2012 BMW 650i Coupe

The history of the BMW 6-Series is one which goes back to the 1970's when BMW launched the first 6-Series Coupe. Now, three generations later, we were handed the keys to a black 2012 BMW 650i Coupe for a day of test drives through the city of Rotterdam, one of the biggest naval ports in the world. The correct setting for a drive in what BMW considers to be its top of the range model, expect for the M-Division fettled M6 of course. The 2+2 coupe invokes adjectives such as elegant, luxurious and high-tech when we attempt to describe...

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2013 Mercedes-Benz GL 63 AMG

Mercedes-Benz announced the first official AMG variant of the 2013 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class today in the form of the GL63 AMG. The GL63 AMG will compete with the BMW X5M, Range Rover Supercharged and the Toyota Land Cruiser. It’s the second SUV in Mercedes range to get the AMG treatment, following the Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG. The GL63 AMG gets the AMG 5.5 liter V8 biturbo engine that has become synonymous with the ’63' badge. In the GL-Class it produces a peak output of 557hp and maximum torque of 760Nm. This allows a 0 to 100km/h sprint...

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Dacia Lodgy

Is this the model to turn the MPV class on its head? Renault-owned Romanian budget brand Dacia will offer the Lodgy with a starting price of around £9,000, rising to roughly £15,000 for the range-topping car driven here. It’s called the Lodgy Prestige and that price buys you a Renault-sourced 1.5-litre dCi diesel engine producing 109bhp and an equipment list including touchscreen sat-nav, electric windows, rear parking sensors and air-con. In comparison, a similarly equipped SEAT Alhambra will cost £24,020. The cabin itself has...

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Volvo V40 T4

The Volvo V40 T4 SE Lux is the most powerful version of this new Audi A3 rival. Powered by a four-cylinder 177bhp turbo petrol, it’s packed with performance and safety kit and sits on 18-inch alloy wheels. The cabin won’t shock anyone familiar with Volvos, but it builds on a proven formula: supportive leather seats, a three-spoke steering wheel, plus a stylish illuminated gearknob. Handy touches include a variable-height boot floor and a chilled glovebox. Rear passengers benefit from more elbow room than in the C30 and S40, yet a...

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Vitt Performance Mercedes-Benz CLS

Vitt Performance latest model is based on the W218 Mercedes-Benz CLS. We’ve seen some fantastic enhancements for the latest CLS, the Wald Black Bison, the Carlsson CK63 RS and the Brabus Rocket are examples that immediately spring to mind. We’re not too sure about this example though, the Japanese tuner added a full set of cosmetic enhancements to the German saloon car. Take a look and see what you think. The aerodynamic kit consists of a new front bumper, a set of front and rear fender extensions, a side skirt, door panel and...

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Prius Family Becomes Third Top-Selling Car Line in First Quarter 2012

With the launch of new variants, having paid its dues in gaining acceptance, and in light of generally high fuel prices this year, plus other positive sales pressures, Toyota’s Prius line became the third-ranked last quarter. Last quarter global Prius line sales were 247,230 units, according to Bloomberg, compared to 300,800 Toyota Corollas and 277,000 recorded Ford Focus sales. This latest feather in Toyota's cap comes as it recently traded places again with GM as the world’s largest automaker, and having three top-10 models, the...

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2013 Volkswagen CC R-Line revealed for US

Volkswagen will unveil the R-Line version of the CC at the Auto Mobil International show in Leipzig on June 1st. This CC model will be available in the U.S. at the end of 2012 with the 200-horsepower, 2.0-liter, turbocharged TSI® engine, mated to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. With interior and exterior enhancements, the R-Line upgrades make the CC an even sportier vehicle. Compared with the Sport model, the R-Line gains a more aggressive front bumper design that incorporates a large lower...

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Steven Tyler Takes Delivery of the First Hennessey Venom GT Spyder

Steven Tyler, perhaps best known as the lead singer of Aerosmith, has taken delivery of the first Hennessey Venom GT Spyder. We reported last month that Tyler would take delivery of the supercar to coincide with the season finale of American Idol Season 11 on May 23rd. His Venom GT gets a black exterior with black interior and contrasting red stitching and a custom audio system constructed by JL Audio. The Spyder is powered by a twin-turbocharged Chevrolet LS-series aluminum V8 producing 1,244hp and 1,135lb-ft torque mated to a six-speed...

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Artificial Engine Sound for Diesel-Powered Maseratis?

The release of diesel-powered Maserati models is no secret to the automotive world. We reported before on the plans to release a new SUV and luxury car using a diesel engine. Online platform Whatcar reported last week that Roberto Corradi, vice-president of product development, said that the Italians are planning diesel-powered models equipped with a device that emits an artificial engine sound to make the car sound sportier. The noise simulator will likely be similar to the Active Sound system that is currently found in the 2012...

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2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Tops Consumer Award’s Hybrid Category

Winners of this year’s Autobytel & AutoPacific Consumer Awards have been released and the top-rated hybrid car winner is the 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. This is the 16th edition of this annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards. Based solely on input from actual owners—more than 75,000 of them—taken during the first quarter of the year, AutoPacific’s 2012 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards (VSAs) provide a unique look at which vehicles provide the most satisfying overall ownership experience. Many other awards focus solely on specific aspects...

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Toyota Yaris Hybrid

Toyota has released its smallest hybrid yet, with a new petrol-electric version of the Yaris supermini. But how will this expensive technology stack up at the cheaper end of the car market? Well, the starting price-tag of £14,995 isn’t as high as you might expect – it’s only £600 more expensive than the cheapest five-door diesel Yaris – and the rock-bottom running costs will be a real draw for many buyers. In its most frugal form the Yaris Hybrid emits just 79g/km (though range-topping T Spirit models emit 85g/km), which is enough...

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The BMW Zagato Coupe

Ever since the design change of the 2005 BMW 3-series I’ve had a hard time finding many of the vehicle that BMW produced to be attractive. The cars were just too on looking for me and as expensive as they were they seemed like more of a distant towards when choosing a foreign luxury vehicle. Fortunately for 2011-2012 we started to see BMW alter vehicle designs for the better. For BMW’s arrival at the 2012 Concorso d’Eleganza they brought their show pony which will hopefully be an insight into future designs at this BMW Zagato is a German...

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The Chinese Auto Industry

What is one Chinese invention that we all have today and works like a charm? There are several parts of that first sentence that just don’t add up. The reason is because the Chinese seem to have an inability to design a car. It’s like asking a worker bee to redesign the honey comb to where it’s more aesthetically pleasing. So since the nation of copycats make everything else what is to stop them from producing a Ferrari 458 Hongtalia? Nothing really as any of the companies in China ever seems to get sued for copyright infringement. Due...

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Second Gen Fuel-Cell Buses Roll In Switzerland

PostAuto Schweiz AG has become the first company in Switzerland to deploy fuel-cell technology for public road transport. Since the end of 2011, five Mercedes-Benz Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid models have been serving on routes in and around Brugg (in the canton of Aargau) as PostAuto vehicles. Over the next five years, PostAuto will test the new generation fuel-cell drive, using clean hydrogen as fuel. The dense network of routes operated by PostAuto around Brugg is ideally suited to the test in terms of both topography and routing,...

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Mercedes ML 250 CDI

The new Mercedes M-Class has to tackle the Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and BMW X5 head-on. Longer and wider than its predecessor, it’s certainly big enough, but this ML 250 CDI has a 2.1-litre four-cylinder engine. An engine that size in a 2,100kg 4x4 sounds like a struggle, but the 500Nm of torque ensures the ML is no slouch. It belies its weight with 0-62mph in nine seconds and strong in-gear response. It’s not as quick or refined as the ML 350 CDI, but you can shift between the seven gears using steering-wheel paddles when you want...

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Mercedes SLK55 AMG

Mercedes tuning arm AMG is renowned for shoehorning large engines into small cars, and it’s worked its magic again with the SLK55 AMG, which we’ve driven on UK roads for the first time. A short rump and long nose give the newcomer the look of a classic roadster, and it’s a compact design, although the AMG bodykit and standard 18-inch alloy wheels lend it some more aggression. In our eyes, this is the best-looking SLK yet, but we still wouldn’t describe it as beefy – at least until you fire the engine. Under the louvred bonnet...

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2013 Honda Accord Prototype Caught Testing

At the 2012 Detroit Auto show, Honda premiered a concept of their upcoming 2013 Honda Accord in the form of the Accord Coupe Concept. This barely-a-concept coupe concept looked similar to the current accord, but debuted a new honeycomb grille, LED accent and fog lighting, and a slightly more aggressive profile that included a bit of a ducktail spoiler. Now we've got the first photos of the 2013 Honda Accord prototype testing and some of these elements have carried through into the production car. The upper mesh grille is gone, replaced...

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BMW Planning 1 Series Sedan for 2014?

Try as we might, we just can't get the entire country to get rid of their less useful, but better at avoiding line-of-sight police search (ask an attorney about sedans vs wagons some time) sedans and replace them all with (preferably diesel) hatchbacks. We made all the right moves, but sadly, Americans just don't get efficient packaging. Nor, apparently, do the Chinese. It's this one-two-punch of preference over style and substance that is causing BMW to rethink their current product line and add a four-door sedan to the 1-Series...

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Eric Clapton Ferrari One- Off SP12 EC

Nearly a couple of months ago, we have already seen the first pictures and video of the Eric Clapton’s coachbuilt SP12 EC when presented in a London dealership. However at May 25th the Italian automaker has brought the exotic vehicle to public, the company also said that the one- off model would be featured in the Ferrari Magazine to be the newest issue. The company had named the 458 Italia- based model with ‘SP’ that is short of Special Project, ‘12’ that stands for the Ferrari 512BB which is the vehicle’s design inspiration and...

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