| Jaguar XK wins 'Car of the Year' and 'Best Coupe' awards
The XK Coupe also topped all cars in its category as the 'Best Coupe', out-beating competitors in the BMW 6 Series and the Porsche 911. The launch of the new XK earlier this year marked the beginning of an exciting era for Jaguar in terms of design and engineering which further extenuates the brand's reputation for building beautiful, fast cars that are thrilling to drive and gorgeous to look at. This award is yet another feather in Jaguar's cap as the new XK was awarded the 'Most exciting car to be launched in 2006' awarded by What Car? Magazine, the 'Engineering and Technology Award' at the prestigious Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards and the 'World Traffic Safety Symposium's Traffic Safety Achievement' Award in the Automaker category. It has been recognized for an all-new industry-leading feature - the pedestrian deployable bonnet which is designed to help mitigate the severity of injuries to pedestrians in the event of a collision with a car.
Porsche unveils SUV after exiting Detroit
Porsche unveils SUV after exiting Detroit Cayenne GTS, Windy City event both touted as performing best-in-class. Eric Morath / The Detroit News CHICAGO -- Porsche AG showed its 2008 Cayenne GTS SUV for the first time in North America at the Chicago Auto Show on Thursday, just a couple weeks after the German automaker was a no-show in Detroit. In unveiling the latest Cayenne model, Porsche described the GTS as the best-performing on-road SUV in the market. While the new version gives up some of the standard Cayenne's off-road capabilities, a 405-horsepower V-8 engine and lower-riding sport suspension make the SUV nearly track worthy, officials said. But the unveiling seemed to be as much about Chicago as the Cayenne. Company officials talked about how Chicago is a strong market for the automaker.
Metro-based bigwigs’ involvement in Cebu car smuggling exposed
Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teddy Casio yesterday said the big-time car smuggling mafia in Cebu involves top-level officials in Metro Manila. In yesterdays hearing of the House committee on good government, Casio presented documents obtained by Bayan Munas Central Visayas chapter from sources in the Land Transportation Office central office showing 40 plate numbers of late model luxury cars and sports utility vehicles, including 2 Lexus 2007 models, 5 BMWs, 3 Range Rovers, 6 Mercedes Benzes, 2 GMC Explorers, 5 Toyota Land Cruisers 2007 models, 2 Toyota 2007 Prados, a Porsche Cayenne and a Ford Mustang, that were registered from August 2006 to July 2007 had plate numbers issued by the LTO office in Diliman. Under existing LTO rules, license plates should be issued and released by the same district office where the vehicles are originally registered.
Bloom's Hit-and-Run Case Wilts
Orlando Bloom won't be parked in court for his motoring mishap. The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office announced Friday that the Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings star would not face any charges stemming from a smashup earlier this month that left one of his passengers with a fractured neck. D.A. spokeswoman Jane Robison tells E! News that, due to "insufficient evidence," Bloom will avoid a misdemeanor hit-and-run charge for the Oct. 12 incident. According to the D.A.'s charge evaluation worksheet, Bloom was being shadowed by four paparazzo-filled cars and one car full of fans in the early morning hours. The report indicates that two of the camera-wielding pursuers attempted to cut off the black 2003 Toyota Matrix being driven by Bloom, causing him to swerve into a Porsche Cayenne parked on the side of the street.
Big wheels keep up to the marque by buying flash
AS ECONOMIC barometers go, there could hardly be any more dashing a $580,000 status symbol on wheels and at least 80 Australians have already placed their order for Ferrari's slick new model, the F430 Scuderia. The latest street incarnation of the world's most famous motor racing emblem is an eight-cylinder, 503-horsepower, high-performance vehicle its Italian makers would seem wholly justified in touting as a "unique supercar perfect for passionate and sporty customers". Then there's the Porsche 911 turbo, retailing at $370,000. More than 100 Australians put themselves behind the wheel of one last year, and others are queuing to take delivery of the next generation GT2 priced at $425,000. Property developer Zac Brankovic, 38, who has been driving Porsches for about five years, shelled out $260,000 for his Porsche Carrera S convertible.
John Steffensen accused of parking in a 'disabled spot'
HE'S been warned to "walk it, not talk it" on the track, after an alleged verbal attack on Olympics golden girl Glynis Nunn-Cearns last month. But Sydney sprinter John Steffensen wasn't doing any walking yesterday - and left the talking to his manager after a witness claimed he illegally parked his Porsche in a disabled parking spot. The 400m Commonwealth Games medallist was identified by an off-duty policeman as the driver of a silver sports car that stopped outside a Boronia Park shopping strip about 11.30am yesterday. Despite allegedly being flagged away from the disabled space by the officer, who declined to be named, Steffensen is said to have parked his luxury vehicle and run inside a nearby chemist. According to the witness, a disabled driver who arrived soon after was had to park several metres away in an able-bodied space.
German Auto Industry Calls EU's CO2 Diet Unworkable
When it comes to consumer loyalty in choosing a car brand, national passions run deep in Europe. All of the top 10 best-selling cars in Germany are produced by Volkswagen, Opel, BMW or Audi. The French also vastly prefer cars in their home market, and the Italians are loyal to their Fiats and Maseratis. So last week when Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking argued before the EU Commission that the new C02 emission target of 120 grams per kilometer (g/km) pitted beefy German cars against smaller French and Italian producers, Chancellor Angela Merkel pushed for a compromise. The new EU-wide target for 2012 is now 130 g/km with the shortfall of 10 grams to be made up with the use of bio-fuels and other measures, but the EU has yet to spell out how such a target is to be achieved.
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