In a year when record-high gas prices and a sluggish economy caused new vehicle sales in 2008, a few anomalies emerged in regards to two German automakers.



Download BMW M Cars Post Record Sales

Alain Prost, widely regarded as one of the fiercest Formula One drivers in history and the most heated rival of the late, great Ayrton Senna, is still hacking up race tracks in France these days, albeit on a much different terrain.

Download 2010 Dacia Duster Ice Racer

The Lotus Elise has never been a car accused of being overweight, but that still hasn’t stopped Lotus from putting the sportscar on another diet to lose a few pounds.

Download 2012 Lotus Elise Club Racer

Hyundai's Genesis sedan is much improved for 2012, yet its position in the market won't change one bit. The Genesis will continue to give engineers and product planners at Mercedes-Benz and Lexus fits, thanks to the sedan's upgraded V-6 engine, revised suspension tuning, and a new eight-speed automatic transmission -- not to mention the 429-horsepower R-Spec model.

Download First Look: 2012 Hyundai Genesis Sedan

What we have here is some Alanis Morissette-style irony. No, not ra-ay-ain on your wedding day. Rather, it's the one week when you have a pair of RWD, manny-trannied, V-8 powered, 400-plus horsepower convertible ponycars and Southern California decides to experience the "Storm of the Decade." Did I mention both cars had summer tires? Unlike Alanis's song, ironic isn't the word we'd use, and we can't print the one we would. But like Hunter S. Thompson alluded to, we're here to cover the story. Reviewing convertibles with the sun shining (so to speak) is sine qua non. Knowing that we simply had to remove the roofs despite the inclement weather, we donned full rain gear, dropped them tops and drove the new Camaro SS Convertible and Mustang GT Convertible in the pouring rain. The whole ordeal is a great lesson in making lemonade out of flash floods and mudslides. Besides, can you think of anything more fun than flinging these two mamma-jammas around in the wet while dressed up like the Gorton's Fisherman? Neither could we.

Download Comparison: 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible vs. 2011 Ford Mustang GT Convertible

I recently had the pleasure of batting and booting the 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG with the uncorked Performance Package option around the Hudson River Valley in Upstate New York. The twin-turbo, direct-injected 5.5-liter V-8 brawler of a motor serves up a spine-compressing 563 horsepower and an astonishing 664 pound-feet of torque. The car is so powerful it's silly.

Download First Test: 2011 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG

After quite a long time now, and many teaser images, Mercedes has finally dropped the official details on the 2012 Mercedes SLK Roadster. The model gets a totally new design, inspired by the legendary 190 SL from the 1950s, an innovative interior with features like Magic Sky Control.

Download 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class

Turn 12, Road Atlanta's screaming-fast, off-camber, downhill bend defines this old-school European-style road racing circuit. In the 2006 Lotus Sport Elise, it's dispatched in 4th gear at about 95 mph. Get it wrong and there's a massive concrete wall only 22 feet off the outside of the bend ready to make you regret your lack of talent. Get it right — flat out, eyes fixed past the apex, foot to the floor — and there's no drama at all. It takes us about 100 tries to get it right.

Download First Drive: 2006 Lotus Sport Elise and Exige Cup

Fresh off its East Coast patrol during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City, Brad Goreski and a team of Fashion Enforcers are taking to the streets of Los Angeles in the new 2012 CLS 63 AMG Fashion Force vehicle looking for stylesetters and red carpet hits during Oscar Week.


Download 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG Takes to Los Angeles Streets for Oscar Week

The halls are empty now. The offices quiet. The window blinds drawn. After 40-odd years of daily hustle and bustle, Nissan's headquarters in Gardena, California, sits idle, a "For Sale" sign staked in the front yard, the company name yanked from the building's facade. All mail has been forwarded to Nashville, Tennessee.

Download Full Test: 2007 Infiniti G35 Sport

Every Couple of months we receive spy photos of the upcoming 2012 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, and almost right on schedule we have another batch of spy photos with less camo than before.

Download 2012 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class Spied Testing with Light Camouflage

In the wake of the Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid's surprise launch at the 2010 Geneva auto show, Porsche made little secret of its plans to put the car into production. In fact, Porsche’s erstwhile R and D chief, Wolfgang Dürheimer—who now heads Bentley and Bugatti—personally handed this writer a form to sign up and register his interest in the car. I declined the offer, but others didn't, and official production plans were confirmed last summer thanks to “outstanding customer response.” Now, we have a price: a cool $845,000, not including destination and handling. (We suspect the destination charge will affect few people’s purchasing plans.)


Download Porsche 918 Spyder Priced, Matching 911 Turbo S Will Be Optional - Car News

Electric-car maker Tesla has updated its Roadster for 2011, quelling rumors that the two-seater would disappear next year. The revised car, called Roadster 2.5, has freshened styling and equipment changes to make it more livable for electro enthusiasts. The company says the modifications were driven by feedback from owners of the 1200 Roadsters already sold.


Download 2011 Tesla Roadster 2.5

Bucking industry convention, Bentley chose not to unveil its glitzy new flagship at an auto show, instead taking it to this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where many attendees can afford to buy one on sight. But no one was allowed in the car, and very few details were provided.


Download 2011 Bentley Mulsanne - Official Photos and Info

The successor of Mercedes-Benz A and B-Class are scheduled to come off the production lines in Rastatt in late 2011

Download Mercedes-Benz Assembly Plants in Rastatt Are a Success

Toyota Motor Corporation is moving forward with its plans to have a fully electric vehicle available in 2012.

Download Toyota to Launch Electric Car in 2012