Auto News

by Jeremy Korzeniewski on Jan 6th 2009 at 1:59PMThere’s more that one way to green a car, and many of the most interesting technological advancements don’t involve powering an internal combustion engine. Consider that much of the fabric, plastic and rubber that goes into a car’s construction is derived from petroleum, and you see why alternatives are becoming increasingly attractive. Automakers have taken up corn-based plastics and soy-based seat foam, and now the latest greenery comes by way of defatted soy flour. (Read the full post about ‘Vegetarian radials? Defatted soy eyed as tire filler substitute’…)

Share This

If you want to be notified the next time I write something, subscribe to the RSS feed. Thanks for reading.

It seems we’ve got a lot of news about cutbacks and bailouts lately. Now we finally have something to get excited about as a cool car is doing well: 10,000 pre-orders have come in for the Chevrolet Camaro.

Back in October, Chevy had already received 6,000 orders in the first month the car was on sale. While that was impressive, those orders were mostly for the V8 cars. What worried some industry floks was would the car be able to go mainstream. But it seems the last few months have seen runs on the smaller engine. “We are getting a considerable amount of V6 orders,” said Mark LaNeve, GM’s head of marketing and sales.

The entry-level V6 Chevrolet Camaro uses a 3.6-liter V6 unit producing 296bhp and 273lb ft of torque, while the range-topping SS will produce 416bhp from its 6.2-liter V8.

(Read the full post about ‘A bit of good news: Chevrolet receives 10,000 orders for Camaro’…)

Share This

The Detroit Auto Show is just around that corner, and Jaguar will show the world the new XFR. This will mark the premiere of Jag’s enlarged 5.0-liter supercharged V8. But now that Jaguar has finished development on the 500 hp engine (which is also already earmarked for other Jaguar cars), what’s it supposed to do now to occupy the time? Why not make the XF’s handling razor sharp?

It’s rumored that Jaguar is working on a new version called the XFR-S. Just like the XKR-S of last summer, its expected to focus strictly on suspension and ride characteristics. The engine should remain untouched.

No word yet if the XFR-S will make it to the U.S., because there’s no official word that the car exists.

(Read the full post about ‘Will there be a XFR-S?’…)

Share This

by Chris Shunk on Jan 6th 2009 at 10:01AMPorsche is continuing to wag the dog by upping its stake in VW to over 50%. The move, which cost Porsche $8.49 billion, adds another 8% to the German automaker’s ownership stake. The move to 50% was supposed happen late in 2008, but a short squeeze temporarily skyrocketed VW stock from 210 Euros to over 1,000, delaying the move. Porsche’s increase in VW stake also gave the iconic automaker indirect control of Swedish truckmaker Scania. Swedish law requires a mandatory takeover offer, but since Porsche has no interest in truck tech, it will only offer the minimum amount required. The much smaller Porsche has been deliberate in its bid to own the much larger VW, and its plans don’t end at 50%. (Read the full post about ‘Porsche raises stake in VW to 50%’…)

Share This

• SEE ALSO: Making of “Iron and Lace” Harley-Davidson Pinup Calendar

CHARLOTTE, N.C. January 6, 2009: SPEED opens its 2009 season for prime time originals Jan. 20, 2009 with the return of Super Bikes! (8 p.m. ET) hosted by Hollywood stunt rider Jason Britton and Livin’ the Low Life (9 p.m. ET) hosted by Cuban-born cover girl Vida Guerra.

In season four of Super Bikes!, Britton journeys to points as disparate as the Dakotas, Laguna Seca, Indianapolis, the city of brotherly love and even Spain while still finding time to attend motorcycle vocational school.

(Read the full post about ‘Cover Girl Vida Guerra Back for Second Season of SPEED Prime Time Original Livin the Low Life’…)

Share This

BLUFFDALE, Utah january 6, 2009: Aero Performance Products, Inc. (OTCBB:AERP), which operates Aero Exhaust, Inc., a world leader in performance exhaust airflow technology, today announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Jones Exhaust Systems, Inc., one of the most respected specialty exhaust manufacturers in the United States.

Under terms of the agreement, Aero Performance Products will purchase all of the issued and outstanding shares of Jones Exhaust Systems including its manufacturing and real estate assets. The purchase is being financed with the participation of an investment banking firm, and Aero plans to announce details of its investment banking relationship in the next several days.

(Read the full post about ‘Aero Performance Products, Inc. Announces Agreement to Acquire Jones Exhaust Products, Inc.’…)

Share This

The No. 40 Mazda RX-8 will Sport Pink Trim to Support Breast Cancer Awareness

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. January 4, 2009: Dempsey Racing will partner with the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer for the 2009 Rolex 24 At Daytona, and will carry pink trim on the black and white No. 40 Mazda RX-8 driven by Patrick Dempsey, Joe Foster and Charles Espenlaub.

The team will compete in the GT class of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 in the January 24-25 event, the 47th running of America’s premier sports car race.

“Real men can wear pink,” said Dempsey, who races in the Rolex Series when his busy shooting schedule for the popular television program, Grey’s Anatomy, allows.

(Read the full post about ‘Dempsey Racing, Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Team Up for Rolex 24 At Daytona’…)

Share This

CHICAGO, Jan 5, 2009; Reuters reported that the following are the 20 top-selling vehicles in the U.S. through December of 2008 as reported by the automakers. Total sales of the top 20 vehicles fell 12.3 percent, or 709,002 units, to 5,067,078. Following is a list of the top 20 selling vehicles, ranked by total units.

(Read the full post about ‘Top 20 selling vehicles in U.S. through December’…)

Share This

Looks like the company that likes to give little LED light eyebrows to all its cars, just loves the LED lights in general. Audi has announced that the V10 version of the R8 sports car will be the first car in the world to be equipped with all-LED headlamps for both high and low beams, as well as for daytime running lights and indicators.

The LED headlamp of the Audi R8 is the first representative of a completely new generation of headlamps using only light emitting diodes (LED), which reduces CO2 emissions. But there is saving the environment, and then there is just going LED crazy.

(Read the full post about ‘Audi R8 V10 will be first car to all LED headlamps’…)

Share This

Auto Express Car Reviews By Jack Rix06th January 2009 Hold onto your hats, the most powerful Bentley convertible ever has blown in! We brought you spy shots of the Bentley GTC Speed back in October, but these are the first official pictures of the 200mph drop-top.The GTC is the third Bentley to receive the ‘Speed’ treatment, following the GT coupe and the Continental Flying Spur. They all share a pumped-up version of the 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 engine, the most compact 12-cylinder in the world, producing 600bhp and an astonishing 750Nm of torque. Despite weighing in at a hefty two and a half tonnes 0-60mph is despatched in 4.5 seconds, while a 200mph top speed is possible with the roof in place, 195mph when it’s stowed. (Read the full post about ‘Bentley GTC Speed touches down - Bentley GTC Speed’…)

Share This