Luxury Cars
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The onslaught of four-cylinder engines into vehicles that previously wouldn't have had anything lower than six cylinders continues. It's in the service of gas mileage, and the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C 250--with a 1.8-liter turbocharged and direct-injected four putting out 201 horsepower and 229 pound-feet of torque--is rated at 21 mpg city, 31 mpg highway, giving it a combined rating of 25 mpg. That's a useful boost over the 228-hp 3.0-liter V-6 in last year's base C-Class model, the C 300, which was rated at 18 mpg city, 26 mpg highway, and 21 mpg combined. Mercedes-Benz expects 40 to 45 percent...
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2012 Infiniti M35h Is The World's Quickest Full HybridKicking off the car's launch in Europe, Guinness World Records has certified the Infiniti M35h hybrid as the "world's fastest accelerating full hybrid."
Kurt Ernst -
Land Rover DC100, DC100 Sport Concepts: 2011 Frankfurt Auto ShowLand Rover has officially revealed its DC100 Concepts—which show the essentially elements of the next (2015) Land Rover Defender
Bengt Halvorson -
2013 Lexus GS 450h Luxury Hybrid Debuts In FrankfurtLexus is showing an all-new 2013 GS 45h hybrid luxury sport sedan at the upcoming Frankfurt Auto Show
Kurt Ernst -
2013 Lexus GS 450h Hybrid: LED Headlamps, Possible Plug-In LaterWhile Lexus unveiled its all-new 2013 GS 350 sports sedan at the recent Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, it showed off only the gasoline GS 350 model. Details of the future hybrid version, the 2013 Lexus GS 450h, remain under cover until the company launches the car officially at next month's...
John Voelcker -
Audi A8 Hybrid: For Europe In 2012, For U.S. Sometime Later, MaybeHistorically, German automakers were slow to move into hybrid-electric vehicles, relying exclusively on diesel engines to boost fuel efficiency. That's in the past, though, and the Volkswagen Group is aggressively spreading its hybrid powertrain across models from many of its brands. But while VW...
John Voelcker -
Despite lack of an official confirmation from Audi of America, we'd bet significant money on the arrival of the Audi A6 Hybrid in the U.S. market. Why? Because the U.S. has the highest hybrid penetration of any market in the world except Japan, and "hybrid" means "high gas mileage" to a large number of U.S. buyers, particularly the affluent ones who buy imported luxury cars like Audis. It's coming, trust us So while other media have reported that the A6 Hybrid won't be coming to the States, we don't believe it for a second. And now Car and Driver has confirmed it, citing unnamed sources...
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New Mercedes-Benz B-Class Getting Five Different PowerplantsMercedes-Benz is working on a brand new version of its B-Class hatchback that’s destined to go on sale in the U.S. late next year alongside a new A-Class hatchback, BLS four-door coupe and BLK compact crossover. This family of small cars from the German luxury brand will all ride on a new...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2012 Tesla Model S Spied Testing In Palo AltoThe 2012 Tesla Model S has been spied testing in Palo Alto, CA, and it looks to be closer to production form than ever.
Nelson Ireson -
Lexus LS 600h Hybrid Landaulet Used To Shuttle Monaco PrinceWe already knew Prince Albert of Monaco was a bit of an activist--or at least he likes to think he is--but now he’s gone out and commissioned the development of a one-off ‘Landaulet’ to carry him and his bride-to-be Carlene Wittstock on their wedding day, this July 2. A Landaulet...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Tesla Model S Electric Sedan Closer To Launch, Gets FaceliftIt may still be well over a year away from launch, but Tesla’s latest press photographs are certainly getting the automotive world talking. Released over the weekend, the photographs show a Model S which looks good enough to take on mainstream automotive giants on the showroom floor head-on...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Porsche Boxster E Electric Sports Car A Hit At 2011 Michelin Challenge BibendumThe Michelin Challenge Bibendum is an annual event run by the French tire company aimed at promoting the development of sustainable mobility. At this year’s event in the German capital of Berlin Porsche rolled out its Boxster E electric car prototype, revealing a few more saucy details about...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Porsche recently took the wraps off its second hybrid model, the new 2012 Panamera S Hybrid, as well as confirming development of an electric sports car and the announcement that a number of zero-emission ‘Boxster E’ prototypes are already running around Germany. Add to that the automaker’s launch of two generations of 911 GT3 R Hybrid race car prototypes and a plug-in hybrid supercar in the pipeline and it’s safe to say that Porsche is currently one of the greenest automakers on the planet. But being green is not enough for Porsche. After all, we are talking about the...
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Jaguar C-X75 Plug-In Hybrid Supercar Coming In 2013It’s been speculated for the past several months but today we finally got confirmation that Jaguar’s stunning C-X75 concept car is headed for production and due for launch in late 2013. In a press conference early this morning, Jaguar confirmed that together with the Williams Formula 1...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Porsche Panamera Diesel: The High-MPG Porsche You Can't HaveIntroduced for 2010, the Porsche Panamera horrified purists but lured buyers all over the world. It was Porsche's first-ever four-door sedan, built in part for the burgeoning Chinese market, and its humpbacked styling is ... well, let's just say ... polarizing. Now Porsche has unveiled the most...
John Voelcker -
Hybrid Lexus LS 600h Limousine Will Turn Royal Wedding GreenNo, we’re not talking about the Prince William and Kate Middleton royal wedding that’s taking place this week. We’re talking about that other royal wedding, the one between Monaco’s Prince Albert II and his bride-to-be Charlene Wittstock scheduled for July 2 of this year...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid: 2011 New York Auto Show Live PhotosWe first saw it at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show but this time it’s making its North American debut, where else but at this week’s 2011 New York Auto Show. We’re talking about, of course, the 2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid, which was put up on display next to a new high-performance...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Audi A3 e-tron Concept Packs Plug-In Hybrid DrivetrainAfter sticking to diesel for a long time as its sole green strategy, Audi is now storming ahead into smaller, hybrid, and electric cars with a fierce vengeance, seemingly determined to make up for lost time. Today the automaker’s green onslaught has gone up another notch with the unveiling of...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Governments around the world are bowing to public pressure to reduce the levels of greenhouse gases their respective countries produce, and more often than not, the first sector they look at is the auto industry. Here in the U.S. the government has imposed a tough 34.1 mpg fleet-wide fuel economy standard for 2016, while in Europe the government wants to put a limit on CO2 levels--something that could have disastrous effects for niche players like Ferrari. In fact, the changes have Ferrari so worried that engineers for both its F1 division and road cars are hard at work developing methods to...
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Audi Presents Battery-Powered A3 e-tron PrototypeThe growth of Audi’s ever-expanding family of ‘e-tron’ electrified concept cars and prototypes shows no signs of slowing with two more additions joining the fold this month alone, the latest being the battery-powered A3 e-tron revealed this week. The newest addition brings the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Land Rover’s First Hybrid Coming In 2013, Plug-In Hybrid One Year LaterLand Rover’s ongoing pledge to become more environmentally friendly is starting to result in some interesting developments, with the automaker’s brand director recently confirming the launch of the first Land Rover hybrid in 2013. Speaking with Inside Line, Land Rover’s John...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Mercedes-Benz Concept A-Class Previews New U.S.-Bound CompactMercedes-Benz is working on a family of new small cars, several of which will be heading to the U.S., possibly by the end of next year. Designed to compete with BMW’s 1-Series range, the new Lexus CT 200h and even the Audi A3, the new family of small cars will serve as the replacements for...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
BMW 5-Series Plug-In Hybrid Prototype: 2011 Shanghai Auto ShowBMW has taken the wraps off a new plug-in hybrid prototype based on its long-wheelbase 5-Series sedan, which it will be showcasing in just a few weeks at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show. Built in collaboration with its Chinese alliance partner Brilliance Auto, development of the new prototype is the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Report: 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Range To Be Almost Completely HybridMercedes-Benz just took the wraps off its facelifted C-Class range, which enters the market as a 2012 model and comes with a host of modifications to make it more fuel efficient. Namely, the introduction of a 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the first four the C-Class has been available...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran