Rumormill: Mercedes E300 Bluetec diesel hybrid could make it to the U.S.

We're about to witness the first-ever mass-production diesel hybrid in this summer's Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 crossover; this sort of powertrain has had engineers and many consumers drooling for a few years. The miles-per-gallon possibilities and environmental benefits are fascinating right away. All that has held them at bay was the expense of development and production, plus the unwanted risk of passing that big price tag on to buyers.Mercedes confirms that its Mercedes E300 Bluetec Hybrid is on the way and will be on sale by the end of 2012. We asked them right away what this means for Mercedes' diesel investment in the United States. The team...

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Fiat and Ferrari dominate 2011 International Engine of the Year Awards

Italy knows how to put an engine together – at least, according to the International Engine of the Year voting committee. The votes have been tallied, and Fiat has taken home four out of 12 awards. The company's 875-cc TwinAir mill has earned the title of Best New Engine of 2011, Green Engine of the Year, Sub 1.0-liter Engine of the Year and International Engine of the Year. Ferrari helped Italy earn two more awards, with the 458's 4.5-liter V8 unit being crowned Best Engine Above 4.0-liters and Best Performance engine. All told, Italian powerplants claimed half of the awards handed out.BMW was no slouch, however, with the German automaker acquiring...

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Chevrolet Cruze RS

We're not entirely sure how they've done it, but those miserly engineers from General Motors have managed to eke out an additional two miles per gallon from the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze – at least in certain configurations.According to the official Online Ordering Guide for the 2012 Cruze (via Cheers and Gears), GM's compact sedan, when equipped with the 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and six-speed automatic transmission, will be rated at 38 miles per gallon on the highway. We see no indication that there will be an improvement to the car's 24-mpg city rating. By way of comparison, the Eco model manages 42 mpg on the highway.We're not...

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2012 Fiat 500 Abarth

Covering the automotive business is rife with surprises. Case in point: On a recent trip to the stunning Algarve region of Portugal to test Continental Tire's new ContiEcoContact 5 (verdict: they're very good), we had the chance to sample a bit of forbidden fruit.In the process of learning about the German company's doughnut-making capabilities (which included a journeyman's seminar on velocity-excited short- and long-chain polymers, the CEC5's three-percent fuel economy bump and improved wet-braking capabilities), one test car fitted with Continental's new rubber was a EU-spec 2011 aFiat 500 Abarth.Knowing that the factory-fettled 500 is headed...

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Safety In Style - Hyundai i10

"The open market for city car is still become the main target of PT Hyundai Mobil Indonesia (HMI), as it seen on their 2011 brand new line-up products."In early March 2010, PT HMI introduced their mainstay city car, the New Hyundai i10 Facelift. After 2 years enliven the market of city car in Indonesia, Hyundai i10 has been through a facelift process and significant remodeled in several sectors.The All New Gen Hyundai i10 is now presented in 2 variants: the GLI and Limited Edition (50 units only) and provided with 2 types of transmission: 5 speed manual transmission and 4 Speed automatic transmission. Still equipped with 1.1L engine, this New...

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Body of Evidence - BMW 5 Series Hamann

"Its body kits design has made this Bavarian sedan looks more aggressive and dynamic as well as aesthetic and functional."Hamann, the famous car tuner, seems specifically focused on perfecting the exterior look of the BMW 5-series. Take a look of the overall exterior appearance of this premium sedan. Its body kit was designed to improve the look of this car as well as its aerodynamic system.Hamman's designer created a precision body kits to upgrade its exterior look. The front bumper is completed with aerodynamically designed spoiler while the big air dump is designed to provide the air intake to ignition chamber. There are also two concaves...

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Fiat workers agree to concessions at former Bertone plant

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has been working hard to improve the automaker's labor situation in Italy, and it appears the effort is begining to pay off. Automotive News report that Fiat has come to an agreement with the union at the former Bertone plant, with increased work shift and more flexible overtime as part of the agreement. The union initially turned down an offer from Fiat, which prompted the Italian automaker to suspend plans to rebuild the plant.The agreement, which was agreed to by 88% of the workforce, makes way for Fiat to invest $739 million to overhaul the facility. Fiat plans to make the next generation Maserati Quattroporte at...

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Absolute Jeep

"The New Generation of Jeep that equipped with the new Pentastar engine, fuel efficiency and unbeatable power train in its class" At Senayan City, Jakarta, March 17th 2011, PT Grasindo Inter Global, the authorized brand-holder for Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Mopar in Indonesia, launched their latest product, the All New Jeep Grand Cherokee. This American SUV is packed with the latest and powerfull engine that claimed to be very efficient. Equipped with Pentastar engine of 3.7L DOHC VVT, this engine is able to perform the maximum power of 210KW and maximum torque power of 347Nm. Ever since they had alliance with Fiat Group in 2009, Chrysler Group...

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Exclusive Test Drive New Full Size Honda Accord 2.4

Exclusive Test Drive New Full Size Honda Accord 2.4 (Indonesia)A gorgeous lady with marble-like skin, dark sungalsses, dressed in black with soft white gloves. Her hand brought an integrated remote Jack-Knifed Key. Her name was Lifta Hutapea.She is a senior grade college student in Jakarta. I presumed maybe 25 years old. "Good morning, Sir", she greeted me whilst opened the door of the New Full-Size Honda Accord 2.4 that recently launched by Honda Prospect Motor. What would you do with your personal chauffeur is she turned out to be a beautiful model or a finalist of a beauty pageant in this country? (Indonesia).I don't even want to fantasize...

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Honda to shift production schedules in North America

Honda is continuing to adjust its production schedules in the wake of the March 11 earthquake in Japan, and the shuffling will reportedly continue at U.S. plants as well.The plan is to run full production shifts at U.S. facilities on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from May 9 through July 1, with a single eight-hour shift added for Thursdays. With the exception of Honda's Greensburg, Indiana plant, all U.S. facilities were running two shifts prior to parts shortages. Workers at these facilities reportedly won't feel the pinch of the abbreviated production schedules either, as they will have the choice of staying home or completing training without a...

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GM investing $131 million in Corvette factory

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) on May 4th, 2011 at 5:31PMThere are plenty who feel about the Chevrolet Corvette, 'may you live long and prosper,' and General Motors is aiding that sentiment with a $131 million investment in the Bowling Green, Kentucky plant that builds the Chevrolet halo car. Apparently, though, the reason GM feels that way is because, in April, the state of Kentucky offered $7.5 million in tax incentives in order to hold on to production.The investment begins this summer as the plant retools to produce the upgraded 2012 model line, and continues as it gears up to build the next-generation Corvette said to bow in 2013. Part of...

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Xplore Jeep Wrangler hits the trail at the Moab Easter Safari

by Jeff Glucker (RSS feed) on May 4th, 2011 at 7:25PMWe've seen the Xplore Toyota FJ Cruiser at SEMA, and we got a sneak peak of what the company has in store for the Jeep Wrangler. Well, that Wrangler is finished, and Xplore decided the best place to unveil it would be in Moab. Smart decision, seeing that Jeep lovers from all over the country would be descending to that area for Jeep's annual Easter Safari.Xplore has taken the standard Wrangler and pumped it up a few notches. Offering up to four stages of customization, this Jeep Wrangler has checked nearly all of Xplore's option boxes. Upgrades can be found inside and out, and include custom...

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Official: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster trades gullwings for a soft-top

Mercedes-Benz has pulled the wraps off its latest supercar, the 2012 SLS AMG Roadster. Gone are the gullwing doors and fixed roof; in their place are traditional entry-ports and a folding cloth softtop. The car is still undergoing testing, but these shots reveal far more of the car than we've previously seen in various spy photos. A more polished version will be revealed to the world at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show this September.Before the 2012 SLS AMG Roadster hits the show circuit, it needs to spend some more time with Mercedes' engineers. The MB team has put a lot of work into this drop-top SLS, and ditching the fixed roof has required more...

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Fiat redefines "trunk space" for MillionTreesNYC initiative

Narrowing down the list of things for which New York City is known can be a daunting task, but its parks are arguably up there. Now the city is planning to plant a million new trees across its five boroughs over the course of the next decade, and Fiat has signed on to help.As part of the MillionTreesNYC initiative, Fiat North America has donated eight 500C mock-ups with 12-foot pear trees planted in them to be installed along Canal Street and Avenue of the Americas. Eventually, the cars will be towed removed, after which the trees will be permanently planted, sans the Italian wheels. Feel free to read through the very short press release after...

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GM recalls 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, full-size vans and mid-size pickups

by Chris Shunk (RSS feed) on May 5th, 2011 at 9:28AMThe Chevrolet Cruze may be relatively new to the market, but that doesn't stop it from the recall bug. The Detroit News is reporting that General Motors is recalling 154,112(!) Cruze models to ensure proper installation of the intermediate steering shaft covers. Automatic transmission-equipped models will also be checked for proper installation of the transmission shift linkage.GM says it hasn't yet received any complaints about the issue and no accidents have been reported. The automaker tells The Detroit News that the vast majority of recalled vehicles will not need to be repaired – the automaker...

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Study: Toyota's reputation takes big consumer hit, other automakers recover

The auto industry has been through a lot since 2009, but it appears that consumers have a lot more confidence in the industry two years later. Brand and marketing consultancy Prophet polled 4,900 U.S. consumers about 145 Fortune 500 companies from 18 different sectors, and the numbers reveal that most automakers are more highly regarded now than in 2009.BMW and Honda lead the pack, as both automakers ranked in the top 50 overall brands. Ford finished with a score of 60, which is up from 72. General Motors made a big leap from 123 to 85, in part because of new technology like the Chevy Volt.Those are all good stories, but then there is Toyota....

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Official: GM earns $3.2 billion in Q1 2011, marks fifth consecutive profitable quarter

by Zach Bowman (RSS feed) on May 5th, 2011 at 10:27AMGeneral Motors LogoGeneral Motors has just announced the company's financial results for the first quarter of 2011. The automaker pulled in a net income of $3.2 billion, marking the fifth-consecutive profitable quarter for the largest of the Big Three. Compared to one year ago, GM saw revenue increase by $4.7 billion to $36.2 billion. Additionally, GM says that net income attributable to common shareholders increased by $1.9 billion thanks to the sale of its stake in Delphi Automotive and Ally Financial, though the company saw a $400 million goodwill impairment charge at GM Europe and a $100...

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Volkswagen Amarok used to demolish massive chimney in place of wrecking ball

Why use expensive, heavy-machinery when a small fleet of pickup trucks is all you need? One demolition crew in the United Kingdom was prepping to bring down a 154-ton chimney when Volkswagen stepped in and offered up four Amarok trucks to haul down the massive 220-foot tall smoker.As with any such pull-down-style demolition, engineers were called in to reduce the structure's integrity before letting the trucks have a crack at it. Each Amarok had a 656-foot rope running from its bumper to the top of the chimney. The signal was given and all four trucks let their 2.0-liter turbo-diesel engines go to work. The result? A fallen chimney and a marketing...

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