Car online magazine

Starting March 21st, the doors to the 2008 New York International Auto Show will open and attendees would be able to witness the newest and the best vehicles that car makers have set on display.

Mercedes Benz would be taking advantage of the mentioned event to show off three of its newest SUVs. According to the automaker, these three SUVs have been equipped with their diesel engines which has been known as the cleanest and the most state of the art diesel units in the world. The three vehicles which would be coming with the mentioned engine are the ML320 BlueTEC, the GL320 BlueTEC, and the R320 BlueTEC.

Read More

Take a good look at Car Online’s scoop pictures of the next-gen Sports Coupe. Looks far too similar with the current C-Class Sport Coupe doesn’t it? Of course it does since Mercedes-Benz decided to save heap loads of money by adding the front end of the new C-Class (see here) in order to support the latest engines and dashboard to the “old” Sports Coupe chassis. We were never fans of the Sports Coupe’s appearance and we doubt if the new front end will make us change our mind.

Read More

German tuners have just unveiled their BRABUS D3 S POWER XTRA upgrade for the new 2008 Mercedes-Benz C220 CDI. The plug-in kit produces an additional 50 PS (49HP)/36.8 kW more power and an extra 80 Nm of torque combined with maximum environmental friendliness in harmony with the euro-IV emission limits.

Read More

Ford will be showing the Kuga crossover concept next week in Frankfurt. The Kuga is the offroad version of the Ford Focus, based on the same platform.

The production version of the Kuga should be pretty similar to the concept that was shown in Frankfurt: the Kuga is already an evolution of the Iosis X concept that was shown last year in Paris.

All-New Ford Kuga in Brief

* Stylish Ford Kuga crossover will be previewed at Frankfurt Motor Show in near production form ahead of sales launch in early 2008
Read More

The new Toyota Auris was unveiled to Johannesburg at a massive party held at Tokyo Sky on Friday night and Car Blog was invited. The car is set to be a replacement for the current RunX/Corolla series.

The Auris comes with a variety of engines, ranging from a 1.4 to a fantastic 2.0 diesel. The performance of all model variations is exeptional compared to its rivals. Styling is subtle and nothing over the top. It combines elements of the RunX and the smaller Yaris. On the inside its funky and fresh with quirky touches here and there. Take for instance the handbrake positioning and shape. It looks like something out of Star Trek! Everything seems to have a new feel and advanced feel to it. I really liked the rev counter and speedo clusters.

Read More

PARIS (AP-CP) _ French auto company PSA Peugeot-Citroen plans to cut costs _ and up to 8,000 jobs in Europe _ and focus on selling cars in emerging markets in an effort to improve profitability.

The job cuts, disclosed Tuesday, would represent nearly 12 per cent of its European work force.

Europe’s second-largest carmaker has suffered four years of sliding profitability, because sales failed to meet expectations earlier in the decade and chronic overcapacity.

The plan drawn up by chief executive Christian Streiff sets a target for boosting its operating margin to between 5.5 per cent and six per cent by 2010, compared with 2.7 per cent in the first half of this year.

Read More

PEORIA, Ill. (AP) _ Heavy equipment maker Caterpillar Inc. plans to build a diesel-engine manufacturing facility in China that will make more than 100,000 engines a year.

The Peoria-based company said Tuesday it wants to build Perkins and Caterpillar brand diesel engines in Wuxi in China’s Jiangsu province. The engines will primarily be sold in Asian markets, it said.

Caterpillar officials said the development is still subject to final agreement with the government of Wuxi.

The company did not announce how much it will invest in the plant, but said it will be a “significant multi-year investment.”

Read More

Official images of the new Audi A4 are here. The design of te B8 model of the mid-premium saloon from Ingolstadt seems to be a very moderate evolution of the previous model. Maybe too conservative.

The proportions seem to be a little more aggressive, maybe thanks to the shorter overhangs, the longer hood and the longer wheelbase. The hood has a little more of a slope and finishes in slightly less imposing single-frame grille. The headlights have pretty showy LED daylights.

Fortunately, underneath the body the changes are much more interesting. The MLB modular system made it possible to move the engine 154 mm backwards, for a better weight distribution.

Read More

VANCOUVER (CP) _ High-performance car lovers who worry that a future filled with Earth-friendly hybrids and fuel-cell vehicles condemns them to life driving glorified golf carts need not fret.

Al Gore III, the son of the former American vice-president who police allegedly clocked going 169 kilometres an hour on a California highway in a Toyota Prius in July, isn’t the only one pushing the performance envelope of hybrids and other alternative powertrains.

Toyota, Ford and General Motors are among carmakers that have been extending the limits of green automotive technology.

Read More

DETROIT (AP) _ General Motors Corp. says it is testing a new combustion process that could increase fuel economy in conventional engines by up to 15 per cent.

The announcement comes as fuel economy has become a increasingly important issue as gasoline prices have risen. Foreign automakers have captured a bigger share of the U.S. market in part by emphasizing fuel efficiency.

The process GM is testing, called homogeneous charge compression ignition, approaches the fuel efficiency of a diesel engine without the need for advanced pollution controls, the company said in a statement.

Read More