CARSCOOP

Top Gear’s ST1 Fire and Bad Handling Claims Prompt Response from Denmark’s Zenvo

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 05:42 PM PST

The third episode in the current Top Gear series aired last Sunday and aside from the big road trip that had the trio of presenters driving through Ukraine (just before it burst into what can only be described as civil war), it also featured a track test drive of the extremely powerful Zenvo ST1. Read more »

Scoop: Renault Goes from Va Va Vroom to Plenty of Room with New Trafic

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 04:58 PM PST

Renault's engineers are performing the final tests on the new, third generation Trafic van that will be released this summer. As with the current model, it's the child of a project co-developed between the Renault-Nissan alliance and GM's Opel, with the German brand to introduce its version for the successor of the Vivaro at the same time. Read more »

Does BMW's 2-Series Active Tourer Cut it as a True M-Car?

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 04:09 PM PST

The BMW 2-Series Active Tourer (AT for short) is a minivan that's designed to carry up to five people in the comfort and security of front-wheel drive. Therefore, it is not designed to be the sharpest handling car on the road, nor is it by any means the fastest or meanest-looking. That said, it's probably the least likely model in the entire range to ever be made into an M-car. Read more »

Honda Accord Overtakes Toyota Camry as the Best-Selling Car to U.S. Individual Customers

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 02:48 PM PST

Honda said the Accord was the best-selling car to U.S. individual customers in 2013, overtaking the Toyota Camry, which was the leader in total volume retail and fleet buyers. Read more »

Sutcliffe Finds New Porsche Macan Turbo a Very Sporty SUV

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 02:21 PM PST

When Porsche started developing the Macan, it wanted it to be the fastest compact SUV on the market. The flagship model of the range is the Macan Turbo, which debuts Porsche's all-new 3.6-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine that produces 394hp (400PS) and 549 Nm (405 lb-ft) of torque from just 1,350 rpm. Read more »

US: Retro-Inspired Kombi EV Promises 240 MPGe

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 01:52 PM PST

The only real use for electric vehicles that at this present time is cost-effective and maybe even profit-encouraging is that for short delivery routes in stop-start traffic and congested city centers. Here and in this application, a petrol- or diesel-engined vehicle would be far more inefficient, even with the latest downsized engines, hybrids and stop/start applied. Read more »

GM Reportedly Knew about Cobalt’s Deadly Ignition Problems in 2004!

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 02:33 PM PST

A disturbing report claims General Motors knew since 2004 about the Chevrolet Cobalt's ignition switch problem that could shut off the engine while driving, as well as cut off the driver's power steering and brakes, airbags and anti-lock brakes. The report from USA Today cites depositions in a civil lawsuit against GM, which last Thursday, recalled almost 780,000 Chevy Cobalts and Pontiac G5s for the same problem - that's ten years later! Read more »

Top Gear's Trio of Clarkson, Hammond and May to Star in Disney's Phineas and Ferb Episode

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 12:22 PM PST

It seems that, Top Gear's hosts have plenty of time in their hands between filming episodes for their show, tweeting and whatever else it is that stars do, as Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond will make a special appearance in an upcoming episode of Disney XD's 'Phineas and Ferb' animated series. Read more »

U Design: New Peugeot 108 GTi vs Renault Twingo RS

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 12:16 PM PST

French brands have a long tradition of building fast, fun and exciting small hot hatches at relatively affordable prices – off the top of my head, I remember having a blast driving the Renault Clio Williams and 106 Rallye, but there are many more. Read more »

Half of U.S. Cadillac Dealers Don’t Want the ELR

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 11:24 AM PST

The Cadillac ELR may look glamorous in its first commercial, but that doesn't mean dealers are queuing up for it. On the contrary, nearly half of Cadillac dealers in the United States have decided not to sell the 2014 ELR, the brand's first plug-in hybrid vehicle. Read more »

Watch Two Idiots in Pickup and Big Truck Try to Run Each Other Over in Thailand

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 10:59 AM PST

Sometimes, it doesn't take much for tempers to flare up and lines to get crossed when you're on the road. It should never happen, but unfortunately, it does – and far more often than you think. Read more »

Lotus Announces that its Motorcycle Has Been Completed

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 10:31 AM PST

Lotus' previously announced motorcycle, the C-01, which was teased last year and revealed early in 2014, is now officially completed. You can't buy one yet, but the development and testing phases are complete, and they say it's "ready for the road." Read more »

Would you go for a 24k Gold Trimmed Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG?

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 10:09 AM PST

To answer the question, I wouldn't, as the only place I want yellow gold is in my electronic devices and certainly not on my car, but hey, that's just me and taste is a very subjective matter. Read more »

Kimi Raikkonen Drives LaFerrari Like He Stole It, Massive Spin Ensues

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 09:43 AM PST

Ferrari's Formula 1 driver Kimi Raikkonen was invited to have a go in the Prancing Horse's hypercar, the LaFerrari, on the carmaker's Fiorano track. Not only did the Finn accept the invitation, but he also posted some of the wildest laps we've seen so far in the tech-laden hypercar. Read more »

Scoop: Ford's Facelifted Focus Hatch and Sedan Offer First Glimpse of the Aston-esque Grille

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 09:08 AM PST

Here's a fresh batch of spy shots of the upcoming Ford Focus facelift in both five-door hatchback and four-door sedan body styles. Read more »

Toyota to Use Whole Family of BMW Diesel Engines

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 08:37 AM PST

BMW's diesel engines are some of the most advanced, efficient and powerful in the industry, and now they will be sharing the knowledge with partners Toyota, which has up until this point, kind-of ignored diesels as much as it could, beavering away with their hybrids that have the characteristic of being very appealing to some and downright repulsive to others. Read more »

New BMW ALPINA B4 Bi-Turbo Drops its Top, Debuts in Geneva

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 08:11 AM PST

Joining the existing BMW 435i Coupe-based Alpina B4 Bi-Turbo that was unwrapped at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show last October is the hardtop convertible version teased here ahead of its world premiere at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show. Read more »

First Photos of Hyundai's Sporty Looking Intrado Concept

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 07:45 AM PST

The first real life images of Hyundai's new Intrado Concept car have surfaced / leaked on the internet. The Koreans had previously issued a press release accompanied by a teaser sketch of the athletic crossover model, which will be presented to the public at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Read more »

That's Better: Tuner Plants BMW M235i Face on 1-Series Hatch

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 08:23 AM PST

Let's face it, the BMW 1-Series is not a looker and that impression is caused exclusively by the size and shape of its headlights, which make the front end of the car look awkward. But there seems to be a solution. Read more »

Japanese Wide Body Tune for BMW Z4 E89 Hardtop Roadster

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 07:05 AM PST

This is Duke Dynamics new styling and wheel program for the most recent iteration of the BMW Z4 roadster (internal codename E89). Read more »

Oh, the Tumbleweed Terror! Woman Freaks Out Behind the Wheel

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 06:42 AM PST

People are scared of all sorts of things, from the rational, such as heights and wild animals, to the irrational, like fear of puppets (no, seriously, and it's called Pupaphobia, look it up), or in the case of Celia, tumbleweed – yes, tumbleweed. And to make things worse, Celia was driving in night when dried out plants…viciously attacked her car. Read more »

Alfa Introduces 175PS Diesel on the Giulietta and 140PS Petrol on the MiTo in Italy

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 06:19 AM PST

Alfa Romeo has introduced two new engine versions in Italy for the Giulietta MY2014 and MiTo MY2014.

The Giulietta gets a new 2.0-liter JDTM turbodiesel unit producing 175PS (173hp), in combination with the 6-speed double-clutch TCT gearbox. Available only for the Distinctive and Exclusive top trim levels, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta with the new engine is priced from €30,450 ($41,745) and €31,900 ($43,730), respectively.

Read more »

Nissan to Debut New Crossover in Geneva – Is it the Murano or Something Else?

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 05:56 AM PST

Sometimes automakers reveal their plans in full, sometimes partially and from time to time, they pull out the mystery card, just like Nissan did today when it announced that the next member of its "rejuvenated crossover family" will be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show taking its place next to the new Qashqai and X-Trail (Rogue in North America). Read more »

Is This Volvo's New Concept Model for Geneva, a Shooting Brake Coupe?

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 05:29 AM PST

We know for a fact that, Volvo will complete its trilogy of concept cars that started with the Coupe in Frankfurt last year and continued with the XC Coupe crossover in Detroit, all sporting a fresh design language and based on the brand's new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform, with a new model at the Geneva Motor Show next month. Read more »

Bob Lutz is Now Via Motors’ New Chairman of the Board

Posted: 21 Feb 2014 05:00 AM PST

Bob Lutz is sticking to his claims that electrified powertrains are more at home in trucks and larger commercial vehicles, not passenger cars, as that's the stated goal of the company he's been a part of for a few years now: VIA Motors. Now, they have announced Lutz, a former vice-chairman of GM, as their new Chairman of the Board. Read more »