Car industry news

Hyundai's bid to gatecrash the world's top five car-makers will continue with two crucial new models: a seven-seat SUV and a mid-size hatch. In 2007, the aggressive Korean car maker will wade into...

Vauxhall is throwing heaps more power at its two VXR flagships. The Monaro V8 coupe is being supercharged, by Kent dealer Greens of Rainham. The 6.0-litre unit's peak power and torque jump by 25...

Chevrolet has issued this sneak preview of its forthcoming family hatch – disguised as a World Touring Car. Disregard the pram handle wing, snowplough undertray and steroidal wheelarch extensions, and...

Bill Ford is set to step aside as chief executive of Ford Motor Company. Replacing him is 61-year-old Alan Mulally, previously the boss of Boeing's commercial aircraft division. Ford stepped down as...

Lancia today unveils the Delta HPE concept, a sleek wagon claimed to mix luxury, practicality and performance. The new Delta will slot into the Lancia range next year and relaunch the brand in the UK,...

Mitsubishi is investigating the feasibility of bringing its 350Z-rivalling Eclipse to the UK. Accountants are busy with the calculators right now but sources reckon it’s looking increasingly likely...

The world’s two biggest luxury goods firms – including the conglomerate behind brands like Moet and Louis Vuitton – are locked in a battle to buy Aston Martin from cash-starved Ford. Ford announced...

Supercar maker Spyker could be set to join McLaren and Ferrari on the F1 grid in 2007. Talks are underway between Spyker's CEO Victor Muller and the Midland F1 team. The outfit, owned by Russian-born...

Honda has given a sneak preview of the technology bound for its all-new CRV soft-roader. The funky new look remains under wraps for now, but we know the chassis has been equipped with adaptive cruise...

The new Vauxhall Corsa – set to be one of Britain's best-selling cars – has scored a maximum five stars for occupant safety, in the Euro NCAP crash tests. Ford's new S-Max also got full marks. But...

Vauxhall is in the final stages of signing off the storming Corsa VXR. The latest VXR runs a turbocharged 1.6-litre developing a thumping 200bhp, spinning the front wheels via a six-speed box. Much of...

New high-tech diesel engines are heading for the Range Rover Sport and Land Rover Defender. The new 3.6-litre V8 diesel – already revealed in the Range Rover and set to account for 70 percent of its...

The JCB Dieselmax has broken the diesel land speed record, posting an official, FIA-approved speed of 328.767mph. During the first run along the Bonneville Salt Flats course on 22 August, the 1500bhp...

The 1500bhp JCB Dieselmax streamliner will undergo final shakedown tests today, ahead of tomorrow's diesel land speed record attempt. CAR Online will bring you the news as it happens. Our reporter,...

Chrysler's V8 Firepower concept is moving closer to production, thanks to a plan to push the Dodge Viper upmarket, creating a Firepower-shaped gap in Chrysler Group's portfolio. Sources suggest that...

The 1500bhp JCB Dieselmax has passed 300mph in a test run for its diesel land speed record attempt. The sleek racer – powered by twin diesel engines each producing 750bhp – touched 308.252mph...

A grunty, 170bhp diesel engine will join Skoda's high performance vRS range in September. The engine will be available in the Octavia hatch and estate, priced at £18,370 and £19,200 respectively. The...

Mitsubishi will introduce a double-clutch gearbox on the Lancer Evolution X, sources say. The supersaloon is set for launch in a year, which should make Mitsubishi the first manufacturer to respond to...

Europe's fastest growing car brand – Kia – is finally wading into Europe's biggest market with a serious contender. But with a joke of a name: the Cee'd. Kia claims the five-door hatchback will be the...

Gerry McGovern – the designer credited with the MG F and original Freelander – will become Land Rover's new design director on 1 January 2007. McGovern currently leads Land Rover's advanced design...

The Chevrolet Camaro – GM's centrepiece at the 2006 Detroit auto show – has received the green light for production. The V8 coupe will be unveiled in late 2008, with sales confirmed for early 2009.

Here's a sneak preview of two new Suzukis – the Swift Sport and Splash supermini-MPV. Both get their world premieres at September's Paris show. The flagship Swift goes on sale in autumn 2006, for just...

Three new six-cylinder engines are joining the BMW 3-Series range. Top of the pile – until the V8 M3 arrives – is the 335d, which runs the twin-turbo 3.0-litre diesel engine offered in the 5-series.

Gordon Murray – the engineer behind the 240mph McLaren F1 – is now working on a racer that could dethrone the F1 as the ultimate lightweight supercar. Murray has joined forces with former colleagues...

General Motors' new Epsilon II chassis – to be employed around the world by Vauxhall/Opel, Saab, Chevrolet and other brands – has hit the road for testing. Pictured here beneath the next Chevrolet...

BMW has put on ice plans for a mini-MPV based on the 3-series, to rival the Mercedes B-class. Instead, it will focus on a bigger, Mercedes R-class challenger, due in 2009. 'Originally, we looked at...

Mazda is claiming the world's first no compromises coupe-convertible, with its MX-5 Roadster-coupe. Traditionally, folding tin-tops keep out thieves but steal luggage space. They boost refinement, but...

Lotus should engineer a new halo car like the legendary 176mph Carlton supersaloon, says the Norfolk firm's new boss. The 377bhp Lotus-Carlton was produced on Mike Kimberley's last watch as CEO, from...

The Corolla brand is going the same way as Oldsmobile, Jif and Marathon – to the knacker's yard. It may be the most venerable nameplate in motoring history, but Toyota is ditching the Corolla badge in...

American brand Dodge is plotting a small hatch to take on Ford's Fiesta, with sales likely in 2008. Chrysler Group is in talks with three potential partners, to share a chassis for the baby Dodge.

An all-new version of Lancia's legendary Delta Integrale will relaunch the brand in the UK, CAR Online has learned. With its turbocharged four-cylinder engine sending power to all four wheels, the...

The MG TF will be reborn at Longbridge in 2007 - and the roadster has been overhauled by the ride and handling experts at Lotus. Nanjing Automotive Corporation, the Chinese company that bought the...