Is VW looking to buy Malaysia's Proton?

It looks like Volkswagen may be continuing to raid the global buffet of lesser automakers. According to reports, Malaysian carbuilder Proton has been in talks with ze People's automaker in an attempt to establish some sort of alliance, thought for now details are sketchy at best. Proton has made it clear that it's more interested in upping its exports...

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2011 Ford Mondeo coming with 2.0L Ecoboost

The Ford Mondeo is due for a mid-cycle refresh for the 2011 model year and all signs point to a debut at the Paris Motor Show this September. But ahead of its big reveal, spy photographers have caught the new Mondeo out in the open, and while the basic shape hasn't changed, there's something far more interesting under the hood.The major stylistic upgrades...

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Governator says Tesla teaming up with Toyota in Cali

California Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger has apparently let slip ahead of a scheduled 5pm Pacific announcement that Tesla Motors will be teaming up with Toyota to build electric cars.While some might speculate that the agreement could result in the re-opening of Fremont's idle New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. plant (NUMMI), SFGate says that this...

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Hexawheel design study picks-up where Mercedes-Benz leaves off

Looking at luxury sedans like the S-Class and drop-tops like SLK, it'd be all to easy to forget that Mercedes-Benz has a rich background in off-roaders. But the Three-Pointed Star is also the maker of such rockcrawlers as the legendary Geländewagen and the Unimog. And that's the expertise that Iranian designer Siyamak Rouhi Dehkordi has tapped into...

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2010 Chrysler 300C SRT8 remains a guilty pleasure

If the economic downfall of 2008 had happened just a few years earlier, the Chrysler 300C SRT8 probably wouldn't exist. Think about it: when the nation was on the verge of $4.00/gallon gasoline and people were doing everything possible to get out of their fuel-sucking SUVs and into smaller, more efficient vehicles, a 425-horsepower flagship sedan with...

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Audi R8 GT goes on a diet and gets more power

Audi dropped a very pleasant surprise on us this afternoon with the long-awaited announcement of the R8 GT.The Audi R8 V10 was already one of our favorite sports cars in the world (sans the R-Tronic transmission) so how could you make it better? In the immortal words of Colin Chapman, "add lightness." But in a modern sports car required to meet rigorous...

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GM cancels plan to sell Chevrolet Orlando in U.S.

Rumor has it that General Motors won't be selling the new seven-passenger Orlando here in the United States come 2011, or ever for that matter. According to Automotive News, GM has said that it will be skipping the people-mover in order to focus its attention on the models Chevrolet currently sells. Margaret Brooks, Chevrolet's product marketing director...

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Buick LaCrosse rebranded as Daewoo Alpheon in South Korea

General Motors may be shying away from badge engineering here in the United States, but that doesn't mean the company is giving up its old ways in other parts of the world. Daewoo recently unveiled its new Alpheon sedan at the Busan International Motor Show in Korea, and the car is as identical as identical gets to the 2010 Buick LaCrosse we all know...

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STONELEIGH KIT CAR SHOW 2010

STONELEIGH KIT CAR SHOW 2010What a weekend, probably one of the most successful shows to date. We would really like to thank everyone who came and supported us. We had the honor of meeting Tiff Needell and he came over to the GBS stand and was very impressed with the Zero, we asked him about getting an appearance on Fifth Gear.....So watch this space!!!Look...

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Beijing 2010: Mitsuoka Galue Convertible is all kinds of wrong

If ever there was proof that just because you can, it doesn't mean you should, it's Mitsuoka Motors. Case in point - the Mitsuoka Galue Convertible, which we've finally gotten to see in person here in Beijing. Sadly, we cannot un-see it. Why anyone would take a perfectly serviceable contemporary Mustang convertible and transform it into this is beyond...

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Beijing 2010: Geely Emgrand GE plug-in hybrid limo

Another entry that Geely has planned for its new Emgrand premium sub-brand is the GE limousine. Like many of Geely's new models, the GE has a very prominent grille but the rest of the design looks otherwise well-proportioned and attractive. With a 214-inch body sitting on a 124-inch wheelbase, the GE is a big car targeted at executives who prefer to...

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Beijing 2010: Geely Emgrand GT plug-in hybrid coupe

The Geely Emgrand GT is another example of the automaker's apparent seriousness about being considered a top-flight player in the industry. This coupe features classic sports car proportions and aside from the overdone grille, it looks quite attractive. The GT comes from Geely's new top-level Emgrand sub-brand and boasts some impressive specs. It's...

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Beijing 2010: Dongfeng shows off whitewalled, hand-crafted "Hummer"

"Hand-crafted" can be something of a double edged sword in the car business. Rolls-Royces and Aston Martins are hand-made treasures that show off their artisans' decades of experience. The attention to detail is obsessive.On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are machines that look like they were haphazardly slapped together by some drunken hack...

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Beijing 2010: 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan

Along with a refreshed Phaeton, Volkswagen also pulled the satin off a refreshed Tiguan here in Beijing. Like the flagship, the Tiguan has adopted the new corporate horizontal bar grille that we've seen on other recent VWs, including the Mk VI Golf. As near as we can tell, not much else has changed. The new look serves the Tiguan well, giving its face...

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Beijing 2010: Geely Gleagle GS

The first time we saw something that could roughly be equated to a sport coupe from Geely was a few years ago at the Detroit Auto Show. That red car had some enormous panel gaps and dubious styling. My, how times change. The star of Geely's new midrange Gleagle brand (we're pretty sure it doesn't come across as oddly in Chinese as it does in English)...

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Beijing 2010: First Auto Works Red Flag limo is fit for government work

Beijing-based First Auto Works has long been the provider of the official transportation for the hierarchy of the People's Republic of China. Back in the 1950s, FAW started off building a localized version of the standard Soviet parade car, and over the past half century, they have evolved. FAW has also built licensed stretched sedans based on Audi...

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