Auto News & New car review

Autoweek and Fourtitude were able to enjoy some seat time in the Audi R8 V12 TDI LeMans concept before its official unveiling in Geneva last week. Their drive was short (about an hour with a 50 mph speed limit imposed by Audi’s boffins), but their time at the airport adjacent to Sebring International Raceway has made an impression. Read the rest of this entry »

SEAT’s best-selling car, the sporty five-door Leon family hatch, is set to become even more appealing with the news that it is to benefit from the addition to the range of a hi-tech 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a shame that more of Suzuki’s line-up isn’t as well designed and executed as the nimble little Swift hatchback. But we swear, this was not what we had in mind.

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., the country’s largest automaker and majority owned its the Japanese parent company, has taken the wraps off of the ironically named Swift DZire today, initial spy shots of which we lamented several months ago. Rather contrary to its name, we’re left wondering what’s so desirable about a trunk that it’s worth butchering erstwhile attractive hatchbacks. Read the rest of this entry »

Over the past six years, the Auto Express Driver Power Survey has become the biggest and most influential car reliability and satisfaction survey around.

This year, tens of thousands of you responded to a questionnaire which looked at all the key factors of owning and running a car. Lexus, Honda and Toyota dominated the top 10. However, it was the name that you placed at number one that made the others sit up and take notice. Skoda has been threatening to break the Japanese giants’ dominance for a while now. The Czech firm’s reputation for value, solid build and reliability has always seen it up among more expensive, prestigious motors. Read the rest of this entry »

A few weeks back we posted a video of a South Korean automotive journalist performing one of the first road tests of the new Hyundai Genesis sedan, albeit the South Korean market model. Without getting into too much detail, he didn’t like it and complained of body roll, mushy brakes, tires not up to the task, etc. It was as if someone gave this guy a Buick when he was expecting a BMW. Read the rest of this entry »

Honda’s upcoming dedicated hybrid model is expected to debut at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, and a recent interview with Honda CEO Takeo Fukui revealed that the car will look similar to its hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, the FCX Clarity. Although many upcoming hybrid models use lithium ion batteries (including the Chevy Volt and Honda’s own FCX), Read the rest of this entry »

When the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution made its North American debut in 2003, folks in Canada were left out in the cold. The diamond star vehicle’s bumper design and intercooler placement did not meet Canada’s low speed impact regulations. Fortunately for the land of maple leaves, Mitsubishi considered their plight when designing the new-generation 2008 Lancer Evolution. As is the case with many automobiles imported to Canada, the Evo meets the stringent bumper standards through the inclusion of a plastic bumper guard. Read the rest of this entry »

Steve Mattin, Volvo’s senior vice president and design director, unveiled the new XC70 at the 2007 New York Auto Show on Wednesday. First launched in 1996, the XC70 introduced the cross-country concept, and this latest generation of the XC70 maintains its tough and capable attitude while adding a dimension of luxury into the mix. He compared it to the XC60 concept car unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January, calling both cars “a partner for urban life” that can also get you to your destination. Read the rest of this entry »

Jaguar is adding even more appeal to the XKR with the unveiling of the all-new special edition Portfolio model. The 4.2-litre supercharged sports car will be sold worldwide and each one will feature notable additions to the already strong specification of the XKR, which is capable of hitting an electronically controlled top speed of 155mph and can accelerate to 60mph in just 4.9 seconds (5.0 seconds for the convertible). Read the rest of this entry »

“It truly is an honor,” said Jim O’Sullivan, president and CEO of Mazda North American Operations upon receiving the North American Truck of the Year Award for the 2008 Mazda CX-9 crossover sport utility vehicle (SUV) at the 2008 North American International Auto Show. Determined by 48 automotive journalists from the United States and Canada, the prestigious award recognizes the most outstanding truck of the year, a category that includes conventional pickup trucks, body-on-frame SUVs, and crossovers. Factors considered for the award include innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar. Read the rest of this entry »