Vehicle quality was not the only thing making news when Consumer Reports unveiled the results of its latest reliability study in Detroit earlier this week. Amongst the issues highlighted by the consumer publication were real world fuel economy and forced induction engine technology.
Dartz, the Russian vehicle maker that specializes in armored SUVs, released a teaser of what its working on next: the Nagel Dakkar, named after the famous Russian driver Andrew Nagel.
We’ve all heard of “Girls Gone Wild” videos, but today we present to you a video with a different twist on wild. Taken from a security camera at what looks like a Russian Nissan dealership, a crazed person (not sure if he was a disgruntled customer or just a destruction enthusiast) rams his vehicle into…
If a special vehicles automaker wanted to build a bespoke automobile specifically for China’s wealthiest, it would adorn the automobile with every imaginable luxury appointment and would dedicate its masterpiece after the Year of the Dragon. In Chinese culture, the dragon represents power, prosperity, and good fortune. Earlier this year, Rolls Royce took this opportunity…
Russian automaker Yo-Auto is promising to deliver the country’s first hybrid car in 2012. The company, founded by billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, hopes to sell “peoples’ cars” for under $10,000 each for their first models. Now those vehicles for under $10,000 won’t be hybrids naturally given the price tag, but the pre-orders are allowing customers to…
Mazda aims to build a vehicle assembly plant in Russia as the automaker recently announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Russian firm Sollers for a new joint venture. Sollers, Russia’s industry giant, worked with many automakers, both domestic and foreign, to set up production and distribution channels throughout the country. Mazda’s future…
U.S. private equity firm North Street Capital, has purchased Spyker, after a deal to sell the Dutch outfit to Russian investors fell through. The Financial Times reported the news after viewing a preliminary draft of the announcement. It’s unclear how the Spyker sale will impact parent company Swedish Automobile, and its attempts to restructure Saab,…
The zany ZAZ takes to the skies! Ex-pilot Valery Bulgakov turned this 1987 ZAZ Tavria into an airworthy flying machine, through hard work, acres of sheetmetal, and lofty Russian ingenuity. ZAZ cranked out thousands of Tavrias in the 1980s and 1990s, and aside from a few examples that must have been thrown off a cliff under various…
It’s been 40 long years, but like perestroika, the last remnant of Italian-derived Soviet majesty finally comes to an undignified end. In Soviet Russia, production ends you! The venerable Lada 2107, as it’s known, was already a 4-year old design (from Fiat) when it first entered production in 1970, gleaming and full of hope for…
General Motors has its hands in all corners of the globe, and while most consumers know about their operations in Europe and South Koreas, their arm in the former Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan is shaping up to be quite the powerhouse in the all-important Russian market. Despite only being in existence since November, 2008 GM…
In Soviet Russia, opulence has you! The latest car designed and built in Russia is an SUV, but it isn’t decked out in armor or whale penis leather—it’s a hybrid, and it’s been so popular that the waiting list is backlogged for the next 10 years. Bearing more than a passing resemblance to the BMW…
One of the wildest car companies on the planet at the moment has got to be Dartz Prombron. This Russian automaker has made quite a few headlines with their over-the-top SUV’s featuring such optional extras such as diamonds and whale penis upholstery (how did they even find a supplier for that!). Now they have teamed…
In a land where the Ladas actually pass as respectable cars, the Chrysler Sebring has been rejected by consumers. According to several reports, production of the Sebring (rebadged as the Volga Siber) has been stopped due to low demand. The car (based on the previous generation model and not our current Sebring), was being produced…
