Porsche Boxster Diesel Possible Admits R&D Chief

An interesting report has surfaced from the 33rd Vienna Motor Symposium that revealed Porsche has diesel powerplants firmly in its strategy, while electric vehicles are not. Speaking at the conference, Porsche R&D chief Wolfgang Hatz revealed that the German automaker believes that pure electric vehicles are “not even close to series production with the current battery technology.” It’s a peculiar statement since...

Hyundai announces standard brake-override for all models

Always looking for ways to one-up its Japanese competitors, Hyundai has announced that a brake override system will be standard equipment on its full line of vehicles, starting this month. Truth be told, every 2012 Hyundai model save for the Elantra Touring already had a brake override system fitted. So why the announcement, and why now? Well, other than just tweaking Toyota, whose unintended acceleration problems...

Hyundai, BMW Partnering for Engine Development

BMW and Hyundai are discussing plans to produce an engine, Reuters is reporting. The automakers may share development and costs equally, so we don’t expect to see any “BMW by powered Hyundai” badges to come from the deal. Sources close to the possible tie-up have told Reuters that the two automakers met in Munich yesterday and that discussions are still in the early stages. Development is expected to cost 1-2 billion...

Honda pioneers new traffic-busting technology

In conjunction with the Research Centre for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo, Honda reportedly developed the world's first technology to detect the potential for traffic congestion. It's based on acceleration and deceleration patterns, and ultimately improves driving habits in an effort to reduce traffic jams and fuel consumption. Here's how it works: The system monitors throttle and brake...

2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Runs Quarter Mile in 11.93 Seconds

Chevrolet engineers took the new 2012 Camaro ZL1 down to the drag strip, and came away impressed. Stock examples of the new muscle car managed to run an 11-second quarter mile time with both the automatic and manual transmissions. The results are pretty impressive for a street-legal car with no modifications: the six-speed automatic-equipped ZL1 ran the quarter mile in 11.93 seconds at 116 mph; a ZL1 with the six-speed...