News archive

July 2017

2018 Audi A8 makes its world debut in Barcelona today

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(July 11, 2017) BARCELONA, Spain — Today is where the future begins in the luxury class — the new Audi A8 makes its world debut at the Audi Summit in Barcelona. In its fourth generation, the flagship model again provides the benchmark for Vorsprung durch Technik — with a new design language, an innovative touchscreen operating concept and a systematically electrified drive. The Audi A8 is also the first production automobile in the world to have been developed for highly automated driving.

Polestar powertrain optimization delivers up to 421 HP in Volvo XC60

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(July 10, 2017) Polestar, the performance brand of Volvo Cars, has introduced the latest generation powertrain optimization for the new Volvo XC60. With the Polestar enhancement, the new Volvo XC60 T8 delivers 421 horsepower, matching the optimized XC90 T8 as the most powerful Volvo models ever built.

The Polestar optimization improves five key areas of the powertrain while retaining the Volvo warranty, class-leading emission levels, consumption of 2.1 l/100 km and a pure electric range of 28 miles for the T8.

Ford achieves June sales record in China; up 15 percent in 2017

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(July 10, 2017) Ford has announced that June sales in China surpassed 100,000 vehicles , up 15 percent year over year, and delivering the company’s best ever June sales.

Changan Ford Automobile (CAF) sold more than 70,000 vehicles, up 9 percent year over year. This was also an all-time June sales record for CAF.

New Honda Odyssey first minivan with 4G LTE in-vehicle Wi-Fi

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(July 10, 2017) TORRANCE, Calif. — The all-new 2018 Honda Odyssey fulfills its mission to keep everyone in the family happy, in part by being the first minivan to offer 4G LTE in-vehicle Wi-Fi to support streaming video, music and more. Owners of the 2018 Odyssey Elite and Touring trims in the U.S. can now purchase both prepaid and postpaid unlimited data plans from AT&T for as low as $20 month.

These data plans will take the Odyssey's in-car connectivity experience to a new level, where on-the-go, in-vehicle entertainment is nearly limitless.

2018 Volkswagen Tiguan: What price success?

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By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(July 10, 2017) It’s not that VW hasn’t been in the SUV market. It’s that it hasn’t been there with the right product. For years it has relied on the pricey (nearly $50,000) but capable Touareg to take care of those who were in the market for a largish family carrier, and the diminutive Tiguan to take care of everyone else.

Building a Lister Knobbly for the street

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By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(July 9, 2017) The folks at the Lister Motor Company are at it again. This time, a customer wanted a Knobbly race car to be made street legal; not an easy thing to do to an original specification continuation sports racer.

Acura's MDX sport utility evolves into attractive 2017 edition

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By Peter Hubbard
MotorwayAmerica

(July 8, 2017) When it comes to the mid-size luxury crossovers, Acura is not exactly a newcomer to this “card game.”  After all, they’ve been players in this market with 3-seat, 7-passenger models since 1996.  Well, to be fair, the first model they offered — the 1996 Acura SLX — was actually a rebadged and thinly disguised Isuzu Trooper. 

Big Dodge in retirement

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The Dodge Monaco started life as a full-sized line in 1965 based on the outgoing Dodge Custom 880 competing with the Ford LTD, Chevrolet Impala and the Plymouth Fury. This 1966 sedan was discovered in retirement in eastern North Carolina. In addition to a sedan, it came hardtop coupe, station wagon, and a hardtop (pillorless) sedan. Available engines were a 6.2-liter and 7.2-liter V-8s. (Photo by Ralph Gable)

Jaguar E-Pace SUV tested in extreme conditions

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(July 8, 2017) From the freezing Arctic Circle to the dust and heat of Dubai, the Jaguar E-PACE has been subjected to a diverse testing program, to ensure it is not only a driver’s car but a dynamic and entertaining performance SUV as well. Jaguar unleashed hell and high water to ensure that the Jaguar E-PACE performed as designed on varying road surfaces and adverse weather conditions.

2017 Nissan Rogue Sport a smaller version of popular Rogue crossover

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By Paul Borden
MotorwayAmerica

(July 7, 2017) Perhaps in an effort to capitalize on the popularity of the Rogue, which was the company’s No. 1 seller in 2016, Nissan has come out with a slightly smaller version of the compact crossover that it has dubbed the Rogue Sport.