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Pre-Owned Porsche program ups the attractiveness of the warranty. Pictured: Porsche Boxsters. (Photo courtesy of Porsche Cars North America, Inc.)

ATLANTA — Porsche has announced that it is upping the warranty coverage on its certified pre-owned vehicles sold in the United States and Canada. The coverage will give buyers of used Porsches a two-year/50,000-mile limited warranty similar to that for new vehicles. It also includes 24-hour roadside assistance.

Customers will be responsible for wear-and-tear items such as brake pads, regular maintenance and wiper blades, Porsche says.

An interesting part of the upgrade is that used vehicles with a remaining period of new-car warranty coverage will be able to add this balance to the used-car limited warranty time.

The deal is good on vehicles in the certified pre-owned program only, Porsche says. These are vehicles that have passed a reconditioning and 111-point inspection program… Read the rest of this entry

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Porsche Cayman S gets a new set of 19-inch alloy wheels courtesy of Inden Design. (Photo courtesy of Inden Design)

HAIGER, Germany — Porsche has just announced details on its peppier Cayman S Sport, but German tuner Inden Design already decided to take matters into its own hands with this sport kit for the Cayman S.

A new exhaust system ups the output of the flat-6 to 314 horsepower, a 19-hp increase over the stock figure. A control unit operates the flaps of the exhaust, and a small microprocessor is embedded in the system, allowing for a large range of programmability.

The kit also includes a set of H&R’s new adjustable coil-overs as well as 19-inch alloy wheels.

What this means to you: More pep and more possibilities for the Porsche Cayman S. — Mike Lysaght, Correspondent

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The Nissan Altima is being recalled to fix a bolt problem that could affect vehicle control. (Photo courtesy of Nissan Motors Corporation Inc.)

WASHINGTON — Nissan kicked off a recall of 1,018 2008 Altimas on Monday to tighten a bolt which could lead to difficulty controlling the car if it fell out, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

NHTSA’s recall summary of the problem explains that the left side front suspension transverse link bolt may not have been tightened to specification at the factory. “This condition could cause the bolt to become loose while the vehicle is being driven,” it said. “If the bolt were to come out, the driver may experience difficulty controlling the direction of the vehicle, which could result in a crash.”

… Read the rest of this entry

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Interior details include a leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats and custom door sill plates. (Photo courtesy of Chrysler LLC)

ROYAL OAK, Michigan — Chrysler rolled out the fifth edition of its PT Dream Cruiser series Tuesday on Woodward Avenue, helping to stir up some anticipation for this weekend’s 14th annual Woodward Dream Cruise. The 2009 Chrysler PT Dream Cruiser Series 5 will hit showrooms in the fall with a $22,700 sticker price. Pricing includes a $670 destination fee.

The two-tone 2009 Chrysler PT Dream Cruiser Series 5 features a Midnight White pearl paint job and a contrasting black roof. Other exterior cues include cross-hatched billet aluminum upper and lower grilles and new 17-inch rims from SRT Design.

Power comes from a normally aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinder that lays down 150 horsepower and 165 pound-feet of torque, or buyers can opt for a more powerful turbocharged… Read the rest of this entry

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Audi RS6 has a twin-turbo V10 that makes 580 horsepower. Top speed can be bumped to 174 mph. (Photo courtesy of Audi USA)

INGOLSTADT, Germany — Audi AG released the details on its “racing inspired” RS6 on Tuesday, including the critical information that the car will start at the equivalent of $157,296 when it goes on sale in Germany in mid-October.

Audi of America on Monday confirmed that there are no immediate plans to bring the RS6 to the U.S.

Audi gushes that the engine of the new RS6 is a “high-tech work of art,” bundling such race technologies as FSI direct fuel injection, dry-sump lubrication and two turbochargers. The RS6 is powered by a twin-turbo V10 that churns out 580 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. Audi says the RS6 sprints from zero to 60 mph in less than 4.5 seconds and has an… Read the rest of this entry

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Toyota Camry Solara convertible is built in Georgetown, Kentucky. (Photo courtesy of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.)

TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan — The Toyota Camry Solara convertible, which was slated to have been discontinued this month, received a reprieve from the Japanese automaker on Monday.

Toyota Spokesman Mike Goss confirmed for Inside Line that the company will extend production of the Camry Solara convertible for about two years, in response to consumer demand.

The Camry Solara convertible was often slapped by reviewers for its lack of styling excitement, yet it seems to have maintained a fairly loyal customer base. The base 2008 Toyota Camry Solara convertible starts at $28,100, including a $660 destination charge. The base model is equipped with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 155 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 158 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm.

The convertible is built… Read the rest of this entry

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Price of the Carlsson: more than $690,000. (Photo courtesy of Carlsson Autotechnik)

MERZIG, Germany — Carlsson Autotechnik, the German tuning boutique, has collaborated once again with Munich-based fashion house Etienne Aigner on a high-end Mercedes-Benz, and once again the partners have been inspired by the rarefied world of Formula 1 when naming their offspring.

The new Carlsson… Read the rest of this entry

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The hot Challenger (Mopar Drag Race Package pictured) is the subject of heated commentary from bloggers frustrated by the long wait to get one. (Photo courtesy of Chrysler LLC)

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan — With 2009 Dodge Challenger production finally un
derway, the Red Letter Dodge blog is r
eporting that about 500 of the highly anticipated vehicles are being delivered \”across North America.\”

\”We can say that two [Challenger] SEs have already been delivered to buyers, and both were in Ohio,\” wrote Mark Mallie, Dodge Challenger marketing manager, in a recent posting. \”You\’re the first on the block, the… Read the rest of this entry

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The GMC Yukon will also be offered as an XFE model. (Pictured: 2009 GMC Yukon) (Photo courtesy of General Motors Corporation)

DETROIT — General Motors will produce for the 2009 model year special fuel economy models of four of its biggest, thirstiest trucks, the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups and the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon SUVs.

Grouped under the moniker XFE, which Chevrolet has already used on a high-mpg version of the Cobalt small car, the trucks will return 15 mpg in the city and 21 on the highway. That represents a single mile-per-gallon improvement for both city and highway, compared to non-XFE versions with the same 5.3-liter V8 engine.

Unlike the two-mode hybrid versions of the company’s big trucks, the XFE models use totally conventional means to achieve their improvements. All XFEs will use six-speed transmissions and a 3.08 axle ratio, and… Read the rest of this entry

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Mercedes-Benz’s new attention assist system (pictured) will recognize individual drivers and warn them if they start to get drowsy. (Photo courtesy of Mercedes-Benz)

STUTTGART, Germany — Mercedes-Benz on Monday said it will roll out its new Attention Assist, which warns drivers that they are getting drowsy, on vehicles in spring 2009.

The system, in some ways, is an example of the ultimate in vehicle customization.

Mercedes-Benz said that the system, using sensors and computer data, is able to generate “an individual driver profile,” thus enabling it to almost immediately recognize the driver’s shift from alertness to drowsiness. The system compiles data on your driving pattern the moment you slide behind the wheel and can adjust to a variety of drivers almost instantly.

If the vehicle recognizes that the driver is slipping toward what the German automaker calls the “dangerous one-second nap,” it sounds an… Read the rest of this entry