European Cars

Ford is taking orders on their pseudo-compact vanlet, the C-Max. And the price is right: at $25,995, Ford claims that it's $500 less than the competing Toyota Prius v. The Prius v comparison is key because here's the kicker: like the Prius lineup, the C-Max will only be available in various stages of ...    Read more

When we journalist folk are gathered up at meetings before getting to drive new cars, there's inevitably some louse in the back of the room who will raise his hand and ask if the automaker will eventually offer a diesel engine/manual transmission/cool feature available in European cars or some other ...    Read more

BMW has been teasing its 2013 M5 and M6 for a while. Both are already on sale abroad, which makes it even worse. But as the German automaker gears up for pushing its new high-performance cars into dealerships, it's taken some of the guessing out by showing us how much they're ...    Read more

It's funny how time flies when you're having fun. And what fun the BMW M division, the company's motorsports offshoot, has been. BMW M came on the scene in 1972, complementing what connoisseurs had already found out with the "Neue Klasse" cars the automaker started making in the 1960s. BMW already built incredibly ...    Read more

After hanging around with Germans for a while, it's possible to get the impression that most are born without a sense of humor. Then they surprise you every once in a while. Take, for instance, Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller. He told German newspaper Stuttgarter Zeitung that the automaker was no longer ...    Read more

Mercedes-Benz has announced Predictive Power Control will make its debut in the Actros, a heavy-duty truck used in Europe. This new system is capable of reducing fuel consumption by three percent by regulating speed, braking, and the transmission. This system extends the EcoRoll function and relies on GPS data to ...    Read more

This isn't your 2013 BMW 1 Series. The U.S. isn't getting the hatchback, as BMW met less-than-rave reviews the last time the automaker sold a three-door in the States. However, what you are looking at, if you squint a little, is the future of the BMW 1 Series coupe, ...    Read more

We're all about cars here at Automotive.com, but when a boat with a Ferrari engine that was designed to be the fastest thing on water goes up for sale, well, naturally, our interest is piqued. The 1953 Timossi-Ferrari "Arno XI" racing hydroplane set a world record for speed on water, and ...    Read more

In this week's episode of Ignition, on the Motor Trend YouTube channel, mean slide guitar player and pie enthusiast Carlos Lago takes the Mercedes-Benz SL550 out for a cloudy Sunday drive. The increasingly misnamed SL550 features a 4.6-liter V-8 engine with 429 horsepower and, count 'em, two turbochargers—good ...    Read more

Depending on your viewpoint of Saab, this is either the most heartwarming thing you'll read all day, or as sad and pitiable as a disabled puppy struggling to walk. We won't pass judgement. But perhaps in the best example of community fundraising since the Amish started charging for their barn ...    Read more

Ferrari is known around the world for the high-pitched scream of its V-8 and V-12 engines. These high-revving masterpieces are built to racecar specs, literally, as the tolerances required for them are exacting. Which makes it all the more surprising that Ferrari is recalling a small batch of its 458 and ...    Read more

Did you hear the story of the man who fell asleep at the wheel, and crashed into a sign warning against falling asleep at the wheel? No? Well, NPR doesn't lie (too often). Drowsy driving is a problem that's remedied only within the most expensive of luxury cars, ...    Read more

Did you know Germany's Nurburgring isn't really a race track? It's a public toll road. That means having a few taxis running around it at triple-digit speeds was probably more inevitable than it sounded, as supercars often reach speeds in excess of 200 mph while lapping ...    Read more

OK, hands up—those of you who thought that the Range Rover Evoque, the veritable Ferrari of the Land Rover lineup, just wasn't sporty enough. The rakish Evoque has a 240 horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder that makes the luxury crossover plenty quick. It does 0-60 in around 7 seconds, which is pretty good ...    Read more

Ah, Brazil, the seemingly enchanted vacation spot filled with beautiful women and a cadre of activities designed to pamper your mind and body. How we wish we could go there right now; how BMW completely owns an understanding of the male mind. In its latest 45-second spot called "Head," BMW sets ...    Read more

The old expression "never make the same mistake twice" could be dubbed Jaguar's unofficial mantra as the automaker preps a new, yet-unnamed small sedan. Jaguar has made it known that the all-new car will be just that, new, and won't imitate the X-Type, a vehicle widely regarded as a failure. "We ...    Read more

By all means, there's little to criticize about a a twin-turbocharged V-8, 560-horsepower super-sedan that hits 0-60 in 3.7 seconds, boasts a potential top speed of 200 mph, and most importantly, wears the BMW roundel on its nose. But it turns out, the new M5 uses something called ...    Read more

There have been times we've all wished life were more like a video game. You score points for making it through the end of the workday. Your health bar increases at lunchtime; anything to make the mundane seem more entertaining. Some people just have a way of making it all come ...    Read more

Starting in May, you will be able to buy a Lotus again. That's important for the employees and supporters of one of the world's great enthusiast brands, since the recent 60-day financial freeze halted production of Lotus' Elise, Exige, and Evora models, as well as development of the next Esprit. The ...    Read more

In a match made more in heaven than Crockett and Tubbs, Russian purveyor of insanely customized luxury Dartz is providing Sacha Baron Cohen's new movie The Dictator with a few examples of its biggest SUV, the Prombron, which aspires to be the Simpsons Canyonero. Yes, you, Mister Small Ruler ...    Read more

Car enthusiast favorite Mazda has been taking it on the chin the past few years, from its separation with Ford, the earthquake—and subsequent tsunami—in Japan, and reduced sales as Americans insist on fuel efficient vehicles versus fun-to-drive ones ("zoom-zoom!"). The automaker has addressed most of these issues; parts supplies are ...    Read more

Much ink has been spilled over China's burgeoning upper class, the sort of easily-excitable millionaires and billionaires that snap up luxury cars as if they were the Pogs from our childhood. China now has 1.11 million, er, millionaires, a world record—does that make it a nation of millions squared?—and  ...    Read more

Details are emerging on the 2013 Audi Q5, and from the looks of it, Audi is following suit with its company-wide effort to make for a leaner, more efficient fleet. The German automaker's midsize SUV has been largely popular for its sleek styling, and trademark Audi interior paired with excellent ...    Read more

The electric system might not make it into production, but the looks will: Volkswagen previewed the E-Bugster concept at the Beijing Motor Show, and as befitting a roadster, this time it's got its top down. Those with longer attention spans than us may recall that the E-Bugster made its first debut ...    Read more

It's been an agonizingly slow process, but it appears Alfa Romeo is finally laying the groundwork down for its (eventual) return to the United States. The Fiat subsidiary has registered the brand of its 4C sports car, the first Alfa vehicle to go through such a process Stateside in almost ...    Read more