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‘SlashCars’ Stories

Tesla Model X takes $40m in advanced sales

Chris Davies, Feb 15th 2012 Discuss [0]

Tesla has already clocked up over $40m-worth in sales of its new Model X SUV, breaking a record for the company in only 24 hours and also seeing a significant uptick in reservations of its new electric-powered sedan. Announced on Thursday last week, the Model X - which features distinctive "falcon-wing" rear doors and an all-electric powerplant - went up for pre-order the following day, with paid reservations exceeding $40m the company has confirmed. Read The Full Story

Tesla Model X: Forget “falcon-wings”, the touchscreen dash is geek cred enough

Chris Davies, Feb 10th 2012 Discuss [0]

Tesla's new Model X SUV is already dividing opinion over its external design, with some loving the "falcon-wing" rear doors and others arguing the crossover looks like a chubby, yawning hamster, but it's the interior tech that really has us drooling. Like the Model S before it, the Tesla Model X offers a huge 17-inch touchscreen as its center console, as Jalopnik's photos show, with a fully digital drivers binnacle. Read The Full Story

Kia Track’ster concept ditches dreary for MINI Cooper rival

Chris Davies, Feb 8th 2012 Discuss [0]

Kia knows it has a lot to do to shed its sensible image and convince would-be buyers it's sexy, inspiring and aspirational, and the Kia Track’ster concept is the first step down that road. Revealed at the Chicago Auto Show today, the Optima Limited Track'ster channels Kia's potential design direction for the next-gen Soul, with "immense LED driving lights" and a 250 horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Read The Full Story

Fisker funding frozen: Project Nina delayed

Chris Davies, Feb 7th 2012 Discuss [0]

Luxury eco car company Fisker has been forced to freeze work on its second vehicle, Project Nina, as well as make a total of 66 redundancies as government loans dry up. Fisker, which began delivering Karma plug-ins back in July 2011, faced renewed US government attention with its launch schedule delays, GigaOm reports, with the Department of Energy suspending a $528.7m loan agreed in 2009 back in May 2011. Read The Full Story

Chrysler does handbrake turn: $183m income after 2010′s losses

Chris Davies, Feb 2nd 2012 Discuss [0]

Chrysler has apparently done the impossible, turning around dire losses of $652m in 2010 to make $183m in income in 2011, with operating profit doubling to $2bn. Announcing its full year 2011 figures today, the car firm even managed to choke down a $551m debt payment in Q2, and still exceeded operating profit against the previous year by 2.5x. It's not from selling a huge increase in cars, either. Read The Full Story

Chevrolet Volt cleared of fire defect suspicions

Chris Davies, Jan 23rd 2012 Discuss [8]

Chevrolet's electric-powered Volt has been cleared by US federal safety investigators, with the plug-in car deemed to present no more significant fire risk than its gasoline-powered counterparts, and leaving Chevvy with the unenviable task of re-marketing the vehicle. "No discernible defect trend exists" the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said of the Volt, going on to highlight General Motors' improvements to the structure of the car and the battery cooling systems. The investigation - perhaps uncomfortably public for GM - will educate new NHTSA guidelines on dealing with electric car safety. Read The Full Story

Nissan March Nismo concept creates angry compact

Chris Davies, Jan 16th 2012 Discuss [2]

Nissan has revealed its latest concept, the March Nismo, the company's third sports-focused premium compact. Making liberal use of the Nismo tuning parts bin, the new concept is based on Nissan's altogether more sedate March compact, giving it the necessary oomph to wow at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2012. Read The Full Story

Cadillac ATS takes on BMW

Chris Davies, Jan 12th 2012 Discuss [5]

Does Cadillac have a chance against BMW? The US car company reckons it does, and the 2012 Cadillac ATS is the Bimmer-killer patriots have been waiting for. Unveiled this week, the ATS mixes rear-wheel-drive with the lowest curb weight in its class, with plenty of emphasis placed on road-handling and performance to compete with the Germanic titans. Read The Full Story

Toyota shows NS4 hybrid concept for tomorrow, Prius c for today

Chris Davies, Jan 10th 2012 Discuss [1]

Toyota has unveiled its latest hybrid, the Prius c, a compact version of the existing eco-friendly car, though we have to say it's the company's NS4 plug-in hybrid that has us more excited. The Toyota NS4 is the company's vision of a mid-sized sedan for the 2015 market, with streamlined lines and next-gen Hybrid Synergy Drive plug-in powerplants, along with the usual lashings of high-tech dashboard gadgetry and safety features. Read The Full Story

Chevy shows off Code 130R and Tru 140S concepts in Detroit

Shane McGlaun, Jan 10th 2012 Discuss [0]

GM's Chevrolet brand has rolled out a pair of small and compact concept cars in Detroit to lure younger buyers back to the brand. The two cars are the core 130R and the Code 140S. The 130R is a tall looking, very upright car with four seats in a couple profile. It reminds me a bit of the Camaro combined with the BMW 1 series. Read The Full Story

Acura NSX Concept channels Honda heritage with hybrid power

Chris Davies, Jan 9th 2012 Discuss [1]

The much-loved Honda NSX has been reborn as the Acura NSX Concept, a Sport Hybrid all-wheel-drive tease of a new sports car Acura says we can expect on the market in around three years time. Pairing a mid-mounted V6 engine and two electric motors in a lightweight shell, the Acura NSX Concept uses a new bilateral torque adjustable control system that can instantly generate negative or positive torque to the front wheels while cornering. Read The Full Story