VW announces TDI Cup race series.

Volkswagen announced the Jetta TDI Cup racing series at the SEMA show today. VW is no stranger to motorsports, and neither are diesel powered race cars. What will be totally unique about the series is that the cars will be a clean diesel series, with the cars being carbon free. The cars themselves will all be owned by VW, and will feature the all new 2.0 liter TDI motor. Each car will have 170 Horsepower, with 300 ft lbs of torque. Backed by a 6...

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Chrysler ready to slash products from vehicle line up.

Chrysler LLC is preparing to cut many redundant vehicles from their portfolio. On October 10th, Jim Press, Chrysler's c0-president acknowledged that there is a product problem at Chrysler. Vehicles on the chopping block include:Chrysler AspenChrysler Pacifica(finally)Chrysler SebringDodge DurangoDodge MagnumJeep Commanderand the Jeep Compass."We have models that overlap, where we've got two ro three vehicles that serve the same market segment or maybe the same customer, and we actually compete with each other to some extent. That's not very efficient."...

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SEMA 07: Big Bad Ford Super Duty.

The Ford Super Duty is the baddest truck to prowl the road. Especially when you combine it with a dually bed and a PowerStroke diesel. DeBerti brought along their low rider F450. Though it is just a bit different. This F450 is designed for hauling motorcysles. A Dallas Smith Axleless Lo-Floor front-wheel-drive chassis conversion puts the bed floor almost on the ground entirely. What more could a bike lover want? You get to ride right into the bed...

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SEMA 07: Cadillac CTS Sport Concept. A temp fix til the new CTS V?

With the new CTS-V set to arrive hopefully next year, and the new CTS already out and making car guys drool. We see the CTS Sport Concept making its debut at SEMA. Cadillac enhanced the already beautiful CTS, taking it to the next level.Cadillac altered the front and rear fascias and added ample amounts of carbon fiber to things like the fender extensions. LEDs trim the headlights, a beautiful set of export taillights (and why don't we get those?),...

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SEMA 07: Lots of cool Toyota trucks.

One thing about the SEMA show is all the cool trucks in attendance. This year Toyota is no exception with the concept trucks they brought to Las Vegas this week. Here are a few of them. TRD Tundra concept. Very aggressive look with it's six and a half foot bed, five inch wide fenders, and redesigned front and rear fascias. Powered by a supercharged TRD 5.7 liter V8 that puts 500 horsepower to the ground and is 50 state legal. Underneath the body...

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SEMA 07: Chrysler SR-392 Hemi Roadster breaks cover early.

Thanks to the guys over at Jalopnik.com for this breaking news. The Chrysler SR-392 Hemi Roadster was spied in the open before it's unveiling at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. The roadster is based on a reproduction 1927 Chrysler body, which has been heavily modified. The Custom SR-392 Roadster features a 392 Hemi crate motor from Mopar. The distinctively 'Detroit' roadster is a collaborative build project between Chrysler's Mopar Underground SEMA...

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SEMA 07: More GM E85 performance madness

Following hot on the heels of the C6RS Corvette, is the 1934 Chevy Coupe E85 FlexFuel Hotrod. This time around it's a 2.0 liter Ecotec Turbo, with Stage III tuning from GM Performance Parts. In total the engine makes a very impressive 500 Horsepower! The body is a reproduction that has been channeled and chopped. The suspension has been custom fabricated with power hitting the ground through a 8 3/8 quick change rear end with 5.20 gears. The wheels...

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Tokyo 07: VW Space UP!

The “New Small Family” from Volkswagen is gaining speed on its journey to the future. Just six weeks after the world premiere of the up! – the two-door city specialist – Europe’s largest automobile producer is now introducing the second member of the “New Small Family” at the Tokyo Motor Show: The space up! concept car. “The world premiere of the up! at the IAA in Frankfurt served as an initial test to see how the concept of our New Small Family...

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VWoA announces new executive appointments & brand management restructuring.

Volkswagen of America, Inc., CEO Stefan Jacoby today announced new executive appointments and realignment of the Volkswagen brand executive management team, taking effect January 1, 2008.Jacoby will add the title of executive vice president of the Volkswagen brand, in combination with his duties as CEO, Volkswagen of America, Inc.The executive vice president role at Volkswagen has been held by Adrian Hallmark since November of 2005. Hallmark will transfer to corporate parent Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg, Germany where he will lead Volkswagen sales...

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Sema 07 Update: Jay leno's E85 powered Corvette C6RS

There is no denying Jay Leno's love of cars, not to mention his involvement in the development of new technologies with General Motors. Meet the Corvette C6RS. The car that shows that green technology and performance can go hand in hand.The C6RS started life as a Z06 that was restyled to resemble the C6.R race car. Performance is brought by a 8.2 liter (500 CID)aluminum small block V8 with 600 Horsepower and 585 ft lbs of torque. And it runs on...

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Porsche take over of VW now possible due to changes in VW Law.

It is no secret that Porsche has been buying up stake in Volkswagen for the last year. Though a piece of legislation called the VW Law has been the only thing to prevent the sports car builder from completely take over Europe's largest automaker. Currently Porsche has a 31% stake in VW, but with news today of the European Court striking down the VW Law, many expect the company to quickly increase its stake to a controlling 51%.The VW Law itself dates back to 1960, and while a bit complicated to understand, basically stipulates that 80% shareholder...

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BMW 1 Series tii concept. The 2002 will rise again!

Ahead of its official unveiling in Tokyo, 1Addicts has obtained photos and the official press release on the BMW Concept 1 Series tii. Painted Alpine White with black stripes and accented with black and blue elements, this design study gives us an idea of what BMW has in store for us when the new 1 Series arrives. BMW has chosen to entice enthusiasts' by resurrecting the tii label used on the BMW 2002.The 1 Series tii has a lightened body thanks...

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Christie's out of the collector car auction business.

It was short and to the point. The September 5th statement from Christie's Auction House was just three sentences long. The world famous auction house has chosen to close their International Motor Cars department. The decision was made "following a periodic strategic review of operations". The department closed at the end of the month.Shortly after the announcement, word came that three of the five member department, Rupert Banner, Philip Kanto,...

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Cadillac CTS-V retires from SCCA World Challenge.......temporarily.

Cadillac has announced that it will retire from the SCCA Speed World Challenge to pursue other venues. This comes after Andy Pilgrim won his second race of 2007 this past weekend to secure Cadillac a Manufacturers Championship in the SCCA SWC. Cadillac finished out the season with 71 points followed by Porsche with 60, Chevrolet with 50, and Dodge with 24 points.After the race, Cadillac announced that this would be the brand's last season in the...

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2008 Hummer H3 Alpha. Finally, V8 power!

Since the introduction of the Hummer H3, there has always been one thing lacking for the performance nuts. A V8 engine. Starting in 2008 the General has given us our wish. A 5.3 Liter V8 will be available in the Alpha edition, which was last seen on the Hummer H1.The new small-block V8 puts out 295 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque, a very welcome increase over the Inline 5's 242 horses and 242 lb-ft of torque. The available V8 gives the small Hummer...

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Sema Preview: Pontiac Solstice SD-290 Concept.

GM released only this single view of the Pontiac Solstice SD-290 Concept for SEMA. The Solstice features a cover over the passenger compartment that is reminiscent vintage single-seat club race cars and includes a new windscreen and separate review mirror mounted in the middle. It's likely powered by something that's green and mean. Look for further updates this week....

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Ferrari F43 Scuderia. Formula 1 technology in a street car.

Ferrari recently revealed the new F430 Scuderia. This new Prancing Horse is probably one of the best looking cars in the Ferrari line up. Originally thought to be called the F430 Challenge Stradale. Regardless of what it's called, this new F430 joins the coupe and spyder, yet takes a decidedly harder, more track-oriented edge than its siblings.The Scuderia weighs around 220 lbs. less than the standard F430 coupe, and this version of Ferrari's 4.3L...

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Kimi Raikkonen wins Formula 1 Driver's Title at Brasil. Race review

With the season finale to the 2007 Formula One season, we have a new champion. Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen has been crowned with the 2007 Driver's Title at the Brazilion Grand Prix. Ferrari could have also won the Constructer's Title as well, but lost that to McLaren. Ferrari finished off the season woth 204 points to McLarens 218. Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa, having started from pole and led much of the race, dutifully did the right thing by not...

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They see me rollin. My Ferrari Segway limited edition

Forget that you have to drive in an upright position. Meet the limited editon Ferrari Segway. Top speed is a whopping 12.5 miles per hour and achieving the envy of every treckie, you can now have your very own Ferrari. This comes just in time to celebrate Kimi Raikkonen's F1 championship. However, despite being painted in tifosi-red, having a "Genuine Leather" handlebar and sporting the Cavallino Rampante shield, it doesn't run any faster than...

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Audi wins its 4th American LeMans Series.

Dindo Capello (Italy) and Allan McNish (Scotland) recorded Audi’s fourth outright American Le Mans Series victory with the revolutionary near 650 hp R10 TDI in this year’s 12-race series when the 2007 LM P1 champions won an exciting four-hour ALMS finale at Mazda Laguna Seca Reaceway for a second consecutive year. Their #1 Audi started from fifth on the 30-car grid and averaged 87.755mph around the sweeping 2.238 mile track to finish a mere 0.410secs...

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Audi Metroproject breaks cover.

Meet the Audi A1 "Metroproject Quattro" unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Show. While the full press release has not yet been made available, here is what we can tell. The A1 appears to be a "Mini Fighter" in size. Styling is crisp to Audi's standards, and definately looks the part with its squat, aggressive, hatchback body. At first glance at an interior shot, it would seem that the engine is mounted in the rear like the VW UP! but it isn't. That's a battery...

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Volkswagen introduces Touareg R50 In Sydney.

WOLFSBURG, Germany - In a world premiere, Volkswagen will be presenting the Touareg R50 on October 11 at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney. Its power of 258 kW / 350 PS (at 3,500 rpm) positions the new Touareg version among the most powerful SUVs in the world. The Touareg R50 can be ordered in Germany at prices starting at 88,260 Euro; it will be introduced to the market this November.The engine characteristic of the Touareg R50 is...

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DeLorean Motor Company set for a comeback.

Texas based DeLorean Motor Company is gearing up to begin production on a brand new version of the famous stainless steel gullwing sports car. Since 1995DMC has been offering original parts, accessories, and restored DeLorean sports cars that went out of production over 2 decades ago. Starting in 2008 DMC will begin producing a limited run of new DeLoreans at a rate of one to two cars per month. On the outside, the car will look nearly identical...

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Mr.Norm Strikes Again!

In the 1960s and early 1970s there were special dealers in the automotive industry who epitomized the spirit of high performance. Cheverolet had Yenko, Nickey, Baldwin, Gibb and Dana. Ford had Tasca; Pontiac had Royal, Knafel and Packer. The Mopar guys had Mr. Norm’s Grand Spaulding Dodge. Norm Krauss revolutionized how high-performance cars were sold, and went so far as to create his own prototype 383 Dart GTS and the now famous M-Code 440 Dart,...

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2007 Porsche Cayman S "Porsche Design Edition 1"

Coming soon to a Porsche dealer near you! Porsche will offer a special editon Cayman S. The Porsche Design Edition 1 which emphasizes the purist nature of the Cayman. The car will feature sparkling black paint, black leather and Alcantara upolstery, Porsche Design Chronograph styled instruments, even the steering wheel, gear lever, handbrake, and roof lining are also covered in black Alcantara, a numbered plaque will also be displayed on the dashboard....

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Jaguar X Type axed for North America

Jaguar has announced that the X Type sedan will no longer be sold in North America. Production for the "Baby Jag" will end in December. The up coming Jaguar XF is slated to replace both the X Type and the aging S Type for next year. Since its launch in 2002 the X Type has failed to meet the sales goals Ford Motor Co. & Jaguar had hoped for. Competition from the Mercedes Benz C Class and BMW 3 Series won over potential buyers. Potential buyers...

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Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to Autobahn Automotive News. In this blog you will find some of the latest news to come out of the automotive industry. We will have product anouncements and news from all corners of the world, event happenings, and even some automotive history. So sit back, put on your driving gloves, and let's hit the g...

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