German transmission manufacturer ZF Friedrichshafen AG introduced the first six speed automatic transmissions in 2001. Since then seven and even eight speed automatics have turned up in various vehicles like Mercedes and Lexus. Now ZF has developed a…
Category: Autoblog
Chinese Smart clone won't be sold in Germany after all
After a back and forth with Daimler over the past several weeks China Automobile Deutschland has decided not to import the Shuanghuan Noble. Daimler was not happy about the car because they claim it looks too much like the Smart ForTwo. China…
Spy Shots: 2009 Ford Ka spotted testing
The upcoming production version of the Ford Verve will be the smallest Ford in the U.S. market (at least for now). However, over in Europe, Ford has an even smaller car called the Ka. The current Ka is based on the platform of the Fiesta which is…
Porsche website reveals U.S. pricing for 2011 Cayenne, MSRP starts at $46,700
2011 Porsche Cayenne Hybrid – Click above for high-res image gallery
Porsche North America has revealed American pricing for the all-new 2011 Cayenne on its consumer website, including the company's first hybrid model. When the Cayenne goes on sale…
2010 Lotus Exige S240 gets a nose job
2010 Lotus Exige S240 – click above for high-res image gallery
It was just a couple of weeks ago that we were tossing around a 2009 Lotus Exige S260 and now the folks from Hethel are releasing a refreshed 2010 Exige S240. The most obvious changes are…
Automotive CEOs VS United States Congress
The leaders of the three US based automakers along with the CEO of Toyota's North American operations and the president of the United Auto Workers union faced off in an occasionally contentious hearing with a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee.…
Ford Edge HySeries Drive spotted ahead of the DC Auto Show
Following the unveiling of the Airstream concept at the just concluded Detroit Auto Show, a Ford spokesman informed me that the drive-train of the concept had already been tested in an Edge, and promised me a drive. Unfortunately, the first…
Toyota technical strategy presentation
Toyota Executive Vice President Kazuo Okamoto did a technical presentation on Challenges to Sustainable Mobility in Tokyo a few days ago. It appears that Toyota is trying to spread some FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) on the concept of series…
Speculating on what products are likely to result from a Chrysler-Fiat partnership
According to the tea-leaf readers over at Automotive News, the alliance between Fiat and Chrysler is expected to yield at lease six new models for the Pentastar in the next few years – if everything works out. Since Chrysler doesn't really have any…
New wind turbine could dramatically increase generation efficiency
One of the primary reasons that current wind turbines have to be so large is that most of the energy is lost as the air flows off the end of the blades. That size increases the cost and reduces the density of turbines that can be installed. FloDesign…