Report: GM CEO stands up for Chevy Volt in D.C. hearing; Issa tells NHTSA: "I don’t believe you"

Posted on January 25, 2012 by admin

Filed under: Hybrid , Government/Legal , Safety , Hatchback , Chevrolet , Electric What a surprise. Today’s Congressional hearing over the Chevrolet Volt fire and the resulting investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration turned out to be contentious. The hearing took place in the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending. Just from the title of the event – “Volt Vehicle Fire: What did NHTSA Know and When Did They Know It?” – it was plain to see that chairman Darrell Issa was not looking to mess around

McLaren rolls out special edition MP4-12C High Sport

Posted on January 14, 2012 by admin

As if the McLaren MP4-12C isn’t special enough already, a meaner-looking and more muscular version has surfaced: the MP4-12C HS, or High Sport. Prepped by McLaren Special Operations , the MP4-12C HS wears an improved aero package that borrows heavily from the MP4-12C GT3 racer. The car has a new nose, rear bumper, enlarged vents, bigger diffuser and a modified rear wing, as well as new wheels. The aero tweaks result in better intercooler performance, and the boost from the twin turbos is dialed up to deliver an extra 75 horsepower over the standard car’s 592

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McLaren rolls out special edition MP4-12C High Sport

Detroit: Mercedes-Benz says E-Class hybrid makes cool cars greener

Posted on January 10, 2012 by admin

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Hybrid , Sedan , Mercedes-Benz , Luxury In between debuting the Smart for-us and SL on the floor of the Detroit Auto Show today, Mercedes-Benz thought it right to bring out two brown cars that are actually green: diesel and gasoline flavors of the E-Class hybrid. In fact, the E300 diesel hybrid is so efficient that Mercedes calls it the “world’s most economical luxury-class model.” Unsurprisingly, the diesel will launch in Europe while the gas-powered E400 hybrid will arrive first in America and will later come to Japan, China and other countries. Pricing for the E-Class hybrids has not yet been announced, but Mercedes says the “extra cost involved here is only moderate.” As we learned during the slow-burning teaser month of December, the diesel-fueled BlueTec hybrid is expected to get 56 miles per gallon (on the European scale, so around 45 mpg in the U.S.) and the gas-electric E400 Hybrid will get 27 mpg (U.S.). The numbers for the E300 are based on the sedan (saloon) versions; it will also be available in estate (station wagon) form.

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Detroit: Mercedes-Benz says E-Class hybrid makes cool cars greener

Official: Nissan agrees to make engines for Mercedes in Tennessee

Posted on January 10, 2012 by admin

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing , Infiniti , Mercedes-Benz , Nissan Mercedes-Benz and Nissan plan on working together in the future, sharing the Mercedes A-Class platform and engines in an effort save cash on engineering and manufacturing resources. A big part of that collaboration is now official with a joint engine announcement. Nissan will produce high-end four-cylinder engines at its Decherd, Tennessee facility. The engine will find its way under the hood of Mercedes and Infiniti models beginning in 2014, with a max capacity of 250,000 units per year

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Official: Nissan agrees to make engines for Mercedes in Tennessee

CES: Mercedes-Benz previews its CES plans

Posted on January 5, 2012 by admin

Filed under: CES , Technology , Mercedes-Benz , Infotainment Mercedes-Benz is gearing up for its first showing at CES , and in addition to building a sizable booth to highlight its range of new and updated products, M-B head Dr. Dieter Zetsche will be keynoting the event on Tuesday . We expect Zetsche to detail the automaker’s plans for its infotainment systems going forward, including a comprehensive update of COMAND and new connected and app-driven features. On the floor, Mercedes will be showing off mbrace2, it’s revamped communications and connectivity platform, which will include new safety features, speech recognition, traffic and navigation information, vehicle care and personal assistance functionalities, along with a new concierge service and internet browsing

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CES: Mercedes-Benz previews its CES plans

Report: Hyundai/Kia predict slower sales growth in 2012

Posted on January 4, 2012 by admin

Filed under: Hyundai , Kia , Earnings/Financials , South Korea Hyundai and Kia have experienced phenomenal growth over the past few years, even as the rest of the auto industry was embroiled in an ugly downturn. In fact, 2011 was a terrific year for the Korean automaker, as sales jumped by double digits globally. But while Hyundai/Kia has been on fire of late, Reuters reports that company officials feel that 2012 isn’t likely to return the same gains.

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Report: Hyundai/Kia predict slower sales growth in 2012

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