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Jaguar, Land Rover weigh on Tata Motors’ earnings

August 31, 2009

Tata Motors, India’s largest vehicle maker, posted a consolidated loss for its fiscal first quarter, but remained confident about the prospects of its loss-making Jaguar and Land Rover unit.

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Audi R8 V10 Road Trip: The 96 Hours of California (And Elsewhere)

August 31, 2009

We've known Audi of America to be staffed by largely level-headed, responsible human beings. Yet somehow company officials have handed us the key to a freshly minted 2010 R8 5.2 FSI (that would be the one with the 525-hp V10 bolted behind the seats) and allowed me to drive away with no babysitter, speed or distance restrictions or even a GPS ankle tether. The only real parameter is that we have to have the car to Los Angeles (we presume in one piece, although we note that they didn't say that specifically) in four days. So let's do the math, shall we? That's roughly 96 hours.  Subtract 30 hours for sleep. But with a co-driver, in the person of Lead Ed, Ed Hellwig, we could maybe trade-off driving and winnow the cumulative sleep total down to somewhere in the [...]

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Audi R8 V10 Roadtrip: The 96 Hours of California (And Elsewhere)

August 31, 2009

We've known Audi of America to be staffed by largely level-headed, responsible human beings. Yet somehow company officials have handed us the key to a freshly minted 2010 R8 5.2 FSI (that would be the one with the 525-hp V10 bolted behind the seats) and allowed me to drive away with no babysitter, speed or distance restrictions or even a GPS ankle tether. The only real parameter is that we have to have the car to Los Angeles (we presume in one piece, although we note that they didn't say that specifically) in four days. So let's do the math, shall we? That's roughly 96 hours.  Subtract 30 hours for sleep. But with a co-driver, in the person of Lead Ed, Ed Hellwig, we could maybe trade-off driving and winnow the cumulative sleep total down to somewhere in the [...]

continue article > > .

2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI: The 96 Hours of California (And Elsewhere)

August 31, 2009

We've known Audi of America to be staffed by largely level-headed, responsible human beings. Yet somehow company officials have handed us the key to a freshly minted 2010 R8 5.2 FSI (that would be the one with the 525-hp V10 bolted behind the seats) and allowed me to drive away with no babysitter, speed or distance restrictions or even a GPS ankle tether. The only real parameter is that we have to have the car to Los Angeles (we presume in one piece, although we note that they didn't say that specifically) in four days. So let's do the math, shall we? That's roughly 96 hours.  Subtract 30 hours for sleep. But with a co-driver, in the person of Lead Ed, Ed Hellwig, we could maybe trade-off driving and winnow the cumulative sleep total down to somewhere in the [...]

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Video: The Slickest Cadillac Commercial Ever?

August 31, 2009

Watch until the end and there's a nice little surprise. Hint: It has only 2 doors.

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Video: The Slickest Cadillac Commercial Ever

August 31, 2009

Watch until the end and there's a nice little treat if you're into the Cadillac CTS.

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Driving the 2011 Porsche Cayenne Hybrid, 2010 Cayenne 3.0 TDI

August 31, 2009

Green Car Advisor in Chief John O'Dell had a chance to drive the 2011 Porsche Cayenne Hybrid and a European-spec 2010 Porsche Cayenne 3.0 TDI back to back in Southern California last week.
It was a revealing experience, as the Cayenne Hybrid is actually the quicker of these two, with a claimed 0-to-60-mph time of 6.5 seconds. It's also more fuel-efficient with an estimated 27-mpg combined fuel economy rating. To review, the hybrid Cayenne uses a 333-hp 3.0-liter supercharged V6 adapted from the Audi S4, an eight-speed automatic transmission, and a 288-volt Ni-MH battery pack powering a 38-kW electric motor. John says the hybrid system feels like a more powerful, and smarter, version of Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system.
The downside is that the Porsche Cayenne Hybrid will probably cost about $70K when it arrives in the U.S. next spring. A diesel Cayenne would be [...]

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Top Ten Stolen Vehicles of 2008

August 31, 2009

Filed under: Etc.

Thanks to modern technologies like ignition keys with embedded chips and factory installed security immobilizers, it’s getting harder and harder to steal new cars. As a result, the number of cars and trucks stolen in the United States dropped by 13.1 percent in 2008 compared to 2007, a trend that has been continuing for five years. Total thefts for the year could actually end up under 1 million for the first time in 20 years.
Owners of older cars on the other hand aren’t so lucky. One of the main driving factors behind car thefts is to strip the vehicles and sell the parts. The main market for those parts is older, high volume vehicles, so the same vehicles are the ones that tend to get stolen. The top ten stolen vehicles for 2008 includes a couple of surprises and a bunch of perennial hits. Check out the [...]

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Spy Shots: 2011 VW Jetta Sedan

August 31, 2009

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, Volkswagen

2011 Volkswagen Jetta - Click above for a high-res image gallery

After spending time with the Jetta sedan last year, we came away mostly impressed by its performance and looks. V-Dub’s bread-and-butter model is handsome enough to keep buyers interested, but every design gets stale and after wearing the same duds since 2004, VW is working on all-new sheetmetal for the 2011 model year.
KPG caught the new Jetta Sedan undergoing hot-weather testing in Arizona, and while most of the shots show little more than swaths of black camo, the heat and wind worked away at the adhesive to reveal crisper lines, a swoopier roof, a more angled rear side window and some snazzy looking taillights.
VW is calling the revised Jetta its “New Compact Sedan” and the Jetta name is in no danger of being changed. Expect the 2011 Jetta to take aim at the Civic [...]

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Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 8.31.09

August 31, 2009

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First Drive: 2010 Audi R8 V10 answers our power prayers
Audi addresses our singular gripe with the R8 by replacing the standard model’s stock powerplant with the V10 from the Lamborghini Gallardo. Porsche 911 Turbo, M-B SL63 and (whoops) LP560-4, it’s official: You’re on notice.

VIDEO: Production Cadillac CTS Coupe breaks through in new 60-second spot
With the tagline “America, we [...]

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