Category: Autoblog

For a time in the mid to late 1980s following the second mid-East oil shock, turbochargers were all the rage. Carmakers were dealing with trying to meet the first round of CAFE requirements and new emissions standards. That meant downsized engines…

To those who've been following this site for a while, the car you see above may look familiar. We have covered the Canadian built ZENN neighborhood electric vehicle on several occasions including their involvement with ultra-capacitor developer…

2010 Mercedes-Benz E350 – Click above for high-res image gallery
It is being reported that Mercedes-Benz will launch its first diesel hybrid vehicle late this year when it kicks off production of the E300 Bluetec hybrid. Until now, automakers have…

Not counting heavy duty trucks, diesel engines make up only a tiny percentage of the light duty vehicle market in the US right now. But the world's largest automotive supplier doesn't expect it to stay that way for long. Bosch is projecting that by…

2008 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG – Click above for high-res gallery
There was a time when what we might call super-sedans were largely the province of a dedicated cadre of aftermarket tuners. Companies like Brabus, Alpina and, of course, AMG would…

Click the Challenger for a high res gallery
During the recent What's New event at Chrysler's Chelsea Proving Ground, we had the opportunity to sample the new Dodge Challenger SRT-8. For the 2008 model year, Chrysler is only building SRT-8 versions of…

Earlier this year, as General Motors was slashing spending on programs in a desperate and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to stave off bankruptcy, one of the victims was the new new 4.5-liter Duramax diesel V8. The engine, which was intended to start…

2011 Lotus Elise – Click above for high-res image gallery
Particularly given its performance capabilities, the Lotus Elise has always been remarkably fuel efficient. The Elise (and its hardtop Exige sibling) have long been a rolling testament to the…

Whenever you see a study (or survey), the first thing you need to do before drawing any conclusions about said study's (or survey's) conclusions is to determine what question was asked. For example, a newly completed study found that “peak coal”…

Ford has been developing lots of different materials from renewable sources including the soyfoam that they introduced in the Mustang seats for 2008. Now Ford's Japanese affiliate Mazda has kicked off a new research program with hometown school…