Car Throttle

The Chicago auto show is upon is, which means... well, some facelifts, some new models, but not huge news like Detroit or Geneva.  Still, new stuff!   Inside: Two new Acuras, perhaps the world's most powerful 4-seat production convertible, minor facelifts for a Datsun, a big ol' GMC, and a sweet new Kia they need to make pronto.  Oh, and some bad news on Fisker. Acura officially debuted two new production cars - the ILX (pictured above) and the new RDX.  The ILX takes over for both the Canadian-market CSX sedan (Civic based), and will replace the US-market TSX sedan (Euro Accord-based) as Acura's entry-level model.  Why don't they call it the Integra?  Dunno.  Power comes from three sources.  The base model has a 2.0L I4

Hey kids! Have you always wanted to get behind the wheel of a car but your parents and the law won't let you? It seems like a long wait until your 17th birthday and playing racing games on your console just doesn't cut it, right? No longer will you have to wait until you're grown up, because there's a new scheme from MotorSport Vision out there, made just for you. It's called YoungDrive and if you're 11 years old plus and are taller than 4ft 8" then you can book your first driving lesson in a MINI One. The lessons are based at three locations; Brands Hatch, Oulton Park and the Bedford Autodrome. It gives you the opportunity to take a MINI and an instructor around a

There's a bit of a dispute going on between BMW and it's performance subsidiary. The performance arm are eager to build their own bespoke car, just like AMG did not so long ago with the SLS. Annoyingly, BMW say that the idea may not make the firm that much money. M are convinced they have what it takes to take on the SLS. BMW's head of product development, Albert Biermann told Inside Line, "From an engineering perspective, we have the skills and we'd love to do it. We've discussed it several times but we've never been able to make the business case. Everything we do has to make money." I would love to see a bespoke M car as well. Imagine, a supercar with a M

Everyone who loves summer will be miserable just now, me being one of them, because summer is pretty much over and today, up here in Scotland, it is very cold and wet. The weather forecasters are saying that this year winter will probably be as harsh as the last two years which is fantastic news(!) Instead of moaning about it though we should think about the precautions we should take when it comes to driving in the forthcoming harsh conditions. There are the usual ones like make sure you have blankets and flasks full of hot drinks in the car with you as well as taking some extra snacks just in case you get stranded and that you should allow extra time for your journeys

The Pagani Zonda may well be the Terminator of the automotive world. A bit silly, well loved, and despite repeated attempts to kill it off, you know ‘it’ll be back’. No-one’s actually sure if Zonda production has finally ceased to make way for the twin-turbo Huayra successor, but reports suggest this eye catching example may well be the last of the breed. After the final run-out edition specials (TriColoure, Cinque, Uno, Absolute) this is a more standard machine, if such a thing is possible in the lairy world of Pagani. A Ukrainian customer has ordered this F Roadster in the eye-catching hue of purple and contrasting bare carbon fibre, with matching interior. Of course a Zonda is never going to struggle to attract attention, but even if

This week saw spy shots of Mercedes’ new CLS with a bigger boot. Usually, any saloon or hatchback that comes with a bigger boot is classed in the UK as an estate and estate cars are never usually very cool. They were bought by anyone wanting to lug loads to the dump, collect tons of flat pack furniture from Ikea or for extra space so the dog can come along with the family. But the CLS is a four-door coupe officially which means the CLS seen here is a Shooting Brake. Here’s a little history lesson. ‘Shooting brake’ is a term to describe a two-box car body style that combined coupe features and estate features. The name ‘Brake’ in this case doesn’t mean the

Props must seriously be given to Saab's management team. They have pulled off an extraordinary feat, dodging so many bullets we can't even count. They seem to always secure the right partnership for the right time, just enough to get them scraping by. It seemed the time of reckoning had finally come though. Saab wanted to reorganize itself and get back wages paid by the Swedish government. The latest two deals, with Chinese companies Pang Da and Youngman Automotive, were originally said to secure their financial future. They didn't include short-term funding however. In order to get wages paid by the Swedish government and complete some "reorganization" until long-term financing kicked in, Saab applied for protection from the government. The Vanersborg District court rejected

General Motors today has a radically different product development culture than it did 10 years ago. Products are developed with much less red tape and bureaucratic messes. Hopefully, the corporate development culture has been changed for the good. The change in approach is owed in large part to Bob Lutz, who was hired in 2001 by then-Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner. That's why it was a bit disconcerting to some when he retired from the company in May 2010. Now GM has announced that Maximum Bob is back, in a consulting capacity, providing counsel to the senior leadership of the company. This is good news - Lutz championed performance vehicles and the "secret weapon" journalists the company brought in to provide critique of new

Singapore-based billionaire Peter Lim has completed a substantial investment in McLaren Automotive, the supercar manufacturer based in the London suburb of Woking. Forbes states that Lim derives his fortune from having a 5% share of palm oil giant Wilmar International. McLaren’s press statement announces that Lim will join the Automotive Board of Directors with immediate effect. The announcement of the addition of Lim to the board marks a significant step in McLaren’s global growth strategy as he has great influence in the Asian markets. It seems that McLaren hope that Lim will enable them to consolidate and strengthen the company’s position within Asia. Demand for what McLaren dub as the very first ‘pure’ McLaren car, the MP4-12C has been extremely high with Asian/Pacific retailers quoting

Just when you think the Saab saga is settled for just a little while, something gets thrown in the mix to mess things up. We've got to hand it to the guys at Spyker - they keep trying over and over. No one ever though it would be easy for a diminuitive company like Spyker to handle Saab, and that has proved to be just the case. The deal with Chinese manufacturer Hawtei Motor Group Company Limited struck earlier this month has fell apart. Automotive News reports new deal with Chinese automobile distributor Panda Automobile has been tentatively worked out. Rather than focus on an immediate stake in the company, the deal focuses on large purchases of Saab cars in bulk. These purchases will keep Saab's