Driving the Chevy Volt isn't special, and that's good

We've had our first taste of the drive system under development for General Motors' pioneering Chevrolet Volt, piloting a test mule based on the Chevrolet Cruze at the company's Warren (Mich.) Technical Center, and it left us hungering for more. Yes, it's an electric car, but mostly, it's a car--one you could imagine driving every day without feeling as if you were engaged in a lab experiment. Frank Weber, vehicle line executive for the Volt, gets his nose out of joint if you call the drive system a hybrid.

Volvo S80 gets new diesel engine

Most of the talk in the last few months about Volvo has revolved around Ford’s efforts to ditch the last of its prestige marques in its fight for survival. Poor old Volvo appears to have been hawked around the world’s car makers in the hope of finding a fit for the pride of Sweden. But there have been no takers so far, not even Volvo trucks or the Swedish Government.

2013 Audi S8 engine tech laid bare in new videos

Here's one for the tech geeks: Earlier this month we drove the 2013 Audi S8 sedan, where we came to the conclusion that the 520-hp, 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 was just right for the executive-class cruiser. The S8 is a heavyweight, but it moves like a cruiserweight or better. The 0-to-60-mph sprint takes just 3.9 seconds, or about the same amount of time it takes to sneeze, wipe your nose and get blessed.