Newswheel staff :: 30 November 2005 :: Filed under Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo, Europe & UK, US
Ford’s Premier Automotive Group (PAG), which includes Jaguar, Aston Martin, Volvo and Land Rover, is a money pit. It lost a hilarious $740 million in 2004, and has dumped another $146 million so far in 2005. But the company’s CEO, good old Bill Ford, has sworn that PAG will make money in 2006.
Newswheel staff :: 30 November 2005 :: Filed under Chrysler, Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, Europe & UK, US
Developing modern motor cars is a shockingly expensive business. Which explains why German heavyweights and historical sworn enemies VW and DaimlerChyrsler could be hopping into to bed to produce not just a van/MPV, but also a VW Polo-based car.
Newswheel staff :: 30 November 2005 :: Filed under Hatchback, Mini MPV / People carrier, Seat, Seat Leon, Europe & UK
Oh Lordy. Can anyone prevent the rise of the performance diesel? Not Seat, it seems. The VW-owned Spanish outfit has announced a new 2.0-litre 168bhp diesel variant of the Altea. It’s good for 60 in eight seconds and 140mph.
Newswheel staff :: 29 November 2005 :: Filed under Saloon, SUV, Hyundai, Hyundai Azera, Hyundai Santa Fe, Europe & UK, US
While GM and Ford flirt with catastrophic failure and several other large automakers battle just to to break even, cheap and cheerful Hyundai is making a mint. Since 1999, it’s been the fastest growing major car-maker. But if the Korean outfit’s success has so far been based on bargain basement pricing rather than high quality product, get ready for a metamorphosis. It could be time for the usual luxury car brands, both in Europe and Japan, to take Hyundai seriously.
Newswheel staff :: 28 November 2005 :: Filed under Saloon, Citroen, Citroen C6, Europe & UK
Citroen’s new C6 flagship model has bagged a maximum score in the latest round of Euro NCAP safety tests. The big Frenchie not only scored a maximum five out five for adult passenger safety, but also becomes the first car to take home all four stars for pedestrian safety. The C6 rounded-out its full house of safety scores with a perfect four star child occupant result.
Newswheel staff :: 25 November 2005 :: Filed under Coupe, BMW, BMW 3 Series, Europe & UK, US
With the Geneva motor show launch of the new 3 Series coupe approaching, the test mules are slowly shedding their disguise. So, it’s time for a little speculation.
Newswheel staff :: 25 November 2005 :: Filed under Saloon, BMW, BMW 3 Series, Europe & UK
BMW has launched a special homologation variant of the 3 Series Saloon. The 320si packs a hand-built version of the BMW’s Hams Hall, Coventry-built four cylinder engine. The new model is being produced to comply with the FIA’s World Touring Car homologation regs for 2006, so production will be limited to 2,600 worldwide with 500 coming to the UK.
Newswheel staff :: 24 November 2005 :: Filed under Hatchback, Audi, Audi A2, Europe & UK
The original A2 (shown above) was a fabulous little car. It was beautifully engineered from lightweight aluminium. It was a thoroughly modern, efficient and responsible car optimised for today’s crowded road conditions. It boasted confident, minimalist styling that shames Audi’s current predilection for door-sized grilles and fussy swage lines. And it was an utter failure. So, it should come as no surprise that the new A2 will be little more than a rebodied VW Polo.
Newswheel staff :: 24 November 2005 :: Filed under Four wheel drive, Hatchback, SUV, Fiat, Fiat Panda, Europe & UK,
This is the new Fiat Panda Cross. A funky four-wheel drive version of your favourite friendly Fiat. Of course, Fiat will already flog you the Panda 4x4, so is the Panda Cross more style statement than first and foremost functional?
Newswheel staff :: 23 November 2005 :: Filed under Saloon, Hartge, Hartge H50, Europe & UK, US
Keeping up the fine German tradition of utter car-tuning madness, Hartge has dropped the BMW M5’s monumental 5-litre V10 lump into the E90 vintage 3 Series. Of course, the temptation to fiddle with the engine for the new H50 could not be resisted, so power jumps by 50bhp for a rather sickening grand total of 550bhp.
Newswheel staff :: 23 November 2005 :: Filed under Four wheel drive, SUV, Hyundai, Hyundai Santa Fe, Europe & UK, US
Hyundai has released the first official pictures of its new mid-sized SUV, the Santa Fe. While few technical details have been divulged, it’s believed the new Santa Fe is larger and more luxurious than the existing model, thereby creating more space between it and the Tuscon, launched early last year.
Newswheel staff :: 23 November 2005 :: Filed under Coupe, Mid / rear engine sportscar, Roadster, AC, Europe & UK, US
The Project Kimber consortium, led by so-called company doctor David James, is in talks with Daimler Chrysler about bagging the rights to build the SMART roadster and coupe models. So says the Sunday Times newspaper.
Newswheel staff :: 23 November 2005 :: Filed under Coupe, Front engine sportscar, BMW, BMW Z4, BMW Z4M, Europe & UK, US
The Z4 Coupe, including an M derivative, has been given the green light. That much we already know. But the really good news is that the car will be available as early as June next year.
Newswheel staff :: 23 November 2005 :: Filed under Hatchback, Mini MPV / People carrier, Chrysler, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Europe & UK
Rejoice and make merry, dear readers. For on this day of November 23rd 2005 we bring you the most marvelous news that Chrysler has released a reborn PT Cruiser for the UK. Oh yes, not only does the new model receive a massaged front grille, tweaked headlights and new front fog lamps, but Chrysler have also glued a new rear spoiler on the tailgate. It doesn’t get much better than this, friends.
Newswheel staff :: 22 November 2005 :: Filed under GM, US
GM yesterday announced a wide ranging package of measures designed to turn the ailing giant around. The headline statistics are the culling of 30,000 jobs and 12 factories in North America. In total, GM hopes this will help save the firm around $7 billion.
Newswheel staff :: 21 November 2005 :: Filed under Hatchback, Hybrid, Toyota, Europe & UK, US
Japanese giant Toyota is so far ahead of the Euro and US competition when it comes to hybrid technology it’s frankly embarrassing. It already has several models on the market with more to follow soon. But one thing Toyota’s hybrids ain’t is cheap. Not for too long, however. 2008 will see the roll out of a new generation of cheaper Toyota hybrids.
Newswheel staff :: 21 November 2005 :: Filed under Four wheel drive, SUV, Porsche, Porsche Cayenne, US
When Porsche originally took the wraps off the Cayenne SUV, fans of the German sports car brand unleashed a collective vomit. But as news of the model’s success spread, most accepted that if the Cayenne was making plenty of moolah (and thereby helping to secure the success and independence of Porsche in the long run) it perhaps wasn’t such a bad idea. But what if the Cayenne wasn’t a smash hit after all…
Newswheel staff :: 21 November 2005 :: Filed under Four wheel drive, Hatchback, Volkswagen, Volkswagen Polo, Europe & UK
As exercises in ironic nomenclature go, it doesn’t get much better than the VW Polo Fun. Unless, of course, your idea of fun is ruining the ride and handling of a car by jacking the suspension up by 20mm for purely cosmetic purposes. But ignore our cynicism. Because VW sold three times more Funs than originally planned. So, it’s no surprise that VW has created another soft-roader variant for the recently updated Polo range, known as the CrossPolo.
Newswheel staff :: 21 November 2005 :: Filed under Four wheel drive, Saloon, Audi, Audi A8, Europe & UK, US
It’s easy to forget that Audi’s A8 is one of the few mass-production motor cars constructed largely from aluminium. But German tuner MTM has provided an awesome reminder with this stripped-down-and-polished A8 for a customer in Dubai.
Newswheel staff :: 19 November 2005 :: Filed under Mini MPV / People carrier, Vauxhall, Vauxhall Meriva, Europe & UK, US
Offering performance versions of mass-market hatchbacks and saloons in an effort to add a little sex appeal to the rest of the range makes plenty of sense. After all, the corporate drones who drive such mundane machinery probably hanker after something a little racier. With the turbo-charged Zafira mid-sized MPV, however, Vauxhall successfully stretched that theory to new limits. But you’ve gotta wonder, has it gone a step too far with the new 180bhp Meriva mini-MPV?
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