kiff and it is totally original and looks nothing at all like a half-scale Jeep Hurricane from the 2005 Detroit Auto Show. The "Kiff" is powered by its love of Amy and its loathing loyalty for Zapp Brannigan a mid-mounted Chery three-cylinder gasoline engine good for a respectable 69 HP driving a manual transmission. Toss it on the pile with the Heuliez Friendly and we're about ready to scoot out of here. More »
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Tang Hua rocked our socks off with a trio of banana-yellow (and banana-shaped) concepts at the Detroit Auto Show, and they have followed up at the Paris Motor Show with this gorgeous sapphire blue semi-circular masterpiece dubbed the Tang Hua XY08 Chika. The Chika is yet another all-electric car featuring crushing performance from its massive four kilowatt electric motor (5.36 HP) and automatic transmission. Hold onto your hats: This baby does 31 MPH and will get you anywhere within 93 miles. Wait, that's actually not too bad for an e-car...well, if you discount the whole "fiery death in a crumpled heap of thermoformed polycarbonate" aspect. More »
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Meet the Heuliez Friendly, the Heuliez Pondicherry and the Heuliez... uh, Electric Dump Truck Scooter? Okay, we don't know the name of the last one, we just made that up, but all three are cool as hell for pocket sized electric cars. The Friendly contains more standard weirdness than any run of the mill Citroen could ever dream of, note the McLaren F1-inspired center seating and dual sliding doors — take that McLaren. Check out the wooden load floor on the camino-like Pondicherry — reminds us of our '51 Chevy 3100. These things are so cool, we might slip one in each pocket and try to smuggle them past customs on the way home. More »
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We can't tell what's more terrifying about the Wallyscar, planted right next to the Honda stand here at the 2008 Paris Auto Show; Is it the name all by itself? The deft combination of styling from the 70's era Ford Bronco, Jeep Scrambler, and Hummer H2? Or is it the fold-down front window on a vehicle made largely of injection-molded plastic? It could be any or all of the above, but hey, if you don't die in the rollover, the subsequent fire from the Peugeot 1.4-liter four cylinder will cause the melting plastic to ensure your corpse will stay preserved as a monument to poor decision making. More »
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Everyone's favorite communist-era carmaker and automotive laughing-stock on safety has just revealed a supercar concept here at the Paris Motor Show. Best part? It's called the Lada Revolution 3. Apparently the first two must have had something to do with forcing the Bolsheviks from power. Anyway, it's theoretically equipped with a Renault two-liter four cylinder able to make a 0-to-62 run in 5.9 seconds with a top end speed of 155 MPH. Stopping is done via two-piece 315 mm rotors and four-piston calipers. This would be the fastest Lada ever built, which begs a question. Would you really feel comfortable cruising Russia's roadways at 155 MPH in this Supercar? There's just something about a supercar with a Renault engine and the Lada name proudly emblazoned on the steering wheel that makes us shudder at the thought. Hold onto your buttskies, folks! Hit the jump to see how it would fit in with the rest of the Lada lineup. More »
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Ever wonder what the plug-in unit for the Chevy Volt looks like? Well now you know. Here at the Paris Motor Show the display car is tethered to the very slanted display stand by way of extension cord and locking plug-in mechanism. The power port is, as expected, hidden behind the "Volt" name plate ahead of the mirrors, though we expected it would flip up, apparently the plate slides forward. Pretty trick-looking if you ask us. More »
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The Lotus Evora has been loved and hated since its debut at the British Motor Show earlier this year, but it's now the Paris Motor Show and we haven't seen any kind of real shots of the so-called "back seat" of this supposed four-passenger car. Since we did the back-seat duties with the Lamborghini Estoque, we figured it only fair to visit the Evora and take a look at it for ourselves. In person, the Evora is a gorgeous car — its taut and swoopy skin really does give the impression of speed even standing still. Those back seats, however, give the impression of a perfect place for a family with dwarf amputee children. More »
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Venturi has debuted an all-new concept here at the 2008 Paris Motor Show: the Venturi Volage. The Volage takes the electric sports car concept and really runs with it — the all carbon-fiber car is equipped with the first application we've seen of the Michelin Active Wheel, the compact unit using in-wheel electric drive motors is installed at all four corners with a suspension driven by a second set of e-motors. The whole thing can be configured for any desired ride at the touch of a... uh, touch screen. According to Venturi, the Volage is actually expected to be produced in limited numbers in the 2012 model year, assembled by hand at its shops in Monaco. If this is true, it'll totally make the Tesla Roadster look like last decade's model (cause it will be by then). Press release and more images below. More »
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Subaru has finally pulled the trigger on its EE20 Boxer Diesel in a big way here at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. They've seen fit to lay down a copious supply of cross sectioned and exploded-view engines for a sufficient supply of engine porn and have thrown them into some cars to boot, namely the Subaru Forester 2.0D, the Subaru Impreza 2.0D, and the Subaru Legacy 2.0D. As you might have guessed, they're all outfitted with the same 2.0 liter horizontally opposed boxer diesel, a common rail, turbocharged oil burner good for 144 HP in the Forester and 147 HP in the Legacy and Impreza. All engines make 259 lb-ft of torque between 1800 and 2400 RPM while returning about 40 MPG on the European combined fuel cycle. Definitely some nice numbers, now if only we could get 'em in the States. Complete, and we do mean complete, details on the Boxer Diesel engine, galleries on the lineup and nearly-NSFW engine pics below. More »
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Renault just unveiled the bird of prey-like Ondelios concept at the Paris Motor Show. Like seemingly every other concept car ever made, it’s a luxury crossover vehicle that’s also green by way of a mysterious hybrid powertrain. No one cares about any of that though, because they’re just looking at the Renault Ondelios's huge gullwing doors that provide access to the plush four-seat interior. Hit the jump for the waffley press release. More »
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The long unveil process is finally over, and here's the four-door Lamborghini Estoque Concept, live and in the flesh. We'd love to tell you more about Lambo's second ever four-door, and their first ever "four-door sports car" but since they haven't even made up their minds about which engine it'll have (anything from a big TDI to the Gallardo LP 560-4's V10), there's just not much to say. Looks better live than in the press shots though. And just in case you were wondering: we totally would. Lambo's lengthy release with little details on a car they're simply sure to make following the jump. More »
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The least exciting new Bimmer in living memory, the BMW X1, is here. And here it is. Still reading? Nope, didn’t think so. It’s some sort of small cross over vehicle that we bet BMW will assign a whole bunch of acronyms to in a supposed effort to make it drive well, but really it’ll just be boring. Still, we bet every college girl in Jersey just has to have one during the summer of 2010. More details when it official drops at the Paris Motor Show on Thursday and Friday. Let’s hope Ben, who’s flying to Gay Paris as we speak, is able to bring us news of more exciting models post haste. More »
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We've been showered with photos and details of the new Audi S4 Sedan and Audi S4 Avant ahead of the official Paris unveiling and the numbers do look good. Using supercharging and direct injection, the folks in Ingolstadt have managed to squeeze 333 HP out of the 3.0-liter V6, good for a 5.1 second 0-to-62 run while still returning an average of 24 MPG. S4 buyers will also get a seven-speed S-Tronic gearbox, Quattro all-wheel drive and the standard-issue array of electronic nannies keeping everything in line. Still, if this S4 runs as well as the specs suggest, we can't wait to get some seat time. Full press release after the jump. More »
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With 427 HP on tap, the 750i ActiveHybrid concept just revealed by BMW ahead of the Paris Motor Show isn't exactly going to appeal to most treehuggers. The concept's more along the lines of the Mercedes S400 BlueHYBRID and the Lexus LS600hL — looking green without in any way being green. Of course, while it may share essentially the same mild hybrid system as the Mercedes, the BMW has a throbbing 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 compared to the Benz's sensible V6. That engine combined with a 20 HP electric motor means a total of 442 lb-ft of torque. So what exactly is 'green' about this power-barge? More »
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Along with the 2010 Chevy Cruze we got a look at in the GM Paris Auto Show Preview, we also got a glimpse at a couple of concepts that'll make their way to Paris, such as this Saab 9X Air concept. If you're thinking it looks familiar, you'd be right; the concept builds on the Saab 9X and delivers open-air delights by hacking the top off. The 9X Air sports not just a soft top, but a slick, speedster profile and a high-tech gauge panel. Few details were revealed, and we're sort of wondering if it's only going to be available with two USB ports and a battery you can't change, but we'll find out more soon enough. More »
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Grab your crayons, kids: Outlines of the 2010 Suzuki Kizashi have been leaked from the sieve-like European Trademark Office. The end result looks like the Suzuki Kizashi 3 concept after engineering dropped it in the dryer and put it on the "Sonata, Malibu, 1-Series Cycle." This is a pretty weak leak, considering we don't know what the lights, wheels, and grille really look like, but combined with news about the Kizashi's engines last week, we practically know everything there is to know about the car. You can color in the rest between the lines. More »
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Not content to debut just the freshly face-lifted 2009 Mazda MX-5 at the Paris Motor Show, Mazda will also be showing off it's latest iteration of the Nagare design language via the Mazda Kiyora Concept. The "urban compact concept car" features not just the swoopy design style, but also a four-cylinder direct-injection engine capable of stop-start operation and a new conceptual platform designed for optimized safety and driving dynamics. In addition to the MX-5 and the Kiyora, we'll get our first peek at the Euro-spec Mazda6 with a 2.2-liter turbodiesel, and the Mazda2 with a 1.6-liter turbodiesel, both of which we'll wantonly covet. Press release below. More »
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One of the most impressive things about the 2009 Corvette ZR1 is how much grip it has. Normally, sticking 638 HP into something that weighs just 3,350 LBS and driving only the rear wheels would result in massive amounts of wheel spin, both in a straight line and around corners. But in the ZR1, it doesn’t — not without significant provocation. This is partly due to the whiz-bang magnetic damping system that adjusts itself near-instantaneously to keep the car level around corners and keep the tires in contact with the road over rough surfaces. But a big part of its grip, and the resulting 7:26.4 ‘Ring time, comes down to the tires: Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 ZPs specially developed, racecar-style, alongside the ZR1. More »
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Of course you know how to do a burnout. We all talk a big game when it comes to hoonage, but as we get ready for the Woodward Dream Cruise this weekend, we're sure there's got to be someone out there who might appreciate a simple instructional video. For this lesson, we'll be showing you how to do a burnout with a rear-wheel-drive, automatic transmission vehicle.
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As expected, GM just reported a net loss of $15.5 billion (an astounding $27.33 per share) and an adjusted net loss of $6.3 billion ($11.21 per share) after charges of $9.1 billion in non-cash "special" one-time items for the second quarter of 2008. Second quarter liquidity of $21 billion, plus a credit line of an additional $5 billion. All the nitty-gritty dirty details below the jump and we'll have more analysis shortly. More »
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A guy named Ed that works for Edmunds Inside Line (we suspect nepotism) just got back from driving the 2008 Dodge Viper ACR to Bonneville. There, he discovered that driving really fast in a straight line, at least in a twitchy track special on the salt, is a lot harder than it looks. If we'd been there, we'd have told him that the key to traction in slippery conditions (whether they be caused by salt, rain, ice or snow) is high revs and small throttle openings, but then no one ever listens to that advice anyways. While he didn't quite hit 200 MPH, Ed did manage to discover a truth about driving a Viper: you pay for its speed with hard work. We just hope his back managed well with the strain. More »
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At today's NextCruise announcement, automakers dragged out their leanest, meanest, greenest vehicles as a backdrop for the action. Of course, the fact that they were all SUVs was a bit ironic. But also on hand was a hot Corvette Z06 modified for Detroit Grand Prix pace duty and sipping E85 fuel. While no announcement was made, racing legend Emerson Fittipaldi's name is planted smack-dab on the driver's side B-pillar, making it pretty clear who's going to be at the helm during the 2008 Detroit Grand Prix. More »
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Why you should buy the 2008 Dodge Charger SRT8: More »
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Exterior Design: ****
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While Wert spent last week behind the wheel of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8, I had the muscle car's big, boorish bear of a brother, the 2008 Dodge Charger SRT8. The two cars may come off the same production lines, but I'm finding myself using a different set of adjectives than the petals of flowery prose Wert scattered in front of the Challenger's tires. The Charger SRT8 is pitifully crude, boorish and obnoxious. As far as high performance goes, it's a complete piece of shit. But it's the most badass, tire-spinning, smoke-billowingly fun piece of shit we've ever driven.
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For some of you, the images of the "Project ANGRIER" 1969 Dodge Daytona replica will forever be etched on your subconscious, filed under "badass." Unfortunately, things didn't turn out as planned for the Daytona with the run ending way early due to a busted wheel. After the wheel was replaced with a Ford Fusion, the team pressed on for the eventual finish in Phoenix. A full report of the race is posted over at Cardomain, so go check it out for all the juicy details on just what kind of wheel failure retires a made-to-run rally car. More »
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For the very special price of $75,329 (¥7,980,000) GM's willing to give you what they're calling the Chevrolet Corvette S-Limited. Sure, it looks a lot like a regular 'Vette, but it's spec'd out with mesh inserts, a set of special wheels, a lip spoiler and with only 30 of them being offered (15 in black, 15 in white), it sounds like a sure winner to us. Heck, we're about to hop a flight over to Japan so we can get one right this instant. Can you tell how super awesome excited we are for the chance to buy a limited edition of the number one best super car from America? Well, that could be because we're actually not at all excited at the prospect of purchasing a special edition Corvette that looks like the only thing special about it is it's been given the Pep Boy "#4" kit. More »
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The coolest thing about the Pininfarina Hyperion isn't its swooping, yacht-influenced lines or abbreviated passenger compartment. It's that this isn't a concept car, it's a one-off coach-built special commissioned by a wealthy enthusiast. Other details on the Rolls Royce Drophead Coupe special haven't yet emerged, but expect to see the Hyperion in full at the Pebble Beach Concours in August. [via Pininfarina] More »
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