Acura TSX – Click above for high-res image gallery
has put out a recall of around 167,000 sedans to fix a power steering hose and o-ring gasket which could deteriorate prematurely. Previous generation (2004-2008) models are affected by the issue, which involves the hose cracking due to high underhood temperatures resulting in the power steering fluid leaking, contacting the exhaust components and potentially creating smoke or a fire.
Owners can expect to receive notification in the mail late next month, but you can get all the details in the release after the jump.
Audi RS6 Clubsport by MTM – Click above for image gallery
Of all the products in the arsenal, we’re not sure if the RS6 would be our track rat of choice. It’s twin-turbocharged V10, massive meats and grippy all-wheel drive system is surely the stuff of track-day dreams, but we’ve always been more enamored by the RS6’s brutal, road-going civility – it’s simply better suited to high-speed cross-country runs rather than full-on tarmac attacks. MTM appears to disagree.
The German tuner of all things Audi has put the sedan variant under the knife to create the RS6 Clubsport, and as with everything from MTM, it’s a compellingly comprehensive package.
The mods start with a new front lip, carbon fiber rear diffuser, an adjustable suspension and black 21-inch wheels shod in Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires. Inside, the factory thrones have been nixed in favor of a duo of carbon fiber Recaro buckets with six-point harness attached to a rear-mounted roll cage that’s sure to have displaced the rear seats.
Engine upgrades are limited to a high-flow air filter and stainless steel exhaust, but with the help of MTM’s crack ECU tuners, they’ve been able to boost output of the turbo’d 5.0-liter V10 to 720 horsepower (at 6,360 rpm) and and 579 pound-feet of torque (between 2,750 and 6,280 rpm) – a sizable increase over the stock engine’s 571 hp and 479 lb-ft of twist. And if you option up the tires to one of the four available compounds (and why wouldn’t you?), a derestricted top speed of 211 mph can be yours. We think we’ll take ours in five-door form, sans the cage. Maybe in brown…
One Lap of America 2010: Day One – click above for high-res image gallery
Spring has sprung and we’re at the in South Bend, Indiana, which can only mean one thing: the start of another One Lap Of America.
Every year we tell ourselves we’re crazy for embarking on another one of these eight-day ’round-the-country exploits, and for over ten years now we’ve been signing on to help run the event on the timing and scoring crew. And could you blame us? Every year, a great bunch of people gather together at the behest of none other than , and they bring with them all manner of machinery to compete on race tracks across the nation.
This year’s event starts off as usual, with a wet skidpad event at the Tire Rack, with the racers moving on to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for stints around , one of the country’s most historic and challenging roadcourses. After the time trials at RA, it’s off to , a fine 2.2-mile long roadcourse off in the middle of nowhere Pacific Junction, Iowa. On Monday, the racers will visit the surprisingly quick and engaging in Oklahoma, followed by some drag racing at . The next day will find the competitors at near St. Louis for a 1.6-mile road circuit. From there, it’s on to on Wednesday, a circuit that needs no introduction. The increasingly bedraggled competitors will then make the drive to on Thursday and then jog back to Ohio’s for the last roadcourse events on Friday. After that, the teams will filter back to the Tire Rack in South Bend for the final event, a dry skid pad (weather permitting) and to unwind at the awards banquet on Saturday.
Got all that? Said another way, it’s another action-packed week that’s sure to test the racers’ mechanical, mental and intestinal fortitude.
Ferrari Enzo Street Clock – Click above for high-res image gallery
The Enzo street clock is 8.3 feet tall and nearly three feet wide, and it could well be the perfect gift for even the most ardent Ferrari fan. The massive yet tastefully executed advertisingtime piece was reportedly shipped from Europe to the U.S. sometime after its 2003 creation, and now it’s for just about anyone who has a strong love of the Ferrari brand and at least $5,000.
The yellow-faced clock is reportedly in working condition, with hour markers and hands that glow in the dark (at least temporarily) at night. Designers didn’t go easy on the spooked stallions, either, as we count seven instances of the famous horse on the substantial street clock. And although the clock is massive at over eight feet tall, the owner claims to be selling this item because he has found a “much larger” clock to replace it.
We can’t help but think of how cool this clock would look in the Autoblog Garage, but we’re guessing it would look far cooler if it were partitioning a pair of Ferraris we just don’t have right now. Head over to eBay to get a better look at the Enzo clock, and if you’ve got at least $5,000 and an itch for kick ass Ferrari memorabilia, happy bidding! Hat tip to Kevin!
The RS-fest continues with the RS3, spied on its way to the ‘Ring for the obligatory entrance exam to become any kind of sports car. The news on the street is that the RS3 will get a reworked version of the five-cylinder lump from the TT RS with output claimed to be “over 330 bhp.” It won’t though, get the TT RS’s six-speed manual, going for an S-tronic instead. We could see it at the Paris Motor Show, but we won’t see it here in the States. With Audi’s continued refusal to even bring over the S3, the chances of an RS3 making it to the U.S. are limited… at best.
Were you, like us, just thinking that ’s U.S. lineup would be fully complete if only it had just one more crossover utility Sports Activity Vehicle that slotted in somewhere between the small X3 and midsize ? If so, we have good news. Just such a vehicle – logically and tentatively named the X4 – is rumored to be in development. Again.
Just as the was designed as a sportier take on the more traditional SUV-shaped X5, the new X4 would inject a bit more Bavarian flavor into the plain ol’ X3. Citing an unnamed source within the company, Autocar reports, “We haven’t made any firm decision… however, the X6’s success shows there is a continued demand for sporty off-roaders.”
Yes, we’ve heard this rumor before, but not since 2008. Why the possible change of heart? Despite drawing ire from what seems to be a vocal minority, BMW reports that the X6 is handily outpacing its own initial sales projections. In fact, it’s 80,000 sales worldwide is twice what the automaker had expected to sell. And one good turn deserves… something.
2011 Daewoo Alpheon – Click above for high-res image gallery
may be shying away from badge engineering here in the United States, but that doesn’t mean the company is giving up its old ways in other parts of the world. Daewoo recently unveiled its new Alpheon sedan at the Busan International Motor Show in Korea, and the car is as identical as identical gets to the 2010 we all know and love. The Korean automaker says that its newest luxury cruiser is “based on the same architecture” as the mid-size Buick, though we would be more inclined to say Xerox couldn’t come up with a better copy.
Under the hood, Korean buyers will find the same mid-range 3.0-liter gasoline V6 that American buyers enjoy. As near as we can tell, the only significant difference is that the Tri-Crest badge has been ditched in favor of a Daewoo piece. At least they went that far.
The Alpheon/LaCrosse joined the debut of the Orlando MPV on stage at Busan. According to Daewoo, the sedan will hit dealers mid-way through this year. for the full press-release.
Honda Impossible Dream II – Click above to watch video
has resurrected once more. Hands down one of our favorite car spots of all time, the original ad aired in the UK way back in 2005 and featured a smattering of models from the Japanese company’s past. From lowly scooters and the lovable S800 to the company’s early racing bikes and F1 cars, the ad was a highlight reel of all of which the company has to be proud.
Things have changed quite a bit for Honda in five years. It’s walked away from its F1 efforts, abandoned the to the sands of time and brought the brunt of its focus to odd-looking people movers. You won’t find any of that in The Impossible Dream II, though. Instead, Honda has removed any reference to Formula One and clipped the old hot-air balloon at the end in favor of products like the new Honda Jet, CR-Z hybrid and the FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle. Even Asimo the robot makes a cameo and the ending features a hot tub powered by a Honda generator.
Watching the spot, which is about 30 seconds longer than the original and concludes with a new line from NPR superstar Garrison Keillor, we can’t help but hope Honda will find a way to return to its former place as an automotive innovator capable of producing excellent pieces of engineering with a focus on driver involvement. An impossible dream? We hope not. to see the new spot.
Over the course of Bob Lutz’ tenure at , one of his major goals was globalizing the production process. As Lutz tells it, the GTO was the first global vehicle born of his labors, with development work being done in both Australia and North America. But the GTO, and its follow-up, the /Holden Commodore, were niche products sold in limited numbers in limited markets. The real test of global product development comes when it’s applied to high-volume mainstream products.
That’s were the Epsilon II and Delta II architectures come into play. Epsilon is GM’s mid-large platform (D/E segment) while Delta is the compact (C segment) platform. We’ve already seen the Epsilon II here in America, underpinning the , but the proved to be a tougher nut to crack. One of the most difficult challenges in the global production strategy is the differing safety standards around the world, along with the guidelines imposed by non-governmental bodies like the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Creating a platform that can live up to all of these standards without being absurdly heavy is a problem. Find out how GM tackled the problem and found a solution .
Ford Transit Connect Taxi – Click above for high-res image gallery
The could soon start plying the streets of America’s cities in taxi garb following the decision by Boston to approve the compact van for the new application. Ford announced the taxi package for the Transit Connect at the Chicago Auto Show in February.
The Transit Connect is expected to start replacing traditional Crown Victoria sedans and will be a more practical alternative to the smaller Escape Hybrid. While the Escape is fuel efficient, it’s rather small for cab duty. The Transit Connect can more easily carry three passengers and plenty of luggage or other cargo. Ford has also moved the rear seat back three inches in the taxi version for extra leg room.
The Transit Connect taxi can also be ordered with a package that preps it for conversion to either propane or natural gas fuel systems. Check out .
BMW Motorsport Parts come to the U.S. – Click above for high-res image
It’s official, they’re finally here: Racers of the roundel can buy Motorsport parts at four locations in the U.S. The catalog selection includes the 2008 BMW Z4, 1995-2010 M3, and the 3 Series sedan from 2006 onward. You’ll need to get yourself to Illinois, Atlanta, New Hampshire, or Solon, Ohio to pick your parts by hand… but you want to win, don’t you? Follow the jump for the press release from BMW.
2011 Ford Fiesta – Click above for high-res image gallery
Funkmaster Flex has teamed up with to pimp both a new 2011 and his new show on MTV2. Viewers can tune in on May 2 to see Flex put his own personal taste into Ford’s new B-fighter, with touches like a new body kit, lowering springs, wheels and a reworked interior. We’ve even been promised a two-tone paint-scheme will be part of the recipe. At the end of the show, one viewer will have the chance to win the car featured in the debut episode of Funk Flex Full Throttle.
Supposedly the show isn’t anywhere close to Pimp My Ride, so there’s no worry of a 40-gallon fish tank cropping up in the back seat or a massage parlor popping out of the rear hatch. Instead, promises a greater focus on lifestyle, with interviews with popular artists and plenty of good music, too. He’ll also show off some of his more recent automotive projects from time to time. Dare we say it, but it almost sounds watchable.
Check your local listings for full details and for the press release.
Sarah Goodner was killed in Texas in 2007 when her 2005 Hyundai Tucson rolled over and she was thrown out the back window. The culprit for that odd circumstance – even though she had her seat belt fastened – was her seat, which was reclined so far back that she was able to slide out of it.
Stuart Goodner, Sarah’s father, sued Hyundai claiming that the Tucson was unsafe because the seat could be reclined too much. A jury agreed, kind of, awarding Goodner a $1.8 million judgment against Hyundai, but also deciding that Hyundai was only 45% responsible for Sarah’s death. Stuart said, “We want people to know how dangerous it is to drive with the seat reclined, [and] we’re calling the auto industry out to correct this design defect so that no other family has to bury one of their children.”
Forty-five degrees was determined to be the maximum amount of recline before driving became unsafe. And the issue isn’t new: The NTSB and NHTSA debated the issue in 1988 and couldn’t come to an agreement. Of course we can’t make light of this – a young woman has died. But we do wonder why it’s Hyundai’s responsibility to make sure you don’t drive your car in an unsafe manner. We suspect we haven’t heard the last of this…
Governor Granholm and X-Prize CEO Peter Diamandis in the Amp’d Sky – Click above for high-res image gallery
At the official kick-off event for the Progressive Insurance in Lansing, MI today, the same cars, most of the same people and the same “news” was delivered as we at the . Still, with the sun out and the shakedown stage of the event about to , there was a sense of excitement today that just wasn’t present in Cobo Hall four months ago. The main similarity is that Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm spoke at both events, and she’s energetic no matter what.
The (pictured), the , the and the were all on hand. was listed among the teams that would be on hand, but there was no to be found anywhere. Oh, and remember when there were something like ? Today there are but 28 teams left, entering a total of 36 vehicles in the mainstream (15 vehicles) and alternative (21) classes. You can see the breakdown of where these teams are from and what type of energy they are using after the jump.
The one tidbit that caught our ear today was that in the second-to-last stage of the event, the Knockout Qualifying Stage in June, the teams will only need to prove their vehicles can achieve 67 miles per gallon equivalent. During the Finals Stage a month later, they will need to reach 100 mpge, the headline target for the X-Prize. We asked why this low bar was set so close to the end of the competition, and the X-Prize’s Senior Director, Eric Cahill, said that it was a reasonable goal everyone agreed to and proves that all the competitors will at least be in the ballpark when it comes time for the final event. We don’t know how anyone who just manages to reach the June goal will be able to tweak their way to 30 more mpge in a few short weeks, but maybe that’s the kind of intense competition the X-Prize will deliver in the very near future.
Gallery:
Photos by Sebastian Blanco / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
If the does as well here in the U.S. as it has in the rest of the world, is going to have plenty to celebrate. Fiat just announced that it has sold a staggering 500,000 500s in just three years. To mark the occasion, the company is creating a special edition, complete with fan photos incorporated into the paint. Sadly, only UK residents can submit their pictures, though Fiat says it is reserving a total of 70 percent of the car’s surface for actual owners.
is rolling out a similar program to mark a special occasion of its own. The company has officially been in business for 100 years, and as such, it plans on plastering a Giulietta hatch with images from the brand’s history books. Expect to see shots from The Graduate to make the cut, as well as a handful of owner-submitted pictures and celebrity photos, too.
At this point, it’s not clear whether Fiat and Alfa are planning on working up some sort of photomosaic or simply slathering the cars with the photos and hoping for the best. Either way, the finished product should be something to behold. for the details.
If a report from is to be believed, the upcoming four-door version of the may be badged as the Vento in India. Vento is not a new name for VW – the used that badge in the European market throughout the mid-90s.
has reportedly increased the wheelbase of the three-box Polo by two inches to provide rear seat passengers a bit more space. The lengthened roof should also aid head room out back, although eliminating the hatch will surely cut down on cargo volume and accessibility.
The Indian Vento is powered by either a 1.6-liter inline-four or a 1.6-liter common rail turbodiesel. If and when this car makes it to America it will probably use the 105 horsepower turbocharged and direct injected 1.2 TSI four-pot available in Europe.
Although Volkswagen still hasn’t officially committed to selling the Polo in the U.S., VW of America officials have said that they would probably wait until a four door sedan is available with a probable launch in 2011. The Vento is expected to launch in India this summer.
Here’s a story you might expect more from Formula 1 than NASCAR: team owners say that you simply can’t be competitive in the sport if you don’t have a plane to shuttle your crew around. Rick Hendrick, for instance, has three 50-seat regional jets, Joe Gibbs has another three, and Jack Roush has two Boeing 727s. Meanwhile, Formula 1’s Jensen Button and Ross Brawn left the Malaysia after the grand prix on commercial flights.
The key is the schedule: NASCAR has races just about every weekend, making every available moment to work on the car an awfully precious one. Having a transportation fleet that can fly crews out the morning of the race, land and get them straight to the garage a few hours before the race, doing so without all those commercial glitches, can make the difference between podium and also-ran. Team owners say they actually save money using the planes, not having to book hotel rooms and pay for food. That means NASCAR has opened the door for us to use “it’s thrifty” and “we’ll need a private jet” in requests to our bosses from now on…
China controls key ingredient for NiMH batteries, supply
may run short as hybrids gain popularity on Autoblog Green" href="http://green.autoblog.com/2010/04/29/china-controls-key-ingredient-for-nimh-batteries-supply-may-run/">China controls key ingredient for NiMH batteries, supply may run short as hybrids gain popularity
They’re called lanthanides, and they’re kind of important.
Opel Ampera rolls off GM's assembly
line in Michigan on Autoblog Green" href="http://green.autoblog.com/2010/04/29/first-pre-production-opel-ampera-rolls-off-gms-assembly-line-in/">First pre-production Opel Ampera rolls off GM’s assembly line in Michigan
2011 BMW M5 testing at the Nurburgring – Click above to watch video
The has been caught on video doing its thing around the ‘Ring, and by “doing its thing” we really mean shredding the life out of the rear tires. Judging from the quick video, the massive sedan seems to have no problem hustling through the banked curves of every automaker’s favorite test track.
BMW has kept its lips sealed when it comes to what exactly is under the hood of the next-generation or when the lowly public will be able to get their greedy paws on the finished product. Rumor has it the German automaker has ditched the big, naturally-aspirated V10 we all know and love in favor of the same twin-turbocharged V8 found at the heart of X5 M and . If true, that means the car is packing somewhere around 578 horsepower in its arsenal.
As for when we’ll finally see this big beastie without its psychedelic camouflage, your guess is as good as ours. In the mean time, to see the uber sedan tackle the ‘Ring.
Alpinestars Tech Air Race prototype suit – Click above to watch the video
We traveled out to Alpinestars’ U.S. headquarters near Los Angeles, California today so that the giant manufacturer of automotive and motorcycle safety gear could show us its latest high-tech hardware. The most important aspect of the visit was a closely held trade secret, but it’s now out in the open: the Tech Air Race motorcycle suit.
Airbags in motorcycle suits aren’t necessarily anything new, but the big breakthrough here is that the system is small enough to be integrated directly into the Electronic Airbag Protection Suit and is controlled by a high-tech electronic brain. As Alpinestars says, a motorcycle crash isn’t all that difficult to describe in words, but in mathematical terms, things get much more difficult.
As such, there is a very complicated set of algorithms that are constantly monitoring the rider’s movements, and there are five levels of programing that ensures the airbag doesn’t deploy when it’s not necessary. First and foremost, though, the system does not arm unless it senses the rider is moving and the engine is running. Interestingly, it’s been tested on machines powered by both internal combustion engines and electric motors.
It takes a total of about eight milliseconds for the electronic brain to determine whether a crash is imminent. Once the seven sensors placed all over the suit trigger the airbag system, it takes just 50 milliseconds to fully inflate and stays fully inflated for about five seconds. After 25 seconds or so, the bag completely deflates. After the event, a GPS system is used to help determine exactly where the accident took place.
Alpinestars’ airbag system includes two separate cylinders that set off a cold charge of nitrogen. It takes roughly one minute for the system to rearm itself after the initial firing. Currently, Ben Spies, Mika Kallio and Dani Pedrosa are running the data logging suits at MotoGP races.
So, what does the future hold for the Tech Air technology? Alpinestars promises that there will be applications for racing, street and even off-road riding. Currently, the initial consumer-ready suits are targeted for June of 2011, and other applications will follow in the coming years.
Time will tell how effective such active safety technologies prove, but Alpinestars’ data certainly looks compelling. At present, the technology is expected to add roughly $2,500 to the cost of a standard suit. A hefty tag for sure, but it’s tough to put a price on safety.
to watch a video of the airbag being deployed on a rider.
