When the Audi Quattro was unveiled at the Geneva motor show 40 years ago, not even Ferdiand Piech, one of the all-time great leaders of the automotive industry, could have foreseen the impact the car would have on Audi, on motorsport and on the automotive sector as a whole.
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Automotive Anniversary: 30 years of Lexus
The understand the origins of Lexus, you must first think back to the position Toyota found itself in around 30 years ago. The Japanese company’s frugal Corolla, introduced into America in 1968, had been a huge success. The economical, comfortable and reliable car propelled the company’s sales into the stratosphere and, by the end of 1975, it was the leading import brand in the United States – surpassing even the mighty Volkswagen.
[Read more…] about Automotive Anniversary: 30 years of LexusAutomotive Anniversary: 120 years of Fiat
Fiat, the Italian car-maker, has been in business for 120 years. It was in 1899, the Societa Anonima Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili – Torino was established. The company, which was based in Turin, was created by its founders to capitalise on a new and rapidly expanding market – that of vehicles powered by internal combustion engines.
[Read more…] about Automotive Anniversary: 120 years of FiatAutomotive Anniversary: 20 years of the Honda S2000
In 1995, at the Tokyo Motor Show, Honda unveiled a concept car that would preview what what become the S2000. It was dubbed the ‘SSM’ – the ‘Sports Study Model’ – and was a radical-looking machine with eye-catching design cues such as low-slung front lights and individual ‘cockpits’ for the occupants.
[Read more…] about Automotive Anniversary: 20 years of the Honda S2000Automotive Anniversary: 30 years of the Land Rover Discovery
The launch of the new Land Rover Defender marks the revival of one of the brand’s most fabled models. Unsurprisingly, it has proven a somewhat contentious car – with the adoption of unibody construction, independent suspension and increased complexity causing myriad outbursts worldwide.
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