Newswheel staff :: 29 May 2007 :: Filed under Volkswagen, Europe & UK
Paddle-operated robot gearboxes are not exactly the best solution for an immersive driving experience. But if you must go semi-auto, VW’s dual-clutch DSG box is one the very best. And it just got better. On paper, at least. VW has announced a new variant of DSG with seven speeds and a new dry-clutch configuration…
Newswheel staff :: 17 May 2007 :: Filed under Saloon, Vauxhall, Vauxhall Vectra, Europe & UK
Mass-market, mid-sized saloons ain’t exactly money spinners anymore. In Europe, compact execs like BMW’s 3 and the Audi A4 have become today’s high-volume repmobiles. But Opel / Vauxhall’s upcoming Vectra is still an important design and technology bellwether for the company. It will also lend its underpinnings to a wide range of GM vehicles around the world from Saturn to Saab…
Newswheel staff :: 15 May 2007 :: Filed under Cabriolet, Coupe, Hatchback, Audi, Audi A5, Europe & UK, US
The A5 and S5 coupes were just the beginning, folks. According to reports, Audi is tooling up to release a wide range of variants based on its new coupe, including an inevitable uber-hot RS5, a cabriolet and an intriguing shooting brake concoction…
Newswheel staff :: 15 May 2007 :: Filed under Chrysler, Mercedes Benz
The game is up and it’s time to wheel out the euphemisms, chaps. Cue Dieter Zetsche, head honcho of DaimlerChrysler AG: “We substantially overestimated the potential for synergies.” Yup, the Daimler-Chrysler experiment, if you hadn’t already guessed, is no more. Private equity outfit Cerberus Capital Management has agreed to pay 5.5 billion euros ($7.4 billion) for an 80.1% stake in Chrysler…
Newswheel staff :: 11 May 2007 :: Filed under Saloon, Saab, Saab 9-3, Europe & UK
Due out later this year, these are the first official images of the facelifted Saab 9-3. At least, that’s what they purport to be. And frankly, a mildly tweaked 9-3 isn’t something you’d expect anyone would bother to fake. So, we’ll give these leaked snaps the benefit of the doubt…
Newswheel staff :: 11 May 2007 :: Filed under Cabriolet, Front engine sportscar, Mercedes Benz, Mercedes Benz SLR, Europe & UK
Let’s be honest. MB’s SLR supercoupe doesn’t really add up. Perhaps it’s the gloopy, unsubtle ‘90s concept car styling. Or maybe the torque-converter gearbox which belies its supercar pretensions. And what about the hair-trigger brakes? Whatever, the SLR is neither fish nor foul, sportscar nor luxury coupe. But that hasn’t stopped Mercedes from attempting to reignite interest in the long-nosed road missile with this new drop-top revision…
Newswheel staff :: 10 May 2007 :: Filed under Hatchback, Volkswagen
File this one under long-term rumours, but VW could be preparing a return to its people’s car roots courtesy of a bargain basement rear-engine model. The basic idea is an honest reinterpretation of the original Beetle for the third millennium. The compact, lightweight car would have an efficient water-cooled engine mounted aft and a radiator up front…
Newswheel staff :: 10 May 2007 :: Filed under BMW
That’ll be three years on the trot, then. Yup, BMW has topped the tables again in the International Engine of the Year award. This year’s triumphant lump is the twin-turbo six pot fitted to the 335i. BMW took the gong in ’05 and ’06 with the V10 screamer from the M5 and M6 models…
Newswheel staff :: 10 May 2007 :: Filed under Crossover, Hatchback, Opel, Vauxhall, Vauxhall Signum
If you’re wondering why most car companies are so damn conservative, look no further than the Vauxhall / Opel Signum. GM’s Euro subsidiary was happily cranking out the usual conventional and anonymous fare when some bright spark had the great idea to build a cheap executive car that was built for passenger comfort, not street cruising cred. Well, it didn’t work – the Signum hasn’t sold well and it dies next year…
Newswheel staff :: 06 May 2007 :: Filed under Coupe, BMW, BMW 1 Series, Europe & UK
BMW’s latest V8-powered M3 coupé is a damn fine thing. But we can’t help mourning the loss of classic six-pot power. But maybe there’s no need. According to a recent report, BMW is preparing to drop the engine into the upcoming 1 Series coupé. Even more tantalising, however, is the prospect of a lightweight Motorsport variant of the next 1 series, powered by a high output four-pot lump and designed to resurrect the finely honed driving experienced delivered by the original E30 M3…
Newswheel staff :: 04 May 2007 :: Filed under Porsche, Porsche 911
Tragic but utterly inevitable. The Annual Competition to Find the World’s Biggest Showoff,
otherwise known as the Gumball 3000 road rally, has taken the life of
an innocent bystander. Two British men driving a modified Porsche 911
were reportedly involved in an accident on Wednesday in Macedonia in
which a 67-year-old man was killed. The precise details of the
accident remain unclear. However, as for the “race” itself, in an act of
surprising sanity the organisers have called an early end to proceedings…
Newswheel staff :: 02 May 2007 :: Filed under Saloon, Nanjing, Rover
Crusty old Steve Cropley, Autocar’s Antipodean anglophile, has the scoop on the first production variants of Nanjing’s resurrected Rover 75. “Reassuringly British,” quothe Cropley, though we dare not speculate what Britishness means in the context of modern motor manufacturing…
Newswheel staff :: 02 May 2007 :: Filed under Mid / rear engine sportscar, Lamborghini, Lamborghini Murcielago, Europe & UK
The Superleggera lightweight Gallardo experiment has been a winner for Lamborghini. The rave reviews and refreshed interest in what is a rather mature product range are exactly what the doctor ordered. With that in mind, it’s no surprise to find that Lambo is tooling up to give the big, bad Murcielago the Superleggera treatment…
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