We get our hands on an M Coupe prototype to see if BMW’s hottest 1 Series can live up to the hype.
Italy produces machines that look good standing still or screaming towards the horizon, so it’s no surprise that Motor Trend decided to pit two of the country’s finest machines against each other.
Porsche finally confirms what’s been rumored for years: an all-new, entry-level SUV is one the way.
Pininfarina Lancia Stratos – Click above for high-res image gallery
It’s a shame the Pininfarina Stratos probably won’t see widespread production. The car is hewn straight from the naughtiest of our automotive dreams, and with some of its aluminum bones borrowed from the Ferrari 430 Scuderia it promises to be as fun to fling as anything with four wheels. The crew at EVO was lucky enough to weasel their way behind the wheel of the lovely one-off, becoming the first journalists to do so in the process. That sound? It’s the noise our boundless jealousy makes when agitated.
EVO was able to take the car out for a couple of hot laps around Circuit Paul Ricard, and the verdict is that, as you might expect, the car is plenty nimble and just as quick. There is some indication that the vehicle’s short wheelbase would likely make for some hair-raising antics at higher speeds, though. EVO even goes so far as to say that the vehicle has a completely different personality compared to its Prancing Horse donor. Even better, there may be a very small production run in the vehicle’s future.
, fresh out of bankruptcy and back on the open market, has announced it will resume sponsorship of the PGA Tour. The automaker’s last sponsorship in the golfing world, which famously paired star golfer Tiger Woods and , amidst major cutbacks just prior to filing for Chapter 11.
This time around, GM will tap its range-topping division for hole-in-one sponsorship duties. The arrangement will make Caddy the title sponsor of the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship and an umbrella sponsor of the World Golf Championships. Sounds pretty, ahem, par for the course. For 2011, the tournament will be played at TPC Blue Monster, Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Doral, Florida.
In addition, PGA Tour commissioner Rim Finchem, the organizers are also “[looking] forward to exploring opportunities with Cadillac to bring PGA TOUR tournament golf back to Detroit.” We expect some sort of announcement of that taking place sometime before 2012. Feel free to for the official press release. Oh, and the Caddy/caddy puns start… now.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is looking into issues with models and . According to The Detroit News, both vehicles have garnered a fairly small number of complaints – just three each – for separate problems. In the case of the CR-V models, owners have experienced electrical failures that led to fires in the driver’s side door. Owners claim that the master window switch overheated, causing the damage. NHTSA is looking into around 150,000 of the models.
Meanwhile, the agency is investigating 41,000 Kia Optimas for faulty transmission shift cables. Owners have reported problems with the cables becoming detached from the transmission, effectively locking the vehicle into or out of gear. In one case, a vehicle rolled away after being shut off. The Detroit News reports that has issued a service bulletin concerning improperly-installed shift cables that may detach over time.
According to reports, a ring of 18 workers at ’s plant in Munich have been stealing from the German automaker for years. It seems the individuals would stop the lines for fake quality control checks and make off with the goods to be sold on the open market. The most lucrative business reportedly centered around reselling seats through internet auctions.
BMW’s own internal investigators discovered the thievery – but not until €3 million in goods ($4 million) was stolen – and reported the matter to local authorities. At least three ex-employees are currently in custody. Thanks for the tip, Gregg!
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You might honestly think that the speed limit in Manhattan is “whatever you can crank it up to between red lights.” That’s wrong, and the New York City Department of Transportation wants you to know that it’s 30 mph.
More than that, however, the NYC DOT wants you to know why it’s 30 mph, and has to deliver the message that a pedestrian hit at that speed has an 80 percent chance of survival, versus the 70 percent chance of dying a human clobbered at 40 mph faces. The commercials start with an unlikely character expounding on a subject you wouldn’t expect before the speed limit question is posed by the omniscient voiceover. Check out the humorous PSA spots for yourself .
and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration have announced that the Swedish automaker will recall some 6,046 vehicles from the 2011 model year due to a possible flaw in the engine control module. According to NHTSA, a fuel shut-off parameter in the software is too sensitive, and under certain conditions, the engine may stall. Volvo is concerned that the problem may lead to an accident. A total of four models are covered in the recall, including the 2011 and sedans along with the and softroaders.
Volvo is scheduled to begin the recall on or before December 10, and owners will have their vehicle’s software updated free of charge to fix the problem. Concerned drivers may contact Volvo directly at 1.800.458.1552 or at.
has made no secret about its plan to become the world’s largest luxury automaker by volume by 2015, but the Four-Ringed automaker can’t take on and without new product. Over the past few years, Audi has been doing exactly that, launching new and revised models at a breakneck pace. The and were introduced in 2008, followed by the new , and the soon-to-arrive . Meanwhile, the midsize has soldered on mostly with little more than a refresh, though it has aged gracefully, beating far newer rivals from its main German rivals in a handful of key comparison tests.
That relative stagnancy changes for the 2012 model year with a completely new A6. We’re sketchy on details to this point, but the newest Audi sedan is just beginning its striptease. Beyond the jump is a very curious sneak peak of the A6, with very blurry images that leave a lot to the imagination. All we can discern from the 23 seconds of smeared video are some interesting-looking blue LED lights and the fact that the unveiling will continue on December 1. to watch the video for yourself. You won’t see anything truly revealing, but if you’re a fan of the A6, that probably won’t stop you from taking a peek.
Researchers at the Naval Postgraduate School and the University of California, Santa Cruz may have found a new use for most drivers’ worst nightmare. William Fox and John Vesecky have discovered that with a little tweaking, a run-of-the-mill radar gun can become an instrument for detecting suicide bombers. The duo found that at a specific frequency, the gun can pick up on patterns of looped wire typically used in bomber suicide vests. Testing is in the beginning stages right now, but thus far, the gun has been able to accurately pick out volunteers dressed in replica suicide vests 85 percent of the time at a distance of around 33 feet.
There are some hang-ups, though. Most noticeably, the gun yields a high rate of false alarms, with things like underwire bras and jewelry yielding the similar radar cross sections as a suicide vest. Both Fox and Vesecky are hoping that the U.S. Military will invest in their research, allowing them to fine-tune the device moving forward.
General Motors takes one on the chin but gets back up, thanks to us – Click above to watch video
is trying hard to move forward after everything that has happened in the last few years. The auto giant would not be here without the help of the government and the hard-working taxpayer. In a brand-new 60-second holiday ad spot, The General shows us that people and things can fall down or fail, but they get back back up… even if they need help doing so.
A boxer gets knocked down, a rocket falls back to its launch platform, Popeye almost drowns and Evel Knievel lands on his back instead of his bike. Each situation looks rocky but turns out okay in the end. GM shows these clips and then acknowledges its own fall while also thanking us (i.e. taxpayers) for picking it back up.
The clip is heavy on the schmaltzy side, but it’s nice to think General Motors realizes who kept it in business. While we’d , a simple “thank you” message will have to do for now. You can see the ad for yourself by and giving it a look.
Volvo should no longer be lumped into the premium category, according to the wishes of CEO Stefan Jacoby. It’s not that the cars aren’t good, but according to Autocar, Jacoby thinks it sends the wrong message. “It sounds like a pricing strategy, and it’s got an expensive ring to it,” he tells the UK pub. Having recently come to Volvo from a tenure as CEO of Volkswagen’s American operation, Jacoby has no illusions about where his new brand sits. This latest statement dovetails with an earlier assertion of his that , directly contradicting Li Shufu, chairman of new owner Geely.
Rather than put on airs, Jacoby wants Volvo to emphasize its unique Swedishness to stand apart from the herd. Going after the territory well-covered by the German juggernauts hasn’t set Volvo’s sales off in search of the 800,000 units per year Jacoby wants to be shifting come 2020, which lends a certain credence to the new strategy.
2010 Chevrolet Spark – Click above for high-res image gallery
is considering the introduction of continuously variable transmissions in its next round of small cars in an effort to improve fuel efficiency. According to a report from Automotive News, the is being considered for CVT application, as well as Bowtie’s smaller and compacts.
In speaking with AN, Sohn Dongyoun, GM’s vice president of engineering at , says that CVTs offer an easy, quick fix in order to help improve fuel mileage. Dongyoun says that GM will need to improve the fuel economy on its small cars by at least 10 percent in their respective next generations.
This will not be GM’s first application of CVTs. In the early 2000s, the automaker used CVTs in the coupe and crossover, as well as the hatchback overseas. This CVT was not well received, however, and was discontinued at the end of the 2005 model year. Currently, no word has been given as to whether or this GM’s new CVT would be developed in-house, or when we might see the first applications being offered.
has officially confirmed what’s been rumored for at least three years – the German automaker will build a small SUV to slot in below its highly successful . With the working name “Cajun,” Porsche wants the mini ‘ute to provide younger customers another point of entry into the brand.
Designer Walter da Silva has apparently taken the lead on the project, which is expected to be loosely based on the , and the press release (available after the jump) claims that the Cajun will have “typical Porsche features such as light weight, ease of handling and agility.” Here’s hoping… [Source: Porsche]
Audi TT GT4 Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
Heads up, weekend racers: has officially pulled back the sheets on its GT4 Concept. Designed to be the next logical step in the company’s customer sports program, the racer will supposedly bring a relatively low price tag to the table when it arrives as a production model in 2012, but for the moment, it’s been confined to some demo laps at Shanghai’s DTM over the weekend with racer Frank Biela behind the wheel.
The racer comes complete with a 340-horsepower TFSI engine back by the company’s S-Tronic DSG gearbox and a limited-slip differential. Buyers will also find a set of adjustable dampers on hand for improved tuning, as well as carbon fiber reinforced plastic skins on the doors, hood and trunk lid.
How much will you be asked to pay for the privilege of owning such a piece of machinery? Chances of this vehicle making it to the States seem pretty slim, but Audi says that European buyers can look to fork over around €120,000 (around $157k USD). That’s probably a small bargain in the world of privateer ready-to-race cars, but it also goes some way toward reinforcing that people have a slightly different definitions of “affordable.” Check out the official press release after the jump and our high-res gallery below.
Buick GL8 – Click above for high-res image gallery
has released an all-new version of its popular GL8 in China. Developed by Shanghai , the executive people-mover wears a freshly redesigned exterior with sculpted body lines and a new front fascia. Inside, GM has thrown the luxury book at the van with tricks like blue ambient lighting, a 10-speaker sound system and two-tone leather seats. An attractive seven-inch touch dominates the dash, though it looks like Buick has managed to hold on to the excessive amount of buttons on the center stack that have become the brand’s trademark as of late. Rear passengers, meanwhile, get the benefit of a 10.2-inch HD display for movies and the like.
Under the hood, GM has fitted a 3.0-liter V6 as the GX8 flagship mill, though a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine is also available for the fuel-conscious buyers of the People’s Republic. A six-speed automatic gearbox takes care of cog-swapping duties. for the full press release after checking out the gallery below.
Ferrari 458 Italia vs Ducati 1198S – Click above to watch video
Italy produces machines that look good rolling slow or screaming towards the ever evasive horizon, so it’s no surprise that Motor Trend decided to pit two of the boot country’s finest against each other: the Ferrari 458 Italia and the Ducati 1198S. Both are exotic machines with a laser-focus purpose crafted into each example built: Be. Fast.
The buff book boys were kind enough to have their cameras rolling as the 458 and 1198S faced off in two competitions. First up is a head-to-head race followed by a lap around the Streets of Willow. The result? While the is an amazing machine, the Duc’s power-to-weight simply laughs in the face of the V8-powered Prancing Horse. See for yourself by watching the video , then check out the accompanying article in the link below. Grazie per la punta, Steve!
2012 BMW 1-Series M Coupe Prototype – Click above for high-res image gallery
There’s a well-worn automotive axiom that plays out many different ways: The amount of money you spend is proportional to how fast you go. You want more speed? You spend more money.
If you’ve priced a these days, you see the principle at work. Back in the old days (1987), a U.S.-spec M3 boasted a 195-horsepower four-cylinder engine and did 0-60 miles per hour in about 6.7 seconds on its leisurely way to a 143-mph top speed – all for just over $30,000. Today, the least expensive 414-horsepower V8 M3 will set you back $58,400… as it should. In every conceivable performance metric, the new M3 trounces the old, with its 4.6-second 0-60 mph run, supercar mid-range and electronically-limited 155-mph top end.
This reality left enthusiasts wishing would offer something a little less speedy for a commensurate drop in MSRP. Seeing the opportunity with its 2012 , BMW will soon show us how much speed around $45,000 will buy at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show. But to tide you over until then, come with us for a ride in a BMW 1 Series M Coupe prototype.
The game of game of CEO musical chairs at is still underway. Wolfgang Dürheimer, 52, formerly executive vice president of , is now the chairman and CEO of . Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen, the company’s current CEO, will retire in February after eight years of leading the ultra-lux brand. Though he’s hit the traditional German retirement age of 65, the well-regarded exec is slated to stay on the payroll as a consultant for VW and an adviser for Bentley.
Dürheimer, meanwhile, has a long history in the automotive and motorcycle worlds. He joined up with in 1986 and held lead roles in product development for the Roundel’s two-wheeled operation as well as research and development for the company’s passenger car division before moving to Porsche in 1999. While there, he helmed the line before heading up research and development for the sportscar maker.
2011 Nissan Leaf – Click above for high-res image gallery
At the start of November, the 41 contenders for the 2011 award . Today, for the first time ever, Europe’s most coveted automotive award went to vehicle that that relies upon electrical juice flowing from its lithium-ion battery pack as its sole source of motivation. That battery-powered vehicle, the , marks the automaker’s first win since the took home the award way back in 1993. Head juror Hakan Matson proclaims that the Leaf is “a breakthrough for electric cars” and that it “is the first electric vehicle that can match conventional cars in many respects.” chief executive officer Carlos Ghosn accepted the honor and responded with:
This award recognises the pioneering zero-emission Nissan Leaf as competitive to conventional cars in terms of safety, performance, spaciousness and handling. It also reflects Nissan’s standing as an innovative and exciting brand with a clear vision of the future of transportation, which we call sustainable mobility.
The Leaf faced strong competition from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, Citroën C3/DS3, Dacia Duster, C-Max, Opel/Vauxhall Meriva and /V60. Early predictions by some of the motoring press suggested that the pair of models from Citroën or perhaps even the lone Alfa Romeo vehicle would capture the award, but that’s not how the jury of 57 automotive journalists ended up seeing it, and the electric Nissan Leaf grabbed the top spot. Last year, the snatched the Car of the Year title away from second-place finisher, the . In 2009, the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia just beat out the for the honor.
The Leaf also recently won from the UK’s TheGreenCarWebsite and was named . Hat tip to Matt!
