Friday, December 16, 2011

Petter Solberg Completes First Tests in Ford Fiesta RS WRC [Video]


Former World Rally Champion Petter Solberg is wasting no time getting behind the wheel of the Ford Fiesta RS WRC as he prepares for the 2012 season.

The Norwegian rally driver got his first taste of the Blue Oval's Fiesta RS WRC this week when he completed close to 200 miles (320 kilometers) of driving in the French Alps.

Read more »

Hezbollah, Colombian Cartels and 30 U.S. Car Dealers Implicated in Money Laundering Scheme


The Lebanese Canadian Bank and two Beirut-based exchange houses, Hassan Ayash Exchange Co. and Ellissa Holding, along with 30 auto dealers in the United States, are being accused by U.S. federal authorities for participating in a US$400+ million money laundering scheme to benefit Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah and Colombian drug cartels.

“The intricate scheme laid out in today’s complaint reveals the deviously creative ways that terrorist organizations are funding themselves and moving their money, and it puts into stark relief the nexus between narcotics trafficking and terrorism”, said U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.

Read more »

Fiat Group Lowers 2012 Sales Estimate by Half a Million Units


A funny t-shirt slogan reads “aim low, achieve your targets, avoid disappointment”. But it would probably be best if you didn’t give it as a Christmas present to Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne.

The reason is that the Italian group has lowered its 2012 sales forecast of 2.7 million units by a substantial amount; the new target for next year is 2.2 million, 500,000 units short of the original estimate presented in the group's 5-year plan.

The good news is that its partner, Chrysler, is expected to hit its 2.4-million sales target. Adding up the numbers brings the Fiat-Chrysler combined sales projection for 2012 to 4.6 million units.

Read more »

Share the Love: Robert Himler to Fly five People to Florida to Ride Twin-Turbocharged Lamborghini


Does the name Robert Himler ring a bell? Perhaps not, but there's a very good chance that you've seen the video of his mother freaking out while taking a ride in his flame-throwing, 1,250 wheel-horsepower, twin-turbocharged Lamborghini Gallardo.

The four-and-a-half minute-long video clip has garnered more than 2.7 million views since it was uploaded on Youtube on August 6.

The young entrepreneur from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who has a bachelor's degree in Web Design & Development, has now come up with a new idea to bring some attention to his online projects including his YouTube channel and Razzi photo sharing website.

Read more »

New Volvo V40 Five-Door Hatchback Teased Ahead of Geneva Motor Show


We've been following the development of the five-door version of the next generation Volvo C30 for quite some time, and today, the first official teaser image of the compact hatchback found its way onto the web.

There's limited information on the car as Volvo has not yet released an official statement, but the crew over Autoblog.nl reported that Volvo's CEO Stefan Jacoby said that the five-door model will be named V40 (and not V30 as it was rumored) and it will receive its world premiere at the 2012 Geneva Salon next March.

Read more »

Nissan Adds Kuro and Shiro Special Editions to Micra's UK Range


Nissan has prepared a pair of special edition versions that attempt to make its Micra supermini somewhat more attractive to British buyers.

The new models are named Kuro and Shiro, which translate to black and white respectively in Japanese, and are based on the mid-grade Acenta specification adding a small number of features.

Read more »

Porsche Sets New Delivery and Order Records Worldwide, China Sales Up by 70%


Demand for its models may have dropped significantly in Northern European countries such as Spain and Greece due to the financial crisis, yet Porsche is still set to achieve its best-ever year in terms of sales.

From January until November, the Stuttgart-based carmaker has delivered 109,709 units of the 911, Boxster/Cayman, Cayenne and Panamera models, a 24.6 percent increase over the same period in 2010.

Read more »