Back in 2008, soaring gas prices sent car buyers in search of efficient four-cylinder vehicles and, as the numbers show, sales of V6 and V8 engines dropped from 63.9 percent to 57.1 percent when gas prices spiked. Though elevated fuel costs may have triggered the increased demand for four-cylinder power a few years ago, the numbers show that the four-banger’s rise to dominance continues.
According to data posted by , the V8 engine powered a mere 20.8 percent of the total North American light-vehicle output in 2010, down from the 22.8 percent in 2009. In contrast, the four-cylinder engine powered 64.5 percent of all cars built in 2010, an increase from the 61.9 percent in 2009. Ward’s chalks up the rising popularity of the once-lowly four-banger to technical improvements, such as direct injection, turbocharging and variable valve timing systems, that have transformed some four-cylinder engines into potent mills that consume significantly less fuel than many V6 and V8 engines.
Back in 2008, soaring gas prices sent car buyers in search of efficient four-cylinder vehicles and, as the numbers show, sales of V6 and V8 engines dropped from 63.9 percent to 57.1 percent when gas prices spiked. Though elevated fuel costs may have triggered the increased demand for four-cylinder power a few years ago, the numbers show that the four-banger’s rise to dominance continues.
According to data posted by , the V8 engine powered a mere 20.8 percent of the total North American light-vehicle output in 2010, down from the 22.8 percent in 2009. In contrast, the four-cylinder engine powered 64.5 percent of all cars built in 2010, an increase from the 61.9 percent in 2009. Ward’s chalks up the rising popularity of the once-lowly four-banger to technical improvements, such as direct injection, turbocharging and variable valve timing systems, that have transformed some four-cylinder engines into potent mills that consume significantly less fuel than many V6 and V8 engines.
Honda Civic Si Coupe Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
gave us a preview of its 2012 at this year’s , and while the car we saw on stage was technically a “concept,” we expect the production car to look very similar, albeit with more conventional wheels, headlamps, and, you know, an interior. Instead of just showing one Civic, Honda brought out both a sedan and coupe concept, and now our friends at Temple of VTEC have reportedly confirmed that a new 2.4-liter mill is on deck for the sportiest of Civics.
Known internally as “K24,” the 2.4-liter engine slated for Civic Si use will be very similar to the powerplant currently used in the . No official power numbers have been divulged, but this engine currently makes 201 horsepower in the TSX, so we’ll bet that Civic Si output will be somewhere between 200 and 210 hp. That isn’t a huge increase over the 197 hp currently available from the Si’s 2.0-liter four, but the 2.4-liter engine should prove to be a bit torquier. Look for something along the lines of 170 pound-feet in the 2012 model, whereas the current car only produces 139 lb-ft of twist.
Official data will be revealed closer to the Civic family’s launch later this year. And while these new Si numbers aren’t leaps and bounds better than what’s currently available, the easily flickable driving dynamics and rev-happy power should still make it an engaging steer.
Moto Guzzi California prototype – Click above for high-res image gallery
, the other, other Italian motorcycle manufacturer, used its latest dealer meeting in Monte Carlo to pull the wraps off its two latest prototypes: a brand new version of the long-running California and the V7 Scrambler.
Each of these models would appear to be a direct assault at a specific machine from ; obviously the V7 Scrambler would go toe-to-toe with the Triumph of the same name, while the California would be a logical competitor to the British brand’s reborn .
Unlike most modern Guzzis, this California sees the displacement of its air-cooled transverse V-twin bumped up to 1400cc, which is about the minimum displacement these days to be considered a ‘big’ bike. Styling is spot-on, especially the fuel tank, which wraps around the dual chrome cylinders.
As befitting a Scrambler-style motorcycle, this V7 prototype looks capable of straying at least a little ways off the beaten path courtesy of its spoked wheels and raised side-by-side mufflers. The style side of the equation has been nailed, and the 750cc air-cooled small block V-twin is nothing if not a willing partner, as we found out when we .
Check out both machines in our high-res image gallery below, then check out the press release . Oh, and don’t forget to let Moto Guzzi know if you want them to bring these bikes to the States in our Comments section.
Top Gear crew discusses Mexico’s Mastretta MXT – Click above to watch video
Another month, another nationality insulted by the Top Gear presenters. James May, Richard Hammond and Jeremy Clarkson have hopped into hot water with the Mexican government over comments that the trio made on a recent show. While discussing Mexico’s Mastretta MXT sports car, Hammond said:
“Mexican cars are just going to be lazy, feckless, flatulent, overweight, leaning against a fence asleep looking at a cactus with a blanket with a hole in the middle on as a coat.”
To make matters worse, Clarkson joked that the BBC wouldn’t receive any complaints from the Mexican ambassador because he would likely be asleep. He was not.
The ambassador reportedly sent a letter to the BBC saying that the presenters had used vulgar and bigoted language to describe the people of his country and that the remarks were both xenophobic and humiliating. So far, the BBC hasn’t commented on the situation. You can watch the video of the discussion for yourself by . Thanks for the tips, everyone!
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into sedans and wagons built between 2001 and 2007. According to NHTSA, a total of 35 complaints have been filed regarding ignition coils that have malfunctioned, 14 of which resulted in an underhood fire.
If this sounds familiar, that’s because this is the opened by NHTSA. The first centered around models built only in 2002 and 2003; this second investigation has been opened and expanded to include all model-year 2001-2007 Passats due to additional customer complaints.
Details on the investigation from NHTSA can be found in the report .
[Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration]
Toyota Prius – Click above for high-res image gallery
With the first year of this decade only a month behind us, is, according to a report from Bloomberg, ready to make sales predictions for the year 2020. The automaker is apparently confident that the will continue to hold its spot as Japan’s best-selling model. However, Fumikazu Kitagawa of Nomura Research Institute seems to think that the Prius’ exceptional sales volume may drive Toyota to drop its price.
Kitagawa claims Japanese car buyers consider the mainstream Prius as a “friendly” model and not a “leading edge” vehicle. This “friendly” image pits the Prius in direct competition with vehicles such as the bargain-priced, subcompact . Kitagawa, who polled 1,972 Japanese car owners, explains the situation like this, “As the Prius becomes more of a mass-market car, it may be time to think about lowering the price.”
Volume sellers like the gas-electric Prius are not often sought by tech-savvy Japanese buyers. Now that it’s a mainstream model, Kitigawa argues, the Prius’ cutting-edge appeal, which commanded a premium price, has faded away.
Ducati Desmo Photography Collection by Elizabeth Raab – Click above for high-res image gallery
Designers have been coaxing organic shapes out of cold metal and composites for generations, and while few are so bold as to recreate the bombshell lines that we saw on display in the early ’50s, the tradition doesn’t show signs of slowing up any time soon.
Nowhere is that more true than the realm of motorcycles. Unburdened by cumbersome safety regulations, motorcycle artists are able to bend tanks and frames to whatever shape they so desire. More often than not, those lines are lifted straight from the human body.
Ducati has just partnered with fine-art photographer Elizabeth Raab to explore that relationship a little further. Raab set about combining some of the manufacturer’s more lust-worthy creations with the arching forms of beautiful models. The parallels between the two are absolutely stunning, especially as viewed through Raab’s lens work.
Ducati is offering limited-edition, individually numbered prints for sale in a variety of sizes, so if you like what you see as much as we do, head on over to the and get while the getting’s good. Just be warned, not all of the shots are exactly safe for work.
Vaughn Gittin Jr. in the Ford F150 SVT Raptor – Click above for high-res image gallery
By now, news that the can get you over the river and through the woods to grandma’s house is older than the dirt splattered down the pickup’s side. Still, that doesn’t mean that we’re above taking a second to watch Vaughn Gittin Jr. put the FoMoCo beast through its paces. As you may recall, Gittin Jr. is the talented hellion who took the 2010 Formula Drift title, so the man knows a thing or two about stretching a vehicle to its limits and beyond.
Gittin Jr. teamed up with the crew from Wrecked Magazine to bash through the sand outside of Las Vegas when someone threw open the gates to the local CORR track. That’s when things got really interesting. The drift guru set to vaulting the pickup to ever loftier heights. At one point, re-entry causes the Raptor’s frame to flex enough to cause the tail gate to pop open on contact with terra firma – impressive given what this bruiser was engineered to withstand. to see the video for yourself.
Who can argue with a January sales performance like that? Even posted a sales gain! And ! Way to go, guys. You’d have to feel pretty bad about yourself right now if you’re one of the five brands that failed to post positive sales numbers last month (really four brands, since is a dead brand selling).
We’ll let the numbers do most of the talking this month, though we will point out the stellar performance of and its brands. GM, up 23 percent in January, used more incentives during the month than its competition, which helped gives brands like , up an astonishing 49%, healthy bumps.
Check out the table below to see how the rest of the industry performed and draw your own conclusions in the comments.
*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 24 selling days in January 2011 versus 24 selling days in January 2010, so the change in monthly sales volume will be the same as the change in average daily sales rate (DSR) for each brand/company. Also, brands are combined and reported as companies only if their sales figures are released jointly.
When President Obama tapped General Electric chairman and CEO Jeffrey Immelt to be his top outside economic adviser, my first reaction was: Really?
Maybe I’m partial to the auto industry, the industry I follow the closest, but my next reaction was: Was CEO Alan Mulally’s line busy? His email down?
Immelt took over for legendary CEO Jack Welch in 2001. And I’ve never been aware of a huge fan club for Immelt as a great CEO. According to published reports, though, he is very socially and politically connected, and has visited the White House some 16 times since Obama took office.
2003 Infiniti QX4 – Click above for high-res image gallery
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation into certain late model and SUVs over corrosion of the driver’s side front strut tower. Affected Queue-By-Fours are from the 1997 to 2003 model years, while the Pathfinders are from 1996 to 2004.
According to NHTSA’s summary, the government organization has received 35 reports of corrosion instances, with 18 citing that this problem caused the vehicle’s steering to suffer. What’s more, five of these reports stated that the steering “shaft” or “column” broke, resulting in a complete loss of steering.
This investigation was opened on January 28, and pending NHTSA’s findings, an official recall should be announced in the near future. For the full summary, for NHTSA’s release.
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Chris, Zach and Dan are joined by Car and Driver’s Mike Austin for Episode #215 of the Autoblog Podcast. We talk about the Nissan Leaf being named the European Car of the Year, the 2012 Ford Focus and Chrysler’s ‘S’ Branding. It’s an hour and thirty two minutes of sidebars, topics and your Q&A finishes it off. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #215: With Mike Austin from Car and Driver
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2011 Red Bull RB7 – Click above for high-res image gallery
If you had told us 20 years ago that a beverage brand would be dominating Formula One, we’d wonder what negative side effects said energy drink might be having on your grasp of reality. But after title-sponsoring the Sauber team as early as 1995, Red Bull surprised everyone by buying not one, but two F1 teams: Racing (née Stewart Grand Prix) and Minardi. But five and six years, respectively, since the Austrian company took over the two struggling teams, Red Bull can now lay claim to both titles in the Formula One World Championship.
The premier Red Bull Racing team will have a real job on its hands to fend off the likes of , and McLaren (to say nothing of the other dozen challengers, including its own B-squad) in defending its titles this season, and this is the car with which they hope to do it.
Designed by Adrian Newey, the RB7 is, as you might have guessed, the seventh Red Bull grand prix car. It carries the same Renault engine as last year (also used by both teams), with its own proprietary gearbox mated to the KERS regenerative braking system. And of course, as defending champions, the car has the honor of wearing numbers 1 and 2 for returning pilots Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, respectively. Last season, the duo claimed pole 15 out of 19 races and went on to win nine grands prix to take the championship.
Along with it, Red Bull’s sister team Scuderia Toro Rosso also unveiled its new STR6 at Valencia – where Vettel incidentally took the top slot on the time sheets for the first practice session of the season. The second car developed in-house at STR headquarters in Faenza will be driven once again by Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari under Ferrari power, and bears the same high nose design employed by most of the new designs this season. With the new car, Toro Rosso hopes to improve on the 9th place constructors’ finish from last season that placed them just ahead of the newcomers as the worst-performing returning team on the grid. In the process, STR will undoubtedly be aiming to catch up with the sixth place they seized in 2008 after Vettel captured the team’s only victory – and only podium, for that matter.
Scope out the two new taurine-fueled racers in the pair of high-resolution image galleries below and the press releases after the jump, and watch this space for more as rival teams incrementally unveil their new challengers as well.
2011Subaru Forester S-Edition – Click above for high-res image gallery
Before your heart goes all aflutter at the thought of a factory XTI, cool your jets a bit. It’s true that Australia has just pulled the sheets off of a more powerful Forester complete with nearly 260 horsepower and 256 pound-feet of torque, and yes, the high-rider packs a new five-speed automatic to replace the archaic four-speed slusher found on most Forester models. Drivers can even control shifts via a pair of paddles should the mood strike them. But this isn’t some slammed hardcore grocery getter. Instead, the Forester S-Edition, as it’s called, wears a slightly revised suspension cooked up from the minds at STI along with a few subtle aero tweaks outside.
Jump indoors and those from down under will enjoy a cabin trimmed in Alcantara bits, navigation and a rear view camera, all for a just a bit more than what you’d typically pay for a Forester XT in those parts.
Will we be getting anything similar? It certainly wouldn’t hurt our feelings, but we’d be surprised if Subaru suddenly decided to lay another model on top of its range-capping XT here in the land of the free. We’ve got our digits crossed for that five-speed transmission, though. for the press release.
The minds behind the 2011 have managed to slim down the contenders in all three of the accolade’s main categories – World Green Car, World Performance Car and World Car of the Year. A total of six contenders are fighting out in the green car category, including eco warriors like the , , and . Those entries are also joined by the and the B-Class F-Cell.
Meanwhile, the performance car lot is littered with 10 potential winners ranging from the Aston Martin Rapide to the Megane III. Both and Mercedes-Benz managed to snag two spots each on the list, and the sedan is the only American-made product to make the cut.
And what about the coveted World Car of the Year? Judges have managed to thin that herd to just 10 picks ranging from the Audi A1 to the . and BMW were the only two automakers to take home two nominations each.
We can expect a final decision in each of the three categories when the winners are announced at this year’s on April 21st. If you can’t wait that long for your award news, the top three finalists in each category will be announced at the in March. for the press releases.
The backwards car that started it all: Nissan’s GT-R – Click above for high-res image gallery
Not everything is always as it seems. This truth is once again proven true by the fine chaps at the , who took it upon themselves to borrow the idea of and expand upon a recent at Autoblog’s own .
And so we bring you this photo gallery of the backwards car. Mind? Blown.
The premise is simple. Fire up Photoshop, chop off the roof of a car, flip it and put it back on top. The result? Endless fun. If you’re not a Fan of Autoblog’s Facebook page, see what you’ve been missing?
Click here to rectify that sad situation, then click through our image gallery below. Feel free to add your own to Facebook, and we’ll add it to the gallery.
Chevrolet Super Bowl ad – Click above to watch the video
is planning an all-out advertising assault on this year’s Super Bowl with a total of five ads spread throughout the game. The spots will focus on the , , and, of course, the . Each of the 30-second spots have a completely different feel, and at least a few of them will show up after Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers are done beating themselves to oblivion during the post-game coverage. GM is staying fairly tight-lipped about the plots surrounding the majority of the ads, but the company has been kind enough to let slip the Camaro spot ahead of time.
The clip features Bumblebee of Transformers fame going toe to toe with a car lot mascot. Spoiler alert: don’t put your money on the chipmunk.
The ad features one impressive donut with plenty of tire smoke and some fairly seamless CG for good measure. to take a look at the video for yourself and read the full press blast.
Who can argue with a January sales performance like that? Even posted a sales gain! And ! Way to go, guys. You’d have to feel pretty bad about yourself right now if you’re one of the five brands that failed to post positive sales numbers last month (really four brands, since is a dead brand selling).
