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- Video: BMW proves X5 M and X6 M can go up snowy hills
- Video: BMW 335is goes around the track
- Spyker reportedly close to buying Saab from GM
- Fiat reportedly planning to merge Alfa Romeo, Abarth and Maserati
- BMW ActiveHybrid 5 Series set to arrive in Geneva
- Motorsport Weekend January 22-24: IRC breaks the ice in Monte Carlo
- Video: Take a look behind the scenes at Travis Pastrana’s New Year’s jump
- 45% of Americans still think GM needs more bailouts, new poll reveals
- Toyota plans to build 1 million hybrid vehicles by 2011
- Suzuki won’t sell any more stocks to Volkswagen, says company CEO
| Video: BMW proves X5 M and X6 M can go up snowy hills Posted: 25 Jan 2010 02:21 AM PST  During the last episode of season 14 of Top Gear, presenter Jeremy Clarkson took the BMW X6 model in a variety of places in order to test it out. One test proved it can’t go up grassy hills, while another showed it can’t even handle properly on snowy roads. But now, with the second part of its Snow Action series, which features the X5 M and X6 M, BMW has proved Clarkson wrong, and tasked two of its drivers to take the models up and down a certified ski track. Ironically, the drivers went up the hill by using a typical Clarkson recipe: send all the power of the engine to the wheels and floor it. See the whole video by hitting the jump. Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Video: BMW 335is goes around the track Posted: 25 Jan 2010 02:07 AM PST  The recent facelift made by BMW to the 3 Series Coupe and Cabriolet models was eagerly expected by many fans, not only for the slightly revised looks or upgraded engine range, but for the addition of the new 335is model, which promises increased performance, for those of you not willing to go all out on a M3. The model outputs 320 HP and 332 lb-ft of torque, but also has an overboost function, which when activated generates 370 lb-ft. Besides the powerful engine, a variety of M-Sport accessories have been added to create a more aggressive look for the new car. Prices will start from $50,525 (MSRP) for the coupe, while the cabriolet will start from $59,075. Hit the jump to see the new car on the track to decide if it’s worth it. Source: BMWBlog Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Spyker reportedly close to buying Saab from GM Posted: 25 Jan 2010 01:31 AM PST  In recent weeks all of the reports coming in concerning Saab weren’t the prettiest, with General Motors continuing the wind down process for the company while saying that it is still searching for investors willing to get the Swedish carmaker off its hands. Now though, a new story, coming from Bloomberg, might change the whole perspective, as reportedly Spyker and GM have agreed on the financial terms, and the Dutch supercar manufacturer is closer to securing the Swedish brand. But before your open up the champagne, there are still a few hurdles left, among which being Vladimir Antonov, the Russian chairman of Spyker, which GM doesn’t really like, and the need for the Swedish government to guarantee a loan of €400 million from the European Investment Bank. The deal between Spyker and GM hasn’t been revealed, but according to some voices, the Dutch company will offer $75 million for Saab, and GM will continue to keep $100m in current stocks, and will also receive $325m in shares from the new company that Spyker and Saab will form. Overall, this new rumors sounds pretty good, but don’t get your hopes too high until you hear it straight from the hors… GM’s mouth. Source: Autocar Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Fiat reportedly planning to merge Alfa Romeo, Abarth and Maserati Posted: 25 Jan 2010 01:10 AM PST  Fiat definitely has quite a few brands to take care of, but a recent move in its corporate structure has generated a big rumor, according to which the Italian company is planning to merge Alfa Romeo, Abarth and Maserati under one single, sports-orientated sub-brand. This rumor started when Abarth and Maserati CEO Harald Wester was also named the new boss over Alfa Romeo, and will try to improve the brand which hasn’t been doing so well in recent times, and make sure the launch of the new Giulietta hatchback goes off as smoothly as possible. Frankly, I don’t believe such a move will actually happen, as Abarth is quite busy marketing popular versions of Fiat models, while Maserati is providing a classy alternative for those not in the market for a Ferrari. Hopefully Alfa will improve under Wester and become popular once more. What do you believe? Share your thoughts below. Source: Autocar Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| BMW ActiveHybrid 5 Series set to arrive in Geneva Posted: 25 Jan 2010 12:49 AM PST  The upcoming Geneva Motor Show will be host to quite a few big announcements and presentations, in which many hybrids will be revealed. We’ve already heard about the A8 hybrid Audi will bring at the convention, but now BMW has also revealed that a new model in its ActiveHybrid range, based on the 2011 5 Series, will also be presented. The German company declined to comment on what particular setup the ActiveHybrid 5 will feature, or if it will eventually make its way onto US soil, which is one of the biggest hybrid markets in the world. Judging by the already available ActiveHybrid 7 Series and the X6 one, it’s almost a certainty though. What is known is that the hybrid 5 series will be launched on European markets soon after the Geneva show closes, and we will be able to see it in showrooms this summer. Source: Automotive News via WorldCarFans Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Motorsport Weekend January 22-24: IRC breaks the ice in Monte Carlo Posted: 25 Jan 2010 12:37 AM PST  Hello and welcome to the first edition of what will be our weekly motorsport results roundup. Even though the new racing season has barely started, we were treated last weekend to the first stage in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC), which took place in Monte Carlo. The stage lived up to its setting, and was filled with surprising results, even though it was led from start to finish by Finn Mikko Hirvonen. He made a stunning debut with the new Ford Fiesta S2000, which we revealed to you a few months ago, from M-Sport. Behind him was fellow Finn Juho Hanninen, which raced a factory Skoda Fabia, with with 1 minuted 51 seconds between them. Nicolas Vouilloz followed with another stock Fabia, while fourth place was held by Stephane Sarrazin, with his Peugeot 207. The race was quite close, with Sebastien Ogier trailing Hirvonen by 38.3 seconds, but a dramatic crash in the second to last stage meant rally over for him. As you could imagine, smiles were all around at M-Sport and on Hirvonen’s face. “The Monte Carlo Rally is one of the world’s great rallies and it’s a big thrill to win here,” said the Finn driver. “It was a long, hard event and the conditions made the challenge even tougher. This car is brand new to competition but everything worked perfectly from the first kilometer. That’s a tribute to the whole team, and particularly the people who put in so much effort over the last two weeks.” Look forward to more motorsport competitions being covered in this section as more seasons start in the following weeks. Source: Eurosport Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Video: Take a look behind the scenes at Travis Pastrana’s New Year’s jump Posted: 24 Jan 2010 11:48 PM PST  While most of us were out partying, enjoying the New Year’s Eve with friends, one guy was preparing to do one of the craziest stunts in his car: Travis Pastrana. I’m sure some of you got to see the stunt live on ESPN, or managed to check out our own story about it which included the video, but now a batch of new footage appeared, showing a behind-the-scenes look at the stunt achieved by Pastrana in his rally-spec Subaru Impreza WRX STI. It includes everything from the practice, which saw a pretty nasty crash by the driver, and the New Year’s stunt. Hit the jump like Pastrana and watch the video. Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| 45% of Americans still think GM needs more bailouts, new poll reveals Posted: 24 Jan 2010 11:32 PM PST  It’s safe to say General Motors won’t fondly remember last year, when it was forced to declare bankruptcy, accept bailouts from various governments and terminate a few of its brands. But with 2010 signaling a new age, better financial conditions and the possibility of achieving a profit, the bad times are more or less over, according to its executives. But what about the average American? Well according to Rasmussen, which polled US citizens about the condition of the three biggest carmakers, it seems that 45% of them still believe that GM needs more bailouts, in order to become the company it once was. 29% of them were optimistic and believed that things will return to normal without any more government funds, while the rest declined to comment. Investors, on the other hand, are even more optimistic, with 34% of the people who were polled believed GM can get back on its feet without any more help. Ford, as expected, scores the most confidence from US citizens, according to the same poll, while just 22% believed Chrysler would need further bailouts to spur its revival under Fiat. What do you think of these numbers? Does GM, Chrysler or Ford need more bailouts? Leave your thoughts below in a comment. Source: Rasmussen via Autoblog Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Toyota plans to build 1 million hybrid vehicles by 2011 Posted: 24 Jan 2010 11:11 PM PST  Toyota is currently the biggest hybrid vehicle manufacturer, selling around 500,000 models last year which coupled together both conventional engines and electric motors. But this doesn’t meant it won’t continue to grow, as according to Japan’s daily business paper, Nikkei, it is aiming to build 1 million hybrid cars by 2011, a very ambitious goal, especially with the current economic climate, which is still feeling the effects of the recession. The plan to achieve such a goal is already before us. The first step will be the unveiling of new plants in places like Thailand, China or the United States of America, which will increase the hybrid production capacity. While the second phase will be the introduction of new hybrid models, like the recent FT-CH hatchback concept, which will slot in below the popular Prius hybrid. Such a goal isn’t attainable by many carmakers, but if anyone can, it’s Toyota. Hopefully the gamble will pay off, and it won’t be a waste of money. Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Suzuki won’t sell any more stocks to Volkswagen, says company CEO Posted: 24 Jan 2010 10:58 PM PST  Volkswagen is taking some serious steps in becoming the world’s largest carmaker, with some reports pegging the fact to be true. That hasn’t stopped the company from continuing its growth, with the latest acquisition being 19.9% of Suzuki. Part of the purchase will be a closer relationship with the Japanese company, with Suzuki offering small car technology, and VW things like its TDI diesel engines. But what happens if the German company wants to increase its stake in the Asian company? Suzuki will decline, at least according to its CEO Osamu Suzuki, which revealed that an answer closer to “let’s continue as we are,” will be given. This does make sense, but let’s not forget that he also revealed prior to the deal between his company and VW, that there are no such plans, which turned out to be false. While VW did reveal that it will not acquire any more companies in the near future, I’m certain that if the partnership is successful, it will increase its control over Suzuki. Source: Automotive News via Autoblog Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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