car

Volkswagen's new CEO Martin Winterkorn intends to fill "lucrative market niches" with new models over the coming years. The plan aims to boost profit while shrinking capacity.

"The Volkswagen brand is far from tapping its full potential," Winterkorn said in a letter to employees obtained by Bloomberg.

It's unclear what niches Winterkorn plans to fill, but the forthcoming Scirocco and Tiguan could arguably fall into this category. Oddly, Winterkorn is rumored to have considered canceling the Passat coupe, Scirocco and Tiguan projects, but too much had already been invested in their development.

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Unlike the standard Mazda 3, Mazda Speed’s version boasts a turbocharged 2.3L engine that produces an impressive 263hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, rocketing it from 0-60 in just under 6-seconds.

The wonder wagon will start at $22,800 for the Sport model and feature a six-speed manual transmission, stability and traction control, 18-inch wheels, four-wheel ABS, and more. The Sport model will be topped by the Grand Touring, which begins at $24,515 and adds automatic on/off headlights, rain-sensing wipers, Xenon HID headlights, LED rear combination taillights, leather bolsters on its black cloth seats, a premium BOSE sound system and available DVD navigation

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Fifth Gear pits the all-new 2007 Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG up against the SL55. Which vehicle comes out on top?

With the [SLK’s] AMG 5.5-litre V8 engine, which has been boosted to 294 kW/400 hp and 520 Nm, the numerous lightweight components, the non-retractable carbon-fibre roof, 19-inch AMG forged wheels, AMG adjustable sports suspension and AMG high-performance composite brakes, the special SLK 55 AMG brings its sports car talents to bear even more convincingly

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October 2, 2006 After previewing its spectacular Nepta Concept with motor-driven gull wing doors in the weeks leading up to the Paris Show, we figured Renault had played all its cards, but we were very wrong. At the opening of the show, Renault trotted out the youth-culture-inspired Twingo Concept, the most wired and desirable city car we’ve yet seen. The centre console features a USB port as well as sockets for devices like an Apple iPod and the Nokia Smartphone. A mixing deck built into the dashboard is ideal for partying with friends. The tiny city car is no slouch – powered by a turbocharged 1.2-litre engine delivering 73kW (100hp), the Twingo combines efficiency, response, power and environmental friendliness. View all images for this article (17 total)

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