Auto News 5

Having a really good reputation in Europe, ABT Sportsline made a big splash at the 2010 SEMA show by introducing their 2011 Audi R8 GT-R. The beast's 5.2-litre engine now develops 620 horsepower instead of the factory 525, along with a top speed of 325 km/h with a 0-100 km/h acceleration in an astonishing 3.2 seconds. Full story...

Following hot on the heels of Land Rover's stunning three-door Evoque unveiled in Paris, the 5-door version of the venerable marque's sport-utility vehicle made its official debut today at the LA Auto Show. Full story...

Cadillac explores new grounds with the Urban Luxury Concept (ULC). This tiny vehicle was shown to a small crowd of journalists on Wednesday evening at GM's North Hollywood Advanced Design Center (NHADC), an institution celebrating its tenth anniversary. Full story...

The Jaguar C-X75 made its North American debut today at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show. Celebrating the brand's 75th anniversary, this concept signals the application of new, more environmentally-friendly technologies in future Jaguar high-performance cars. Full story...

Chevrolet took the wraps off the new 2011 Camaro Cabriolet at the Los Angeles Auto Show. This is the first convertible in the Camaro lineup since 2002. Full story...

Sharing much of its mechanicals with the Golf, the Eos, now four years old, was due for a makeover. Now that the new Golf and Jetta are here, as is the Touareg, only the Eos and Tiguan still carry the "old" face of Volkswagen. Hence, the 2012 Eos looks much like the MK6 Golf head-on. The rear bumper is redesigned and now sports a rear diffuser and LED lighting. Full story...

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Honda announced today that they will stop selling the iconic Civic in Japan, as soon as inventories run out because of the decreasing demand in past years, due to consumers shifting to multipurpose vehicles and subcompact cars such as the Honda Fit. Full story...

We're still fresh from our first impressions drive of the new CLS and here, in Los Angeles, Mercedes has unveiled what we all knew was coming: the AMG version! Full story...

Yvan Muller (Chevrolet) is out of reach in the WTCC driver's championship after the FIA excluded both BMW cars from the results of Okayama's races. Full story...

At the DTM's finale in Shanghai, Audi will contest a race for the first time with a Chinese driver in its line-up: Darryl O'Young from Hong Kong will replace the Frenchman Alexandre Prémat in the cockpit of the Audi A4 DTM at the eleventh DTM race of the 2010 season. Full story...

Fiat is back in North America. Following a strategic alliance with Chrysler, the Italian automaker just presented the North-American version of the 500 at the 2010 Los Angeles car show. Full story...

Concept cars often look great when unveiled, but sometimes some great features of those concepts never make it to production. Hopefully, the BMW 6 Series Concept unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show will remain the same, because it's simply one of the most exciting cars BMW made in the past years. Full story...

Based on the same platform as the unibody 2011 Grand Cherokee, the new mid-size Durango boasts entirely unique sheetmetal, giving the SUV a sportier demeanour than the Jeep. It's a few inches longer compared to the Cherokee, which is normal since it gets three rows of seats. The base model is equipped with a 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 that develops 290 horsepower, while the R/T trim benefits from a 360-horsepower, 5.7-litre HEMI V8. Full story...

This Friday has been marked out as a likely turning-point in the Lotus naming dispute. Full story...

The actual track layout of the impressive Yas Marina venue in Abu Dhabi is "flawed", according to Martin Whitmarsh. Full story...

Red Bull is paying its entire staff - about 550 people - a healthy championship bonus. Full story...

For years, the automotive press has been whining about how great the European Focus is compared to the one we get in North America. The complaints will now come to an end, as the 2012 Focus has become a global car. Full story...

There's a lot riding on the shoulders, er, fenders of the 9-4X. Since Saab split from GM, the crossover debuting today in LA is only the second release for the now Spyker-owned company. Built on the new Cadillac SRX platform, the 9-4X will feature a 265-hp, 3.0-litre V6 or a 300-hp, turbo 2.8-litre V6 underhood and an available Haldex all-wheel drive system. It will share similar design cues with the 9-5 sedan, and features a well-appointed cabin. Full story...

The much-anticipated second-generation X3 from BMW makes its "official" North American debut at the Los Angeles auto show. Longer, wider and slightly lower than the first-generation X3, the new model benefits from increased rear-seat room, more cargo room as well as improved interior fit and finish. Full story...

While the three NASCAR Sprint Cup contenders will each be exercising his right foot, each crew chief will be exercising his brain at the Miami Homestead Speedway this week. Full story...