Car Throttle

Audi's critically acclaimed R8 sports car gets an upgrade for the 2010 model year, with the addition of a second optional engine to the lineup.  The R8, which is largely based on the Lamborghini Gallardo supercar, gains an optional V10 engine next year that will make the R8 all the more desirable to those with the money for one.  You can debate just how finite a number of people that is in today's economy, but if this car doesn't bring a smile to your face, you're not quite alive: The 5.2 FSI offers a bit more of everything over the regular R8.  While the normal R8 "makes do" with a 4.2L, direct-injected V8 making 420 horsepower, the 5.2 FSI utilizes a 5.2L  V10.  This race-bred 90°

Selling 3.6 million units since it's global launch in 1989, the Legacy has proved to be perhaps Subaru's most important model. Sitting at the top of the range, it provides a good look at the way the brand is headed.  Subaru says as much in the press release, stating " The new LEGACY CONCEPT is a hint at the future of Legacy design". Hmm, so that's the new direction for Subaru? I'm not sure I like it. The look is a departure, and it previews a more assertive design then the handsome innoffensiveness of the current Legacy. Something doesn't look quite right with the design, however.  The front end looks weighty in comparison to the rest of the vehicle, and there is an akwardness to where the mid-section flows in with the front end.

Not satisified with the 552 HP W12 of the Continental GT and GTC? Well then, Bentley has the car for you! Along with some revisions to the standard Continental GTC, Bentley has unveiled an new sport model to the Continental line, the GTC Speed.  There's not a whole lot going on with the standard GTC' model other then some minor changes.  They include a new, more upright grille, reworked intake area, some new colors (Aquamarine & Blue Crystal), a retuned power steering and the addition of ceramic brakes and and Adaptive Cruise Control (bit late to the party on that one Bentley) as options. Available with only the 20 inch wheels, Bentley says the carbon-ceramic brakes (CCB) are the largest and most powerful brakes ever to be offered on a production car. Underneath, new low-friction dampers improve the response of

Say hello to the future of Cadillac! Gone are outlandish, gas-hog concepts like the Sixteen and in is a new future at the forefront of fuel-efficient cars. The Converj concept, with GM's range extending electric drive system, dubbed Voltec, previews a new chapter in Cadillac's "Art & Science" design theme.  The Converj concept's proportions shows off a different twist for Cadillac and it's how it's design language is changing to meet the requirements for vehicles of the future. The long front overhang indicates this is a FWD vehicle. Whether or not the vehicle sees production in this form, most likely we'll design elements from this car in another FWD vehicle, Cadillac's next-generation BLS.  The design is very progressive, yet still uniquely recognizable as a Cadillac. Just look at those fins! The body line along

Battle of the 4-Door coupes! Audi has introduced the Sportback concept, a very stylish "4-Door Coupe" concept vehicle that should offer us a good glimpse at Audi's upcoming CLS (And maybe Fisker Karma competitor), the A7.  The Audi Sportback concept, like it's intended competition, has a coupe-like roofline and overall the design is very clean, offering a look at the next iteration of Audi's design language. LED lighting features prominently, keeping with recent moves by Audi in this area.  Audi's R8 is the first production car to have both LED high and low beams. The large, Audi single frame grille is more svelte in this application, and is reshaped with a flatter outside edge, fitting in with the rest of the design quite well. The rear

Whoa, a turboed 4-cylinder Lincoln! File this one in the "strange but true" category!  Lincoln has debuted their take on a small C-segment luxury vehicle and it turned out surprisingly good. Could it be a preview of what's to come? Even 5 years ago, a concept like this would have been unheard of from Lincoln.  How times have changed!

Amazingly, designers were able to make Lincoln design work on a vehicle of this size. Designers have took traditional Lincoln cues like the full-width taillights, thick rear C-pillar and 1961 Continental-like suicide doors and integrated them into a very untraditional package.   That's no small accomplishment, considering the diminuitive proportions of the C Concept. According to Lincoln, the C Concept is based on the platform underpinning the next Ford Focus, but

Well, the wraps are off on Lexus's first dedicated hybrid vehicle, and what the brand is heralding as the world's first dedicated hybrid luxury vehicle. It also is the brand's first vehicle to be equipped with a 4-cylinder.The HS250h is a break from the past for Lexus, as the car takes the brand significantly downmarket from anything it has produced. Lexus hopes to gain market share with this vehicle, offering a vehicle with high MPG for more budget minded consumers, while also appealing to those looking for an environmentally-friendly vehicle It looks as if the HS250h is styled after the new Lexus RX hybrid SUV, with nearly identical headlights and similar overall styling. However, it seems to get a bit akward in translation on to a vehicle

Happy New Year 1986...er 2009! Ford is hoping for a year like 1986 all over again, the year the very first Taurus debuted.  The original design proved to be a smash hit, positioning Ford for top-selling success with the vehicle throughout the 1990's. However with a focus on the profitable truck segment, Ford left the sedan to languish without much investment as competitors advanced. Continued sales declines led Ford to discontinue the vehicle in 2006, about the time Boeing's CEO Alan Mulally was brought in to lead the company. Mulally then instituted a crash program to first, rebrand Ford's slow selling Five Hundred as the Taurus, and secondly, to then begin a marathon development program with the goal to produce a class leading full-size sedan worthy of the Taurus name. Ford’s Global Product Development

We've had a pretty good idea just how the 2010 E-Class would like for quite some time, from the various leaked images, spyshots and the like. As far back as August, pictures surfaced on the cover Germany's Autobild magazine. They proved spot on, as now we get images from Mercedes-Benz preceding the official public launch of the car at the Geneva show in Switzerland. It's clear from the pictures that Mercedes has decided to play it safe with the next generation of this critically important vehicle. While the last E-Class had a rounded look, the 2010 E-Class exhibits a crisper, more defined style. Nowhere is this more apparent then the front headlights, which while placed in the same dual-headlight configuration found in the previous generation, ditch the round headlamps for a rectangular design. I expected to see more S-Class style