2/2/2012

The BMW i3 concept has been around for some time, but now we can speculate that BMW must be close to having a production car on their hands.

These newest spy photos show the i3 playing around in some snow in the European north, and looking like it could be ready for the road fairly soon. The i3 will feature a carbon-fiber reinforced plastic chassis to make it incredibly light, and along...

1/30/2012

Some sectors and businesses have been more resilient than others to the economic crisis. But has the recession actually been a driver of growth for any? Apparently so – and they’re fast gaining investor attention, emerging as the ultimate recession-busting cleantech investment.

Unsurprisingly, the idea of reusing goods – extending their lives by trading used or refurbished items and the...

1/4/2012

Icons of Style: Mercedes-Benz Features New SL Roadster and Supermodel Lara Stone in Calvin Klein Collection, Captured by Alex Prager

New York, December 2011 – Mercedes-Benz USA announces today the 2012 Fashion Collaboration starring the new SL Roadster with Lara Stone in Calvin Klein Collection, captured by Alex Prager. The 2012 Mercedes-Benz Icons of Style images by Alex Prager can be ...

1/4/2012

First, let's put some salient numbers on the table: 5.5 million versus 2.7 million and $67.14 per hour versus $33.77 per hour.

The first set of numbers belong to Germany, and represent the total number of vehicles built in 2010 and the average wage of an autoworker in that country. The second set of numbers are the equivalent figures from the United States. In other words, twice as many...

12/13/2011

It's getting darn near impossible for automakers to keep their latest wares hidden from view until they are good and ready to show them. Such is the case with Mercedes-Benz, who's latest SL has leaked to the internet courtesy of the crew at Autoblog.nl.

If we had to guess, we'd say these images come from a brochure of some sort, and they show the 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL from the front and...

12/6/2011

While BMW (and by relation, Mini) have been pioneering in-car connectivity for the last few years, Hyundai is still playing catch-up. The Korean automaker's focus has been squarely set on bringing world-beating products to market, but consumer demand for infotainment systems isn't abating.

So Hyundai is joining BMW and a range of technology companies to work on the next generation of i...

11/21/2011

The Brutus is a relic from another time. A time when men approached automobile racing with reckless abandon by cramming the largest, most powerful engine available onto a chassis supported by the world's skinniest tires. Suspension, brakes and cumbersome safety equipment were all scrapped for bullet-shaped bodywork and testicles the size of small planetary bodies. The Brutus boasts a 46-liter BMW ...

11/18/2011

With alternative powertrains staking a larger claim in the mainstream, it's simply a matter of time before automakers begin adapting the technology for performance applications. The in-house tuning division of Mercedes-Benz won't be left behind, and we'll see the first all-electric AMG product by the end of next year.

Mercedes will begin taking orders for the SLS AMG E-Cell towards the ...

11/14/2011

Volvo enthusiasts should know the name Polestar well. The performance garage has a long history of tuning Volvos, and was anointed by the factory to run its works touring car program. Based on that success, Polestar launched a radical C30 PCP concept that is tipped to jump-start a new era of performance models from the Swedish auto marque.

Most recently, Volvo turned to Polestar to help...

11/14/2011

The menacing Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG coupe is slowly making its way into dealerships, ready to eat the souls of any driver willing to tame the 451-horsepower super coupe. It's a hardcore two-door with a naturally aspirated V8 powerplant under the hood, and in our recent stint behind the wheel, we fell head-over-heels in love.

But the C63 isn't the only hot super coupe on the block. The Au...

11/3/2011

Engine notes are a funny thing. They don't add anything to a car's performance capabilities. They don't improve emissions or lower fuel consumption. They don't contribute to ride quality or overall refinement – in fact you could argue just the opposite, at least indirectly. Yet automakers spend a great deal of time and resources to ensure their cars sound just right.

Few engines emit th...

10/25/2011

Mercedes-Benz is mulling a range of new engine configurations, according to CAR Magazine, including a new straight six. The news comes courtesy of an unnamed engineer who also said that the German automaker is currently planning a range of smaller-displacement, forced-induction V8 engines, as well as a larger selection of four-cylinder options.

The company's larger vehicles will subsist...

10/24/2011

There is a lot to love about the 2014 Audi e-tron Spyder. It's a compact roadster with a torque-happy, twin-turbo diesel V6 mated to two electric motors capable of more instant twist. When we recently took the e-tron Spyder for a spin, we were limited to just 40 miles per hour, but the Four-Ringed automaker tells us that a trip to 62 takes only 4.4 seconds.

And because this Spyder is a ...

10/21/2011

It's been less than a week since BMW dropped the first images of its redesigned 3 Series sedan on us, but already the imaginations are running wild about what the next M3 might look like. Automotive manipulator Theophilus Chin has given us his take on the F30-based M3, and it's about what you might expect.

With enlarged air ducts in the front fascia to feed the intercoolers for a rumore...

10/19/2011

Nearly 7,000 Mercedes-Benz vehicles are being recalled for potentially leaky fuel filters. Included under the recall are diesel (read: Bluetec) versions of the 2011 E-Class, GL-Class, M-Class, and R-Class, as well as the 2012 S-Class.

The 2011 model year vehicles being recalled were built between January 2010 and April 2011. NHTSA says fuel filters on affected vehicles "may develop leak...

10/14/2011

It's not easy designing and building a car from the ground up, and that's especially true when the resulting machine is meant to usher in a new styling direction for an established automotive marque or to put on display the latest bits of technological wizardry and high-fashion materials. Such is the case with the Mercedes-Benz Concept A-Class.

The German automaker is quite proud of its...

10/10/2011

We love the 5.0-liter V10 from BMW. Besides having an affinity for any engine with more than eight cylinders, the torque-happy five-liter sounds like straight glory and is happy to induce all sorts of tail-wagging fun from the outgoing M5. That doesn't mean there's not room for improvement, however.

The minds at Dinan have taken the time to put the engine through the standard performan...

10/7/2011

BMW Individual, the most exclusive way to drive a BMW, is now also available as an interactive experience on the iPad. An innovative user interface allows you to navigate through chapters that describe the premium BMW Individual range in detail.

The wealth of customization options leaves you plenty of room for new inspiration, allowing you to realize your dream of the perfect automobile...

10/6/2011

At the heart of every dyed-in-the-wool car nut is someone who loves gadgetry. Lately, automakers like Mercedes-Benz have been fueling that symbiotic passion with a host of incredible on-board technology integrations.

The SLS AMG Roadster is the latest model to flex its technical muscles with the AMG Performance Media telemetry system. The kit uses the central Command display to serve u...

10/5/2011

It's not every day that concept cars go up for grabs. The automakers and design studios that craft them typically hold on to their show cars for posterity, putting them away in archives that we'd imagine resemble the end scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark or else putting them in their own museums for visitors to their headquarters to see. That's what makes this particular item such a rare opportun...

9/28/2011

If you have, like us, been salivating at the notion of a new generation of Maybach and Lagonda ultra-luxury crafts built by Aston Martin, we've got some bad news: According to reports emanating from Germany, talks between AML and Daimler have broken down.

The proposal under negotiation would have seen Daimler outsourcing production of the next family of Maybach models to Aston Martin, w...

9/27/2011

A report issued by Morgan Stanley auto analyst Stuart Pearson says BMW has a 2 billion euro green lead over rival Daimler. According to AutoNews quoting the same source, they report is based on the gap between BMW Group’s and Daimler’s average fleet CO2 emissions.

Pearson said that BMW’s CO2 emissions lead over Daimler would result in improved pricing power as its main rival races to ad...

9/22/2011

Volvo is mulling a U.S. factory to offset some of its exposure to fluctuations in the dollar. One thing the automaker definitely will be doing is expanding its presence in the U.S., and a manufacturing facility would certainly make that way easier.

A U.S. Volvo plant would join factories in Sweden, Belgium and two plants in China. Volvo has been making a push on the Chinese market after...

9/21/2011

Volvo's Concept You is long, low and wide, three of our favorite flavors when it comes to sedans. Especially of late, long-hooded four-doors with sweeping greenhouses have been hits on concept and production stages, and we're fans.

The Autoblog team is somewhat split on the nose, though, as some feel the toothy grille stretched across its width makes it look like a certain claymation c...

9/21/2011

If the standard Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is too subdued for you, AMG reportedly has a fix in the works. Mercedes execs recently confirmed to Motor Trend that a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series will soon be a reality. We like this. We like this a lot.

In significantly lamer news, the same execs also said the street-legal version of the SLS AMG GT3 will not make it to this side of the pond...

9/20/2011

According to BimmerFile, if you're on of the tens of people looking for the Ultimately Confused Driving Machine, you should act fast to pick one up at your local dealership. The 480-horsepower, 575 pound-feet-of-torque-producing mutant X6 Active Hybrid has reached the end of its confused life. The hybrid wagon is certainly powerful, but it's also heavy. In fact, it weighs 400 pounds more than the ...

9/19/2011

There were plenty of curiosities to see art the Frankfurt Motor Show this year. City cars converted into beach buggies. Electric supercars. Exotics with trick folding roofs. Even a tuner Porsche crossover posing as a new vehicle. But few were as intriguing as what we found in one of the back halls of the Frankfurt Messe.

What you see here is a pile of scrap metal transformed by artistic...

9/19/2011

The BMW Motottad Concept E is an all-electric emissions-free scooter designed to deliver performance on-par with a 400-500cc commuter motorcycle. The 60-volt concept has a 60-mile range and can be completely recharged from a standard 110-volt outlet in just three hours.

As expected, the front of the scooter is fitted with a traditional telescopic front suspension while the rear features...

9/13/2011

Here's the problem with decking out a high-end Mercedes-Benz with a range of infotainment functionality: The average S-Class buyer doesn't use it and the "digital natives" – those born with a mobile phone in their hands – can't afford one. That's set to change, and the Concept A-Class is the beginning. The video after the break details a range of new connectivity functions employed on the small...

9/12/2011

SPECS

GT4 front lip w. APR splitter / Varis GT wing / GTS grills & vents / GTS roll bar / Custom rear seat deleted / Recaro SPG / AiM EVO4 Data Logger / Vanguard Ti / Challenge x-pipe / Moton CS / AP BBK / TE37SL / RS-3 Infineon 1:58.869 / Butonwillow 13W 2:03.913 / LVMS (Mfest) 2:02.780 / Big Willow (new pavement) 1:35.822 / Buttonwillow 13CCW 2:05 / Fontana Roval ACC 1:52.782 / SOW (...