A study by Hertz shows that one in three British men try to impress a date with hired or borrowed items, and that “cars and then clothing topped the list of the most frequently hired or borrowed objects,” as Hertz says in a press release.
Apparently, the effort is not wasted. Four out of 10 women agree that the car a person drives can make them more attractive, six out of ten agreed that a man’s outfit would impress them. Suits them right, so to speak. Read More >
An alleged environmental measure will land Russia in the court of the World Trade Organization, a club Russia had joined only in August. Importers have to pay a “recycling fee” of around 5 percent of a car’s sticker price, local makers do not. “Russia’s trading partners say the new levy is a purely protectionist play under the guise of environmental ‘recycling’,” Reuters writes. “The European Union Trade Commissioner, Karel de Gucht, has threatened to invoke the disputes procedure of the World Trade Organization.” Read More >
Remember Nikki Catsouras? Possibly not. The young lady borrowed her father’s 911 Cabriolet, made a mistake at speeds reported to be in excess of 100 miles per hour, and was killed in a remarkably bloody and graphic fashion by the blunt end of a tollbooth.
Remember Chris Brown? The singer and occasional girlfriend-beater mildly crinkled the nose of his 911 Turbo S Cabriolet while ostensibly avoiding a squad of photographers.
Ever think those two incidents might be related?
This one’s for commenter LarryP2 whining about how we gave positive coverage to the Alfa 4C while apparently criticizing the C7 Corvette’s power output. As far as I can recall, nobody took issue with the LT1, just the godawful styling. Eat your heart out, Larry. Now I’m off to browse the classifieds for a nice C6 Z06.
The next generation Fiat 500 will no longer be hecho en Mexico for the North American market. Faced with a modern plant and unused capacity, Fiat will consolidate all of its 500 production to its site in Tychy, Poland, in 2015. So what does this mean for Mexico?
One of the more interesting bits of news this week comes from France; the next-generation Smart Forfour (big brother of the worst car on sale today, as voted by the readership) will share a common architecture with the adorable Renault Twingo.
The first shots of the Alfa Romeo 4C have been released, and it’s just as gorgeous as one would expect a mid-engined Alfa to be. A 1.75L turbocharged 4-cylinder and a 6-speed twin-clutch gearbox motivate the 4C. No horsepower rating has been released, but in current Alfas, the same engine makes 232 horsepower. We’ll have to wait for the car’s debut at the Geneva Auto Salon for more details.
Tow truck delivers Model S to charging station
New York Times reporter John Broder told a harrowing story of a test drive from Delaware to Connecticut in a Tesla-supplied Model S. Broder wanted to review both the car and Tesla’s Supercharger stations along I95. The drive ended on a flatbed truck with a Model S that had run out of juice. The story landed Broder on Elon Musk’s shitlist. Read More >
In a month’s time, we’ll have our first look at the new Cadillac CTS, when GM takes the wraps off of its new luxury sedan at the New York Auto Show. The new CTS is merely the first in a wave of new cars for Cadillac, along with the already unveiled ELR plug-in hybrid.
The long simmering scandal around Porsche widens. Following a decision by prosecutors last December to charge former Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking, and his then finance chief Holger Härter with market manipulation, German prosecutors have extended a probe to all members of Porsche SE’s supervisory board. This includes Volkswagen’s chairman Ferdinand Piech and what reads like a family meeting of the Porsche clan. Read More >
After approving a $1.6 billion loan guarantee for PSA’s captive finance arm, the European Commission demanded a restructuring plan for all of PSA within six months.
CAW members at GM’s CAMI plant in Ontario have voted to begin negotiating their contracts as early as this week after a vote by workers. At stake is the production of the GMC Terrain and Chevrolet Equinox, two popular crossovers that may have their production moved to Mexico or the United States.
For those who want a topless car that can render passengerettes truly topless, Volkswagen introduces the Golf R Cabriolet. The über-powered R models never were available as a ragtop, no it is. “Tremendous propulsive power” (so the press release) is generated by a 2.0-litre turbo TSI engine that develops 265hp. Maximum torque of 350NM (258 ft lb) is available from a low 2,500 rpm all the way to 5,000 rpm. Read More >
Good news, Aussie car fans. The Commodore lives. But the evidence keeps piling up that the next one will be a front-drive car bearing little to no resemblance to the current RWD muscle car.
A Turkish affiliate of Fiat had disclosed plans to import the Doblo as a Ram van, to compete with the Ford Transit Connect. Automotive News Europe reported that exports would begin in 2014 with expected volumes of around 20,000 units per year.
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