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Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sports defines automotive supply and demand: 30 made, 30 sold

Bugatti enthusiasts apparently can make up their minds quickly to spend substantial amounts of money for their favorite car. The elite Italian carmaker has announced all 30 of the new Veyron 16.4 Super Sport have sold — each starting with a base price of about $2.3 million. The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport has an eight-liter W16 engine matched with a seven-speed dual-clutch and 1,200 horsepower. It has a top speed of 257 mph. Last June, the Veyron achieved on a test track a new land speed world record for production cars at 268 mph. The Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport

Range Rover 2011 car review

There is no topping the Range Rover, which is still lord of the manor. After all, it was the first off-road ready luxurious SUV. It was introduced in 1970, but didn’t reach America until 1987. Still, many Americans had seen it before its U.S. debut in adventure movies set in such locations as Africa, and it had a well-deserved reputation for being tough and adventuresome. Never mind that it had a spotty reliability reputation and a modified 3.5-liter aluminum ex-Buick V-8 from the 1960s. The first Range Rover here came from the Land Rover division of England’s state-owned Rover group,

Maserati debuts GranCabrio Sport at Geneva Motor Show

After debuting the GranCabrio at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, Maserati is using the 2011 Geneva Motor Show to introduce the GranCabrio Sport. Conceived to give the GranCabrio a harder-edged model to sit alongside the GranTurismo S and the Quattroporte Sport GT S, the GranCabrio Sport uses a more powerful and fuel-efficient version of Maserati‘s all-alloy 4.7-litre V8. This configuration of the naturally aspirated engine produces 450 horsepower a GranCabrio Sport is 178 mph and completes standar the 0-60 mph test in 5.2 seconds. The six-speed automatic transmission includes the super-fast MC Auto Shift software and has been developed for

Kia Optima joins elite club with top NHSTA safety rating

The 2011 Kia Optima has just joined an exclusive automotive fraternity. It’s the first Korean car and among only 13 vehicles awarded in 2011 a five-star rating under the recently revamped crash safety testing system conducted the National Highway Transportation Safety Administation (NHSTA). The midsize Optima, redesigned for 2011, achieved an overall five-star rating after attaining five stars in each of the ratings categories. Earlier this year, the Optima was a recipient of a “Top Safety Pick” award by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The additional 12 vehicles earning five-star NHTSA ratings for 2011: Acura MDX, BMW 5

Kia Optima 2011 car review

The Kia Optima, now in its second decade in the midsize sedan segment, has a new design for 2011. It’s a streamlined profile the manufacturer says “conveys elegance and athletic confidence from every angle.” Designed in Frankfurt, Germany and Irvine, Calif., the 2011 Optima is slightly longer, wider and lower than its predecessor. Available in LX, EX and SX trims and as a hybrid, the gas-engine Optima offers a 200-horsepower 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine with a six-speed manual transmission. The Weekly Driver Test Drive Like other unheralded cars, the Kia Optima is surprisingly impressive when driven, and it’s the recipient of

Tata has clear urban vision with Pixel concept debut

Tata Motors, which owns Jaguar Land Rover and manufactures the Nano (the world’s cheapest car), has rolled out its Pixel Concept urban car at the Geneva Motor Show. The Pixel is geared toward European and Asian markets where fuel is far pricier than in the U.S and urban streets are crowded. Tata says the Pixel is 10 feet long, “comfortably accommodates four adults.” Its doors open up, rather than out, to avoid cyclists, pedestrians or approaching traffic. The Pixel has a “Zero Turn toroidal traction-drive Infinitely Variable Transmission (IVT).” It can rotate one rear wheel forward and the other backward.

Rolls-Royce unveils electric, nomadic 102 EX Phantom

Rolls Royce is calling it the first electric luxury car, but so far it’s only a “traveling global experiment.” At least that’s how the carmaker is describing the 102 EX Phantom concept unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös discusses the 102 EX Phantom at the show in the video below. As Müller-Ötvös describes, the car will be showcased on a year-long world tour to “car owners, prospects, enthusiasts and members of the media.” The goal, said Müller-Ötvös, is to determine if the electric Phantom “provides all the qualities expected of a Rolls-Royce, without compromise.” The new

Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback, 2011 car review

Approaching its 40th birthday, the Mitsubishi Lancer has been sold around the world with about a dozen different names, Lancer Fiore to Mirage Saloon to Dodge Colt. Now in its ninth generation since its 1973 debut, the Lancer under its various badges has sold more than six million units. For 2011, a more entry level ES trim joined its sedan and hatchback siblings at a base price of about $2,000 less than last year’s model. The reduced price was prompted by the influx of top-notch small cars available from almost every manufacturer. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The Lancer Sportback

Rare GM Futurliner bus set for Indiana auction in May

A unrestored Futurliner bus from General Motors “Parade of Progress” of the 1940s and ‘50s is among the early consignments for the expected roster of 1,000 cars and motorcycles available May 12-15 in Auctions America by RM at Auburn Auction Park in Auburn, Indiana. The Futurliner bus, one of 12 built and eight known in existence, has an estimated value of $450,000 to $600,000. In highly original condition, it has recently been equipped with eight new tires, a new plexiglass windshield and all-new rubber and metal siding. These futuristically styled buses, measuring 11 feet high and 33 feet long, were

Google this: Honda gets best website car industry honor

Statistics for online car purchases, or at least the amount of time car buyers spend researching car purchases online, has dramatically increased in recent years. Which is why manufacturers strive for efficient, informative web sites. Honda has the best automaker website, according to J.D. Power & Associates. Honda (www.honda,com) is followed by Mazda, Mini, Porsche and Acura in the 1,000 point ranking system based on speed, appearance, navigation and information/content. According to J.D. Power, Honda.com performed well on information/content, navigation and speed measures (meaning appearance apparently wasn’t Honda.com’s site’s strong point). The Power Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study began in 2000

Maybach boasts luxury, security with new armoured limo

Maybach has debuted its new Maybach Guard, an armoured limousine based on the Maybach 62 and featuring integrated safety systems by the German engineers in Sindelfingen. Responding to the needs of businessmen and Heads of State around the world, Maybach reports: “The protection offered is absolutely peerless and discreet: even to a specialist eye it is almost impossible to distinguish a Maybach Guard from the regular Maybach 62 saloon. “When it comes to the performance, the German engineers have surpassed themselves: a special armour – made of highly specialized steel and high-tech Kevlar – is integrated in the body shell

Women of the 2011 Geneva Motor Show

The idea of models representing manufacturers at car show dates more than 80 years. Eight women wearing what were then considered skimpy bathing advertised the 1927 Packard 343 Series. They were called the Damsels of the Dance. Forty years later, the once provocative idea had become commonplace in the auto industry. And in the book Chrome Sirens – The Enduring Allure of Auto Show Models, published in 2008, details the history of car show models is documented. Fast-forward to 2011 and the idea of car models is going strong at the Geneva Motor Show. A photo gallery of some of

Geneva Motor Show, 2011: History, hot women, new cars

The International Geneva Motor Show (French: Salon International de l’Auto) was first held in 1905. During its tenure, it has showcased most of the major auto manufacturers’ vehicles — combustion engines to benzene-and-steam powered cars to the current influx of hybrid and electric machines. Held in this year March 3-13, the Geneva Motor Show is hosted at the Geneva Palexpo, the convention center next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport, and is presented by Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles. AC Cars MkVI, Aston Martin Virage, Aston Martin V8 Vantage S, Audi RS3 Sportback, Bentley Continental Supersports Ice Speed Edition, Bentley

Geneva Motor Show: Jaguar debuts hybrid concept B99

The Jaguar B 99, a new concept car from Bertone, one of the world’s oldest design brands, will have its world premiere March 3-13 at the Geneva Motor Show. The B 99 projects Jaguar‘s classic style into the future with refined Bertone (now 99 years old) elegance with its sleek lines and smooth volumes. The result is a compact, four-door sedan that fits perfectly into the D segment. Starting with a classic three-volume architecture, Bertone designers have shaped a taut, muscular body with strong character, entirely constructed with handmade aluminum panels in true Italian “coachbuilder” tradition. The unique personality of

Honda, Subaru, Toyota shine in Consumer Reports' study

Honda, a perennial top pick, Subaru, the all-wheel driver pioneer, and embattled Toyota claimed the top-three spots in the annual survey by Consumer Reports to determine the manufacturers with the overall best cars. Honda, whose Fit earned high marks with the Hyundai Elantra and Chevrolet Avalanche, led the Japanese company’s consistent ratings throughout its line en route to the industry’s highest total in the magazine’s detail assessment. Ford posted the largest quality gains among the major automakers with improved road tests and reliability scores. Honda Motor Co., including its Acura division, had the highest overall score, 74, and the best

Mercedes-Benz, Liam Neeson battle black SUV in Unknown

Epic cars scenes in movies range from Gene Hackman in the French Connection to Steve McQueen in Bullitt and the classic Mini Cooper scene in the Italian Job to high energy catapult across the country by Barry Newman in his 1970 Dodge Challenger in Vanishing Point. Selecting best car scenes in movies is subjective. But Liam Neeson’s car chase scene in Unknown, the current No. 1 movie in the United States, is memorable. It fits in well with the flow of film and while not in the caliber of some of the best cars scenes of all-time, it’s edge-of-your-seat footage.