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Well, it sure looks like it. All credit for this one goes to one Aaron P., who emailed the following to us:

So I was walking down Grand Avenue in Downtown LA, and they were shooting a Caddy commercial. There was a covered car, which I thought was the CTS Coupe, but the wind blew off the cover and there was a CTS-V Wagon. I only had time to snag this pic before they put the cover back on but you can see the wagon lines. I hope that means its coming cause that would be an amazing car.

Hmm. Seems like Aaron got awfully close for this pic, a curiously *perfect* upskirt teaser, but regardless of the circumstances behind it, reports of the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon being given the green light date back to September of last year. It’s basically been a guessing game of which show will provide the backdrop for its formal unveiling.

With New York the sole remaining major show on the U.S. circuit this year, and Bob Lutz’s retirement scheduled to begin exactly one month after that, we’ll bet our whole chip stack that El Generalissimo Roberto Maximo goes out with a bang, introducing the CTS-V Sport Wagon at the Javits Center, because the car in the above photo is most definitely a wagon, that is most definitely the “V” badge, and those are the correct wheels. Very badass, indeed.

Thanks to Aaron for the photo!

Peekaboo: Cadillac CTS-V Wagon spied in L.A.?

It’s a feast of moving pictures this week, an ensemble cast telling 18 tragi-comi-dramatic stories such as: Volvo doing some naughty things forward and backward in its new S60, capitalist Communists in love with the Porsche Cayenne, Optimus Prime getting a Michael Bay makeover otherwise knowns as a Bay-kover, the Audi RS5 grumbling about everything, the 918 getting groped in two parts, don’t ever, ever rent a car in Miami without a Haz-Mat suit, and what kind of awesome can you hear when you mix Bruce Willis and The Gorillaz? Follow the jump to find out…

Continue reading Autoblog Weekender: ‘Around the World in Video’ Edition

Autoblog Weekender: ‘Around the World in Video’ Edition

Ah yes, the good ol’ pull-the-tablecloth-off-the-table-without-sending-dishes-flying routine. The oldest trick in the book? Possibly, but BMW has taken it upon themselves to update the classic demonstration in a major way. How ’bout upping the ante with 24 complete place settings around a giant rectangular table? Yeah, that’d do it.

Just how is BMW planning to remove said tablecloth? Using a new S 1000 RR superbike, that’s how. Will it work? Well, it’s really a question of physics, right? Take 193 horsepower and a 0 to 60 time that’s just shy of 2.9 seconds. Add in one rider with a quick set of wrists and shake well. Garnish with celebratory wheelie.

We highly recommend that you click past the break to see it all go down on video. It’s very much worth your time.

[Source: BMW via YouTube]

Continue reading Video: BMW S 1000 RR pulls off the old tablecloth trick

Video: BMW S 1000 RR pulls off the old tablecloth trick

GQ, the UK’s leading monthly men’s magazine, certainly knows a thing or two about the fashionable gentleman. And judging by the GQbyCITROËN concept, the fashionable fellas know a few things about svelte car design, as well. The GQbyCITROËN concept is a collaboration between Dylan Jones, GQ’s editor, and Mark Lloyd, a British designer who is most recently credited for the new Citroën DS3. We must say, we’re very attracted to it. Makes sense, then, that GQ and Citroën are branding this concept as “the ultimate gentleman’s drive.”

The GQbyCITROËN rides on the values of the classic GT theme, and designer Lloyd thought a proper grand tourer was much more suited to the GQ style, saying:

For me, the car that has always represented the pinnacle of automotive excellence and refinement is the GT – the Grand Tourer. It is not the all-out sports car, rather it is something gentlemanly, it has performance and it is for traveling, not racing. We wanted to create something that, like GQ, was aspirational, but also retained the classic automotive ideals. We didn’t want a car for the mass market. We wanted a car for GQ.

The cabin, accessed by rear-hinged coach doors, features a futuristic yet stylish cabin, with detailing and upholstery selected by Patrick Grant, the creative director for E. Tautz, a men’s tailor found in the prestigious Savile Row in London.

Because the GQbyCITROËN is purely a concept car, mechanical details are slim, but Citroën says that the car is powered by both a plug-in hybrid system as well as a 1.6-liter inline-four with direct injection, which achieves a 0-60 time of just 4.5 seconds and has a top speed of 155 mph (electronically limited, of course). Seems a bit far-fetched, but no matter, because we doubt a production version will ever see the light of day.

The GQbyCITROËN makes its official debut in the April issue of GQ, released on March 4th. Pick up a copy on your local newsstand, or simply scroll through our attached gallery to see high-res shots of this sleek new concept.

[Source: Citroën]

Continue reading French Centerfold: Citroën teams up with GQ and Savile Row tailors for new concept

French Centerfold: Citroën teams up with GQ and Savile Row tailors for new concept

Review: 2010 Lexus LS460 Sport could’a been a contenda

2010 Lexus LS460 Sport – Click above for high-res image gallery With Lexus having carefully cultivated a reputation for isolating drivers from all of the undignified sensations normally…

How a Corvette C6.R comes to life: Autoblog tours Pratt & Miller shop

Autoblog tours Pratt & Miller shop – Click above for high-res image gallery Racing improves the breed. How many times have you heard some automaker PR flack spout that line in order to…

Spy Shots: 2011 BMW M5 shows off more of its new skin

BMW M5 spy shots – Click above for high-res image gallery It seems that the 2011 BMW M5 is nearing production-ready status, and while the new supersedan may still be wearing a bit of swirly…

Also of interest:

• Report: Toyota ’secretive’ about black box data
• Final three World Car of the Year finalists announced
• Hope on the horizon? General Motors reportedly to reinstate more than 580 dealers
• Video: All the nooks and crannies of the Koenigsegg Agera
• Toyota FT-86 concept gets a family-style welcome

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Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 3.5.10

The not-for-U.S. (at least not for now) Audi A1 just made its public debut at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, and we’re eager to see how the new hatch stacks up to the likes of the much-loved Mini Cooper. We’re especially fond of this S Line model, which gives the A1 a much more aggressive appearance and tweaks the hatch’s dynamics ever so slightly.

The S Line kit is made up of two separate packages. The exterior package adds a larger roof spoiler, a revised front bumper with side air vents, more chiseled sill tops and a new rear bumper with an integrated diffuser. Beyond the host of exterior changes, the S Line sport package adds a leather-wrapped sport steering wheel, a sport suspension, and a choice of either 17- or 18-inch alloys. In all, the whole S Line treatment looks great and gives us more reason to lust after the A1. Click through our gallery to see dozens of high-res shots of the A1 in its hot hatch-like S Line guise.

[Source: Audi via Carscoop]

Pics Aplenty: 2011 Audi A1 S Line in the color of lust

Just about every automaker posted February sales gains compared to the same month in 2009, and industry-wide sales were up 13 percent for the month. Even Chrysler posted its first year over year gain for the first time in 25 months, albeit by a mere 399 units. So is everybody at the company’s Auburn Hills, MI headquarters celebrating? We’re guessing the answer is no… due to the fact that a knee-wobbling 58 percent of those sales came to fleet customers.

Automotive News is reporting that only 35,832 of those 84,449 sales were made to retail customers. That’s not good, folks. In better times, Toyota would be disappointed if it only sold 35,000 Carmry sedans to retail customers. When AN asked Chrysler about its low sales for the month, a spokeswoman reportedly said, “Fleet sales were very strong this month, and our company sales reflect that.” Big fleet sales will reportedly be temporary, though, as the company still eventually plans to allocate only 25 percent of its sales to fleets.

But while that’s bad news for Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep dealers, the company is likely at least happy that fleet customers are buying again. When the economy hit the skids in the fall of 2008, the fleet market went from a sales oasis for domestic automakers to a discount desert. Chrysler isn’t the only automaker to rely on fleet sales in February, either. General Motors allocated 45,000 of its 144,000 vehicles to fleets, about 31 percent of its total sales.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req'd]

Report: Chrysler ends 25-month sales skid by sending 58% of new vehicles to fleets

What’s the world coming to when two of Italy’s most storied supercar manufacturers – we’re talking Ferrari and Lamborghini here, in case you couldn’t tell – are planning to launch hybrid automobiles? Well, actually that’d be three of Italy’s most storied automakers, now that rumors of just such a Maserati are making the rounds on the Interwebs.

We’d agree with the boys at Inside Line when they suggest that Maserati will likely borrow hybrid technology from fellow Fiat-owned Ferrari, especially since the two business units already share a number of drivetrain components. If that’s the case, the three-pointed Trident brand could potentially get a version of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS for short) that Ferrari showed off on its 599 HY-KERS earlier this week at the Geneva Motor Show.

Word has it that Maserati is also joining Ferrari in its quest to shed a few unwanted pounds on its automobiles, which will have dual benefits for both brands – namely, improvements in both performance and fuel efficiency. Now there’s a win-win scenario if we’ve ever heard one.

[Source: Inside Line]

Maserati to follow Ferrari down path of hybrid sportscars?

Victor Muller, CEO of Spyker Cars, has made it clear that Saab, which was just recently acquired by Muller’s exclusive automaker, will introduce a new small car to go up against the Mini and the newly shown-off Audi A1. What’s more, the new small Saab will hearken back to such classically styled Swedish iron as the classic 1949 92.

It’s been rumored that the next Saab will be known as the 9-1 and will be based atop the underpinnings of the Opel Astra hatchback. Unlike past GM-based (or Subaru-based, depending) Saabs, though, Muller is reportedly telling his designers that every car wearing the Born-from-Jets badge must be instantly recognizable as a Saab.

That’s enough information for a few talented artists to sketch out their own ideas of what a mini Saab might look like, and just such an illustration comes courtesy of Autobild. We have no clue how accurate it may be, but feel free to check it in full by clicking here. So, what do you think?

[Source: Autobild (translated)]

Rendered Speculation: Saab 9-1 gets drawn up

Morgan Aero SuperSports – Click above for high-res image gallery

As if we didn’t have enough reasons to look forward to the Pebble Beach Concours this August – beautiful weather, beautiful machinery and beautiful scenery, to name but a few – news comes by way of Autocar in the U.K. that Morgan plans to debut a new 2+2 concept at the famed event on the California coast.

Details on the new model are, as you might expect at this early stage in the game, rather hard to come by. Apparently, though, the new car is meant to preview a production model that Morgan hopes to put into production in 2012 or 2013. No word on on the drivetrain, though we’d expect some sort of modern BMW powerplant, but we’re told it will slot somewhere below the brand’s range-topping Aero.

[Source: Autocar]

Report: Morgan to debut 2+2 concept at Pebble Beach

The votes from 59 international journalists have been counted and the finalists for World Car of the Year have been named. The Detroit News is reporting that the Toyota Prius, Volkswagen Polo and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class have made the final cut, and the three vehicles will go toe-to-toe on April 1st (no foolin’) at the start of the New York Auto Show, which is where the World COTY award is announced.

On the performance vehicle front, the Audi R8 V10, Porsche 911 GT3 and Ferrari California are jockeying for the big prize. We feel sorry for the judges who have to choose from among these three junkers, but we’re sure they’ll somehow make it fun for themselves.

Design finalists are the Citroen C3 Picasso, Kia Soul and Chevrolet Camaro, and from the green category we have the previously mentioned Prius, the Honda Insight and Volkswagen’s BlueMotion diesel offerings. Check back on these pages to see the winners of the individual categories when they are announced in New York on April Fool’s Day.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Final three World Car of the Year finalists announced

Racing improves the breed. How many times have you heard some automaker PR flack spout that line in order to justify a motorsports program? When it comes to NASCAR, which is still the most popular form of racing in the United States, it’s clearly a complete fallacy. Open wheel racing, be it at Indianapolis or Monaco, largely falls into the same bucket. There is, however, one form of motorsports where there truly is a feedback loop: sports car racing like the kind on display in the American Le Mans Series.

One example is staring you in the face every time you look at the nose of a contemporary Corvette. When the C6 Corvette debuted, many fans complained about the styling, including the front air intake and the departure of the long running pop-up headlamps. The C6 brought a new larger central air intake and exposed, flush lighting. The design was influenced directly by the C5.R racing program and its need for better air-flow to the engine and brakes of the racecar. Learn more about the connection between Corvette production and racing after the jump.

Continue reading How a Corvette C6.R comes to life: Autoblog tours Pratt & Miller shop

How a Corvette C6.R comes to life: Autoblog tours Pratt & Miller shop

We don’t know why Karl Geiger is fascinated with American performance cars, but we’re sure glad he is. The 2010 Shelby GT500 is the latest muscle car to go under the German tuner’s knife, and the results are nothing less than impressive. Thanks to a larger Whipple supercharger, larger throttle valves, upgraded fuel injection system and ported cylinder heads, the 5.4-liter V8 produces an incredible 799 horsepower and 697 pound-feet torque. Geiger claims a top speed of 220 miles per hour, but with the Mustang’s aerodynamics we would peg that number as more theoretical than anything.

To cope with extra horsepower, Gieger has also fitted the GT500 with a three-disc carbon clutch and reinforced the six-speed transmission. Handling improvements have been made through a “racing chassis” (we’re not sure what that means), a panhard rod with polyurethane bushings and adjustable lower control arms. Finally massive 15-inch, six-piston front brakes help haul the Shelby down from inevitable high speed runs. You can see the full press release after the jump, and high-res images courtesy of Gieger can be found in the gallery below.

[Source: GeigerCars.de]

Continue reading Geiger Cars takes on the 2010 Shelby GT500 with impressive results

Geiger Cars takes on the 2010 Shelby GT500 with impressive results

To be blunt, the Aston Martin One-77 is all sorts of awesome. Having recently crested the 220-mph top speed mark in testing, the One-77 will be the fastest, most expensive Aston road car ever produced. But this hypercoupe isn’t just about warp speed – it’s stylish, elegant, and with only 77 hand-built examples hitting the streets, quite illustrious, as well.

Aston Martin just released a new video of the One-77 testing on the automaker’s proving grounds, meaning we get to listen to that 7.3-liter V12 being wrung out to max revs. This car is both an audio and aural delight, and we encourage you to see (and listen) for yourself by watching the video after the jump.

[Source: Aston Martin]

Continue reading Video: Aston Martin releases new One-77 testing footage

Video: Aston Martin releases new One-77 testing footage

Tired of waiting around for an official launch date for the hotly anticipated (in certain circles, at least) compact diesel pickup truck from Indian automaker Mahindra? Good news, then. According to a report from Automotive News, the largest utility vehicle maker in India and its U.S. distributor, Global Motors, will make an official announcement regarding the targeted sale date of the Pik-Up within the next two-to-three weeks.

Before you get too excited, realize that Mahindra only hopes to announce a launch date – when that date will actually be is still anyone’s guess. In fact, Mahindra President Pawan Goenka said in an interview that the vehicle is still undergoing Environmental Protection Agency testing here in the States and an official application to allow the truck to be sold here has yet to take place.

Following the Pik-Up’s official launch in the U.S., Mahindra plans to continue focusing on its export markets with a new SUV designed specifically for the European and North American markets. Judging by how long it’s taken to get its first model on the market, though, we’ll keep our excitement bottled up for the time being.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Report: Mahindra to set U.S. Pik-Up launch date in next few weeks

Due to the ongoing NHTSA investigation and several lawsuits involving Toyota, the automaker’s in-car “black box” data is coming into the spotlight. However, the Associated Press has conducted an investigation of its own, finding that Toyota has, for years, blocked access to event data recorder (EDR) information, and that the automaker has been inconsistent in revealing exactly what these devices do and do not record.

In this investigation, AP found that Toyota has frequently refused to provide information crucial to crash victims and survivors, and that in some lawsuits, the automaker has routinely provided printouts with key information missing. What’s more (this much we knew already), AP reports that Toyota’s EDRs use proprietary software (meaning it can only be read by Toyota), and that until just recently, there was only one computer in the entire United States that contained the software needed to rear EDR data.

In a statement to AP, Toyota outlined exactly what information its EDRs collect, including vehicle speed, gear shift position, angle of the driver’s seat, whether the seat belt was used, and the accelerator and brake pedals’ angles. In the coming months, we’d expect that Toyota starts to make more of this information readily available, especially with its committed cooperation to ongoing safety investigations.

[Source: The Associated Press via Yahoo Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty]

Report: Toyota ’secretive’ about black box data

According to Automotive News (which is citing four separate yet unknown sources), General Motors is preparing to reinstate more than 580 dealers that had applied for government-mediated arbitration to keep their franchises in the United States. For those keeping track, 580 represents exactly half of the 1,160 dealerships that signed up to go through the arbitration process. These selected dealerships would potentially be reinstated outside the process of arbitration.

GM will reportedly send letters to the 580-plus dealerships it has decided to reinstate, offering immediate restoration of their franchise rights, including the ability to order new vehicles. If a dealership does not receive a letter, GM has not chosen to restore its franchise rights and it will have the option to either settle with GM or enter the arbitration process if it so desires.

For those dealerships that aren’t successful in their quest to regain franchise rights, well… there’s always Sears, right?

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]

Hope on the horizon? General Motors reportedly to reinstate more than 580 dealers

There aren’t many humans on this planet who have ever seen a Koenigsegg CCX on public roads due to the exotic supercar’s ridiculously limited production volume. That likely won’t change for the new Agera, either, so we’ll have to settle for the great-looking shots we captured while in Geneva. And the automaker’s official images. And the post-jump video of the 910 horsepower, 811 pound-feet Swedish superstar.

The video shows the Agera on the track and in the studio, and it all looks good to us. Keep in mind, though, that the video is 2:15 in its entirety, with the first 50 or so seconds dedicated to the Agera’s trip to the track (the moving footage almost looks CGI) and the studio shots are available after a short dip to black. Hit the jump to watch the video, because chances are you’ll never be afforded the opportunity to drive (or even see) the 250 mile per hour Agera in your lifetime.

[Source: Koenigsegg]

Continue reading Video: All the nooks and crannies of the Koenigsegg Agera

Video: All the nooks and crannies of the Koenigsegg Agera

It seems that the 2011 BMW M5 is nearing production-ready status, and while the new supersedan may still be wearing a bit of swirly camouflage, it’s easy to see what the more aggressive M5 will look like in its new F10 5 Series body.

As we’ve mentioned earlier, the 2011 M5 is expected to ditch the outgoing car’s high-revving V10 in favor of a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 borrowed from the X5 M and X6 M. Currently, that engine kicks out 555 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque, but if the rumormill is to be believed, BMW’s M division has cranked out some extra punch for the M5, to the tune of 578 hp and 530 lb-ft. That means 0-60 mph runs should happen in under 4.5 seconds on the way to a limited top speed of 155 mph. As for transmissions, we’ll bet our last dollar that the M5 will use a dual-clutch setup, and we’re still crossing our fingers that a proper manual transmission will find its way into the cards as well.

Expect the production-ready M5 to debut later this year (Paris Motor Show?) or in the very early months of 2011. In the meantime, click through the attached gallery to see all of the high-res spy shots.

[Source: CarPix]

Spy Shots: 2011 BMW M5 shows off more of its new skin

With Lexus having carefully cultivated a reputation for isolating drivers from all of the undignified sensations normally associated with driving, it might seem surprising to find a Sport model in the LS lineup. Sure, Lexus offers the M3-chasing IS F, as well as the outrageous LFA supercar, but an LS460 Sport? Come on… even sport-synonymous BMW doesn’t offer an M version of its full-size 7 Series luxobarge.

BMW does offer, however, an Alpina B7, as well as a BMW M5. There’s also the Cadillac CTS-V, Audi S6 and S8, and a whole undercard of Mercedes-Benz AMG cars out there that prove there is a market for sports-tuned large sedans like this 2010 Lexus LS460 Sport. You certainly can’t begrudge Lexus for trying to steal a slice of that more stiffly-sprung, high-test pie – but is it just promoters’ hype or can this LS Sport really float like a butterfly and sting like a bee?

We had a brief encounter with the 2010 Lexus LS460 Sport a couple of months ago down in San Diego and came away impressed. While we didn’t immediately drop the Germans or lone American from our top contenders list, we were at least willing to add the LS to our “worth-watching” column. And so we decided to take a closer look. Could Lexus successfully move its F-Sport tuning up a weight class, and would the LS460 Sport actually contend with other heavyweights in the segment? We gave it seven days to prove its mettle.

Photos by Frank Filipponio / Copyright (C)2009 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Review: 2010 Lexus LS460 Sport could’a been a contenda

Review: 2010 Lexus LS460 Sport could’a been a contenda