| 2013 SRT Viper First Official Teaser Leaves us in the Dark Posted: 30 Jan 2012 09:29 PM PST  We suppose it goes with the Viper's slithery nature to keep in the dark, but we can't say we're enthralled with the first official image of the Chrysler Group's re-branded sports car that was released just moments ago on the firm's Facebook page. The black and white picture outlines the front end of the model, which seems like it will keep the familiar face of the previous generation Vipers, but that's about it.
We'll remind you that the new Viper drops the Dodge nameplate and adopts the SRT moniker.
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| An Amazing Front Flip Snowmobile Stunt and a Painful Mishap from the Winter X Games 2012 Posted: 30 Jan 2012 04:58 PM PST  When you are trying to win a tough competition, you should be aware that with great risks come great rewards if you succeed but great pains if you fail. At the Snowmobile finals during the Winter X Games 2012 that took place in Aspen, Colorado, on Sunday night, we saw a lot of both including the painful crash of Justin Hoyer on a double backflip attempt in the Snowmobile Best Trick competition and the scary free-fall of Colten Moore in the Snowmobile Freestyle event.  However, we also witnessed a truly spectacular front flip from Heath Frisby – the first ever of its kind in an official competition – during the Snowmobile Best Trick finals.
You can take a look at the videos right after the jump, just note that the third clip with Hoyer's accident isn't for the faint-hearted... Read more » 
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| McLaren MP4-12C Sports Car Rendered as a Spider Posted: 30 Jan 2012 04:16 PM PST |
| California wants 1.4 Million Zero-Emission Vehicles by 2025; Manufacturers Agree, Dealers Object Posted: 30 Jan 2012 03:26 PM PST  The state of California has been at the forefront of the nation's regulations when it comes to reducing emissions since the 1970s. And now it has taken another step in this direction by approving the Advanced Clean Car program. It is a set of regulations that aims to reduce emissions and, among other things, requires 15.4 percent of all new vehicles that will be sold by 2025 to be all-electric, plug-in hybrids or powered by fuel cells. By implementing this program, California regulators wish to reduce passenger vehicles emissions by 34 percent between 2014 and 2015, and overall smog-forming emissions by 75 percent. It's a goal similar to the federal standards proposed by President Obama. Read more » 
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| SCOOP: 2014 Mazda6 Test Mule Trying Out its New Hardware Posted: 30 Jan 2012 02:31 PM PST  Mazda engineers continue the development of the next generation "6" sedan's chassis and mechanical hardware under the cloak of the existing model's body panels, albeit in modified form as you can see from the wheel arch extensions on this prototype that our spies snapped in Europe. If you're wondering what the new Mazda6 will look like, then all you have to do is take a gander at the photos of the swooping Takeri concept car displayed at the last November's 2011 Tokyo Motor Show.  The handsome study with its voluptuous curves generally received praise for its design. Hopefully, the production Mazda6, which is due sometime in 2013, won't stray too far away from the original concept.
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| Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno Pitch for Acura's NSX Super Bowl Commercial Posted: 30 Jan 2012 01:36 PM PST  The Honda group isn't playing games with its Super Bowl spots this year, that's for sure. After recruiting Matthew Broderick to reprise his role as Ferris Bueller in the 2012 Honda CR-X ad, the Japanese firm's premium brand Acura has hired its own stars for its first ever Super Bowl appearance.  The new Acura spot for the upcoming NSX features comedian Jerry Seinfeld with Tonight Show host Jay Leno making a special appearance towards the end of the commercial, the extended version of which you can see right after the break.
The ad shows Jerry Seinfeld going to extremes to be able to be the first one in line to buy the Acura NSX hybrid sports car (seen here in concept guise) that's scheduled to go on sale in 2015, only to be beaten in the end by Leno. Read more » 
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| Chuck Norris Approved: Rider Tames Wild Racing Motorcycle Posted: 30 Jan 2012 01:03 PM PST |
| Cadillac Plans to Take Over the Limo Market from the Lincoln Town Car with its New XTS Posted: 30 Jan 2012 12:35 PM PST  General Motors has revealed new details on its plans for the limousine variants of the 2013 Cadillac XTS, which made its world premiere at last year's Los Angeles Auto Show. The XTS will replace the DTS sedan not only in the passenger car market but will also take its place in Cadillac's professional vehicle lineup. At the upcoming 28th Annual International Limousine, Charter and Tour Show that takes place February 13-15 at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Cadillac will unveil the XTS "W20 Livery Sedan Package" for professional use, which from what we understand, will retain the regular XTS' wheelbase length.  However, GM said it is currently working on two more versions of the XTS, the extended sedan and limousine, which Cadillac Master Coachbuilder (CMC) licensed manufacturers can build for the chauffeured transportation market by the end of the year.
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| Hyundai Airs Four More Super Bowl XLVI Ads Posted: 30 Jan 2012 12:03 PM PST  The onslaught of Super Bowl commercials continues today with four more spots from Hyundai, in addition to the South Korean firm's Veloster Turbo "Cheetah" ad that we showed you earlier today. From the new spots, the one that stands out the most for us is the "All for One", which is a 60-second commercial that will air just before the big game starts. The ad features almost 200 actual Hyundai team members humming to the sounds of "Gonna Fly Now" from the movie "Rocky, and was filmed at the brand's Montgomery plant in Alabama. Read more » 
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| Buick and GMC Showrooms Receive a Makover in the States Posted: 30 Jan 2012 11:32 AM PST |
| Volkswagen Begins Assembly of T5 Passenger and Commercial Vans in Indonesia Posted: 30 Jan 2012 11:01 AM PST |
| Well, This is Embarrassing: Aston Martin One-77 has the Hiccups… Posted: 30 Jan 2012 10:16 AM PST  It's never a pleasant experience should your vehicle stall on a heavily trafficked public road with a lot of people watching, but we can't help but think that it has to be worse when it occurs to a €1.1+ million (US$1.3 million) Aston Martin One-77 that's capable of reaching a top speed of about 220mph (355 km/h). And that is exactly what happened to one of the 77 owners of the exclusive Aston Martin model, not once, but more than a couple of times somewhere in France. For the record, the One-77's 750bhp 7.3-liter V12 powerplant is linked to a six-speed automated manual gearbox with column-mounted paddles. Hop over the jump to check out the video.
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| New Subaru XV Crossover Pricing Released for Britain Posted: 30 Jan 2012 09:31 AM PST |
| Lotus Group CEO Reportedly Seeking New Owner for the British Sports Car maker Posted: 30 Jan 2012 08:56 AM PST  For the past couple of months, there were rumors circulating that Proton wanted to get rid of its loss-making Lotus unit selling it to either Genii Capital or SAIC. Then, on January 16, the Malaysian carmaker announced that DRB-Hicom had acquired the government's 42.7 percent stake in the company. Analysts hailed this movement as a win-win situation for both parties. They obviously didn't factor in Lotus CEO Danny Bahar who, according to a report from The Sunday Times citing unnamed sources, is looking for a partner to join him in bidding for a buy-out of the British automaker. Read more » 
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| Cadillac ATS' Super Bowl Ad Tells Everyone who Doesn’t Believe it Can Beat the 3-Series to go to "Green Hell" Posted: 30 Jan 2012 08:23 AM PST  Unlike Cadillac's previous failed attempts, the all-new ATS sedan was designed from a clean sheet to compete squarely against the best Germany has to offer in the executive compact sedan segment, namely the BMW 3-Series sedan – and possibly, the rest of the Bavarian model's range later on. And if there's one thing GM's premium brand has been touting about the ATS more than anything else since it began teasing the car last summer, it's the fact that it's handling and driving dynamics were honed at the Nürburgring race track in Germany, which as most of you already know, is nicknamed "The Green Hell". Read more » 
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| Toyota Reinvents its 2012 Camry Super Bowl Commercial Posted: 30 Jan 2012 08:00 AM PST |
| Skoda Releases First Photo of the Five-Door Version of its Citigo City Car Posted: 30 Jan 2012 08:49 AM PST  Like clockwork, the Volkswagen Group is releasing pictures and details of its expanded range of city cars based on the Up!. Following on from last week's introduction of the Volkswagen brand's five-door Up!, it's Skoda's turn to show a more practical but same-sized version of the Citigo. The five-door Citigo will make its grand premiere at the 2012 Geneva Salon in March before it goes on sale across Europe together with the three-door version of the Skoda-branded car from mid-May. Read more » 
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| Chrysler Group to Celebrate Mopar's 75th Birthday with Four Specially Modified Vehicles Posted: 30 Jan 2012 07:25 AM PST |
| Lamborghini CEO Says No to Turbo Engines - At Least Until the End of this Decade Posted: 30 Jan 2012 06:59 AM PST  Turbocharging and direct-injection technology are the latest fads when it comes to petrol engines in the auto industry. While not a pioneer, the Volkswagen Group did its part to bring turbocharging to the masses beginning from the 1990s and its 1.8-liter turbocharged four that powered all sorts of vehicles. Today, the German auto group continues to lead the way with a variety of turbocharged (and supercharged) gasoline lumps, the most recent being its 4.0-liter V8 TFSI with up to 520-horses. Yet surprisingly, one of the group's flagship brands, Lamborghini, does not have a turbocharged engine and this despite the fact that it has succumbed to the all-wheel drive trend made popular by Audi. Read more » 
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| Ferris Bueller Takes a Day Off to Enjoy the 2012 CR-V in Honda's New Super Bowl Ad Posted: 30 Jan 2012 06:54 AM PST  If you were expecting Matthew Broderick to mark his return as a 50-year old Ferris Bueller with a Ferrari model, you're out of luck as the much publicized teaser turned out to be a commercial for the all-new 2012 Honda CR-V, an extended version of which you can watch after the break. Honda brought Ferris Bueller's Day Off back to life for the Super Bowl XLVI game with Matthew Broderick playing himself.  The two-and-a-half minute spot that pays homage to the classic 1980's movie shows Broderick skipping out on a day of acting work to enjoy his all-new CR-V.
The Japanese company says that it has hidden over two dozen references to the movie throughout the extended version of the commercial that will air on February 5 during the game. See if you can find them in the video that follows after the break. Read more » 
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| Hyundai's Super Bowl Spot Starring the Veloster Turbo and a Hungry Cheetah Posted: 30 Jan 2012 06:10 AM PST  It was to be expected that Hyundai's main commercial for the upcoming Super Bowl XLVI would encompass its most recent creation, the new 201-horsepower Veloster Turbo sports hatch that made its world premiere at the Detroit Motor Show earlier this month. The 30-second spot is titled "Cheetah" and is slated to air on TV during the first quarter of the game. It shows a caged cheetah getting ready to race the Veloster Turbo. However, when the big cat realizes it can't beat the Hyundai model in speed it turns around to chase something a little more tasty. Head over the break to see the new commercial along with a "behind the scenes" video before it airs on television. Read more » 
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| Ford Focus gets New 1.0-liter Turbo EcoBoost with up to 123HP in Europe, Replaces 1.6-liter Units Posted: 30 Jan 2012 05:27 AM PST |
