Europe


VIDEO: 700-HP Saab 99 Quattro Turbo is like missing Koenigsegg ancestor

Sweden has just over nine million people – that's an entire country whose population is just a little bigger than New York City – and we'd believe it if someone told us they exclusively devoted their time to blessing the world with peculiar automotive concoctions. We'd file this latest one under "quirky," but it's far too powerful: a 1969 Saab 99 given the Audi Quattro treatment and a turbocharging to the tune of 700 horsepower. And then left to look rather stock. The brainchild of a man named Gustav, it's development is ... Read more →

REPORT: Bored Bulgarians engaging in Russian Road Roulette Jonathon Ramsey

One of Russia's most popular exports has been its version of roulette – you know, the kind where the player usually closes his eyes during the game and someone has a good chance of ending up ...

Volkswagen prices UK Scirocco R and Golf R, debuts new ad [w/VIDEO] Jonathon Ramsey

For those of you in the U.K., the R-line versions of the Golf and Scirocco have been priced and can now be ordered. The Scirocco is the bargain of the two, going for £26,945 ($44,257 U.S.), ...

VIDEO: Finnish Him: Nordic authorities' harpoon chase-ender amazingly never approved Jonathon Ramsey

The place is Finland. The car is a Mercedes 300 wagon. The place is Finland. The protrusion, like the figurehead adorning Ahab's Pequod, is a harpoon. Instead of catching whales, however, this ...

REPORT: VW bids to save Karmann but coachbuilder holding out for more money Jonathon Ramsey

German coachbuilder Karmann has been in trouble since before the global economy caught its version of the swine flu, and from a workforce of 5,000 the company is down to 1,800. A huge order for VW ...

Opel sale on hold, GM asked to have a word with EU Commission 13 days ago on Autoblog

The EU's Directorate-General for Competition (EUDGC) is looking at the Opel deal that should have been concluded already, and is asking questions of Germany and GM. Principally it is trying to resolve the issue of state aid; it was reported before that if Opel was purchased by Magna then the ...

VIDEO: Fun Theory Part 3 - VW's bottle bank arcade finds plenty of players 20 days ago on Autoblog

VW's Fun Theory project, with its European ad agency DDB, takes on a third task to show that you can get more people to do the right thing if you make it fun. This time it's bottle recycling, and the tool used is a bin fitted with an arcade scoreboard. After a "player" presses start, lights ...

Top Gear faces mounting criticism over costly new stunts. Again. 26 days ago on Autoblog

Top Gear fans greet each new season with more eager glee. Top Gear critics have taken to welcoming each new run with more criticism. According to the Belfast Telegraph, the latest "How dare they!" comes from a Minister of Parliament (MP) and Friends of the Earth, who want to run TG up the flagpole ...

VIDEO: Citroën remixes its 90-year history for celebratory commercial 1 month ago on Autoblog

Citroën is perhaps the wackiest mass-market auto manufacturer still in business (have you seen the 2CV, C-Cactus, and that dancing robot?), and this year, the company celebrates 90 years of mercantilism. In celebration of that achievement, they have put together a 90-second video flyover ...

REPORT: All of Europe's 15 most fuel-efficient cars get better than 56 mpg 1 month ago on Autoblog

There are many European cars that can be considered very fuel efficient. However, have you ever tried to put them on a list and finding out how efficient they really are? If you follow us after the jump, you will find that list, which shows Europe's 15 most fuel-efficient vehicles. ...

Spy Shots: Citroen C-Cactus leaked 1 month ago on Autoblog

Images assumed to be the final take on the Citroen C-Cactus have found their way online, and there is a whole lotta ugly going on up front. When we heard Citroen was actually going to make a production car based on the concept we wrote "let's just hope they don't keep too much of the melted-candle ...

NYT straps on its helmet and wades into the brain bucket controversy 1 month ago on Autoblog

There's a bit of controversy going on in the helmet world, and it has a direct impact – pun intended – on every motorcycle rider trying to protect his or her head while looking for the best helmet to buy. All helmets approved for sale in the United States are tested and approved by the ...

Trunk Zoo: Italian police reportedly find 1,700 animals stuffed in car's boot 1 month ago on Autoblog

A driver in Bari, Italy was stopped for a routine inspection of his car. When police got to the trunk, they found it filled with mammals, reptiles, and birds. We have no idea how he got them all in there or, better yet, what kind of car he was driving, but authorities reportedly found the ...

Porsche to pull Boxster production from Magna over Opel stake? 1 month ago on Autoblog

After a great deal of international haggling, Magna ended up winning the competition for Opel. One of the many questions to be answered now is: How will the deal affect Magna's engineering and assembly business? Even as companies like VW and BMW have said they would be looking closely at ...

FOLLOWUP: Angry customer who drove Rolls-Royce through shop window gets 16 months? 1 month ago on Autoblog

Robert Caton was trying to keep a leash on his mounting stress, but – aided by depression and two bottles of whiskey – the beast got away from him. The ensuing explosion – and, again, depression and two bottles of whiskey – led Caton to drive his restored 1983 Rolls-Royce ...

Top Gear posse spotted filming with bevy of exotics in Romania 1 month ago on Autoblog

The Top Gear crew is preparing the show's 13th season and they've gone to the home of Vlad the Impaler for some help. Piloting a Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder, Aston Martin DBS Volante, and Ferrari California, the production closed down the Transfagarasan Road that climbs over Romania's ...

REPORT: Spa-Francorchamps circuit nearly has racing revoked license until 2026 1 month ago on Autoblog

Seems like every day brings something new in Formula 1, and lately none of it's been good. Now we hear that our absolute favorite track on the calendar, Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps circuit, is on the brink of having its license stripped for – get this – 17 years. Why? Because ...

You didn't think the battle for Opel was over, did you? Belgium reportedly asking EU to investigate 1 month ago on Autoblog

When GM decided to hand 55% of Opel to Magna, you didn't think the Belgians were just going to have some waffles and call it quits, did you? Oh no. Belgium's prime minister made a call to the EU president about the deal, and the EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes told a Belgian newspaper, ...

REPORT: China's Beijing Automotive takes minority stake in Saab 2 months ago on Autoblog

It had been reported that SAIC had quietly taken a stake in Saab in conjunction with the Koenigsegg Group. However, it's been confirmed that Beijing Automotive -- which also recently made a play for Opel -- has grabbed a share of the Trollhätten pie. BAIC provided the $400 million ...

REPORT: U.S. psyched as China decides to cut auto part tariffs 2 months ago on Autoblog

China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, at which point it was given five years to adjust to the rules of open trade before any complaints were lodged against it. On schedule, in 2006, the complaints began, lodged by the U.S., Europe, and Canada. In one example of open trade ...

VIDEO: U.K. texting-while-driving PSA is a return to Blood on the Highway 2 months ago on Autoblog

It looks like Wales hired Danny Boyle or Quentin Tarantino to create a PSA to showcase the dangers of texting while driving (it was actually Peter Watkins-Hughes). As these things do, it starts off with a couple of teenagers doing what teenagers do -- in this case, sending text messages from ...

REPORT: Opel labor union goes on the offensive, GM negotiator meets with German feds 2 months ago on Autoblog

The battle for Opel has added another front: Opel labor unions at two of the company's German factories retracted an agreement made last year to forgo vacation bonuses. The move demands that General Motors pay the laborers €70 million ($100.2M U.S.) by next week, the amount that they agreed to ...

GM issues a 'No-Decision' on fate of Opel, German government not happy 2 months ago on Autoblog

General Motors was meant to decide who would be the winning bidder for Opel last Friday. But it didn't. Instead, GM asked the German government for more information on federal financial assistance available to buyers. The German government would like Magna to take over Opel as it vowed to retain a ...

Tata gets private-sector loan, doesn't need UK government money 2 months ago on Autoblog

Tata's target was £1 billion ($1.65B U.S.) in loans to keep the JLR group going. And while Tata is in talks with the U.K government about providing a large chunk of that, some of the government's terms -- like veto power over management decisions-- prevented Tata from pulling the trigger. ...

Dealer accidently unveils Audi R8 Spyder in classified ad? 3 months ago on Autoblog

Stafford Audi, a U.K. Audi dealer, placed an advertisement on the popular website Pistonheads for the forthcoming R8 Spider. For a picture of the car, they used an uncamouflaged picture of an R8 Spider from the Iron Man sequel, as you can see from the California license plate that reads "Stark." ...

REPORT: Opel, waiting on GM and the German government, heading toward bankruptcy 3 months ago on Autoblog

There are five noteworthy parties involved in the negotiations over Opel's fate: GM, the German government, the Opel trust, states with Opel manufacturing plants, and the Opel labor union. The Opel trust is the body created to run Opel after GM's bankruptcy, and consists of five members: a ...

Spy Shots: Mystery concept caught in Spain 3 months ago on Autoblog

Autoblog Quiz of the Day: the minicar pictured above was spotted in Barcelona, Spain at Central del Poblenou Park, during what sounds like a photo or commercial shoot. Two people were caught driving it, the one in the sky blue outfit and hat looks to be a model/actress. The car, devoid of any ...

Did you think the VW-Porsche deal was done? Nein. 3 months ago on Autoblog

When Volkswagen and Porsche sat down at dinner to discuss which one was going to eat the other one, they forgot to invite the German tax man. After VW came to terms with Porsche to take a 49.9% stake in the Stuttgart sports car maker for €8 billion (around $11.4 billion U.S.), the parties ...

REPORT: German union leader calls on Porsche CEO to end ego trip, merge with VW 4 months ago on Autoblog

Volkswagen labor union chief Bernd Osterloh has called out Porsche's CEO for holding up a merger between the two German automakers: "Together, one could do a whole lot of more things if [Wendelin] Wiedeking would end his ego trip." Osterloh believes Wiedeking is standing in the way of a tie-up with ...

Beijing Automotive bids for Opel; Magna still expected to close deal 4 months ago on Autoblog

Even though Beijing Automotive (BAIC) tendered a non-binding offer for Opel, the company is said to have no chance of actually acquiring the brand. General Motors is still in talks with Magna and its partners, GAZ and Sberbank, and according to Sberbank CEO German Graf, "The choice has been made ...

Mini Miglia - Slot car version of classic race to benefit Alzheimer's research 4 months ago on Autoblog

This weekend saw the running of the first Mini Mille Miglia. No affiliation to the famous touring event, the Mini Mille is a greatly scaled down version of the race. How scaled down? Well, it's run on a digital Scalextric track for 1/32-scale slot cars in Umbria, Italy. Put on to benefit ...

Marchionne confirms Fiat still interested in Opel 4 months ago on Autoblog

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, watching the travails of GM, Opel and Magna from his comfy Italian perch, has sent word that his previous offer for Opel is still on the table if anyone is interested. That offer, though, can't be sweetened because he doesn't "believe we could improve Fiat's offer. It's ...

GM worried about Magna deal for Opel, sign backup deal with RHJ, Beijing Automotive 4 months ago on Autoblog

When it came to buying Opel, Fiat's Sergio Marchionne told GM and the German government: "If you have a better offer, take it." They both took Magna, along with its Russian partners Sberbank and GAZ, because that consortium offered a better competitive arrangement and fewer job cuts in Germany. The ...

REPORT: Opel to cut prices 40% in order to save jobs? 4 months ago on Autoblog

Sometimes deals get made, and then the dealmakers have to employ some pretty creative tactics to get the terms to work. Magna's deal for Opel included taking €1.5 billion in short term loans from the German government, the string attached being that Magna had to guarantee German jobs. Saving ...

BMW wants 2018 Winter Olympic in Munich 4 months ago on Autoblog

Munich, Germany is working hard to attract the 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, and native son BMW has signed up to help. The Munich automaker is providing financial aid and vehicles during the initial phase of the application for the city and bidding partners Garmisch-Partenkirchen and ...

VIDEO: Kia Soul aces Euro NCAP crash tests 5 months ago on Autoblog

There is no rating yet for the Kia Soul in the U.S., but in Europe the car did the business: the Soul scored five stars on the NCAP frontal offset, side impact and pole crash tests, doing no worse than "marginal" in just two areas. In the frontal offset test the windshield doesn't crack and ...

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Autoblog Podcast #151: With Car and Driver's Eddie Alterman

Eddie Alterman wades in with Sam, Chris, Dan, and Jonny to talk about SEMA and other recent events.

 
 

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