Mitsubishi to Wind Down Ralliart Division
Monetary woes are forcing Mitsubishi to scale down operations of its motorsports wing, Ralliart. As of April 1, Ralliart will stop supporting motorsports customers and cease production of new Ralliart-branded products. The downturn won’t affect Ralliart-badged production vehicles, such as our long-term Lancer Ralliart, because the Ralliart name has been licensed and can still be used on current (and possibly future) Mitsubishi products. In ...
GM and Opel?s Strange Love ? Feature
Or, how the General learned to stop worrying and love its German brand. Early last year, on the verge of bankruptcy, GM was so cash strapped that it was looking to dispose of its European subsidiary Opel, a brand it has owned for 80 years and which played an important engineering role. GM managed to save the brand, but the dust has only just settled enough to see Opel?s path through the desperate hours and what its future will hold. But let?s bac...
Ford C-Max Spied Testing Around Town, But Why?
It was just a normal day in the Car and Driver offices when, during a (totally work-related) routine errand, I saw a fully diapered-up prototype car being led through Ann Arbor by a Ford Escape. ?Gadzooks,? I said out loud, ?that must be some sort of future Ford,? and immediately snapped the two photos you see here with my camera phone. Upon my return to the office, a couple of fellow editors and I determined that the covered-up car is th...
No Snow Days Here: We Head to Team O?Neil Rally School to Get a Handle on Mitsubishi All-Wheel Drive
Dalton, New Hampshire, is about two hours north of Manchester, at the crossroads linking the Boonies with the Ends of the Earth. From Los Angeles in January, it takes two airplanes and a car with good snow traction to reach it. The only real reason to go to Dalton would make a pretty good reason to go anywhere: to learn how to drive rally cars. Up a steep hollow in the foothills of the windblown White Mountains, five-time U.S. rally champion T...
2010 Honda Element EX Dog Friendly Package ? Quick Spin
Honda?s box goes to the dogs with a new accessory package. What Is It? The Honda Element, a dream car for fans of cubism, with Honda?s new Dog Friendly accessory package. The Dog Friendly setup comes with a tent-like kennel with pet bed that fits in the cargo compartment, a ramp that allows the dog to easily climb into the back, a water bowl, a small electric fan to cool your friend in the cargo area, dog-bone-themed rubber mats, dog-patterned ...
2010 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 vs. 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo ? Comparison Tests
Double-Double Animal Style: Whichever way you stack these patties, the 638-hp Chevy Corvette and the new 500-hp Porsche 911 Turbo are wild machines. Ever since the 911 hit U.S. showrooms in 1965, the Chevrolet Corvette and Porsche?s most iconic car have been facing off on racetracks and canyon roads all over the world. And through the years, the cars have displayed immensely diverse characteristics: The American is straightforward yet effective a...
2012 Audi S8 ? Spied
Goodbye, V-10! Audi’s next S8 gets a turbocharged eight. Audi claims it builds the sportiest cars in the premium segment, but another carmaker headquartered just 50 miles south, BMW, begs to differ. The battle is raging?and we couldn?t be happier. Early next year, Audi will launch its sportiest A8, the S8, as its latest volley. From what we know so far, it has the potential to become our favorite luxury car. Powered by a twin-turbocharged,...
2011 Nissan NV1500 / NV2500 HD / NV3500 HD ? Car News
Japan creates its own Mercedes Sprinter, and it?ll be built in America. There?s nothing terribly creative about the name of Nissan?s new commercial van?NV stands for Nissan Van?but the Japanese Sprinter-fighter is a fresh take on the commercial carryall box. Nissan will launch the van in three strengths with a choice of a V-6 or V-8 engine. Keep Reading: 2011 Nissan NV1500 / NV2500 HD / NV3500 HD – Car News Related posts:Nissan NV2500 Co...
David E.?s Take: What Luxury Should Be
The Ford Motor Company has at last made Lincoln into something considerably more than the nicest car you can rent at the airport. Meanwhile, Lexus is being tarred with the same brush that tars all Toyota products. In Toyota’s case it is not the straightforward fact of unintended acceleration plaguing legions of Toyota and Lexus drivers. It is the backing and filling, confessing and unconfessing that most plagues Toyota’s reputa...
2011 GMC Sierra HD Introduced, Denali HD Trim Added
Just a month ago, the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD was revealed at the Chicago auto show. No big surprise here, The General has followed up with its GMC variant, the Sierra HD. Since the two are identical under the sheetmetal, we won?t go into too much detail (you can read about all the same improvements here). The biggest news for the Sierra HD is the addition of an upscale Denali trim package and newly exposed?and massive?power figures from the ...