2011Porsche Cayenne Turbo – Click above for high-res image gallery
plans on doubling its sales totals to 200,000 units by 2018, and utility vehicles will be a big part of that volume push. In fact, the is already the best-selling Porsche, and that likely won’t change any time soon.
Automotive News reports that Porsche plans to increase Cayenne production by 10 percent this year and 20 percent in 2012 to help satiate demand. The recently revamped utility vehicle is in demand around the world, and in China buyers have to wait 12 months for the chance to own a Cayenne. Porsche reportedly wants to cut that wait time in half for next year.
The sales success of the Cayenne is helping the entire Porsche lineup, as the German automaker has seen its first half orders increase by 26 percent to 65,660 units. Porsche also expects big things from the , with an expected 28,000 units leaving dealer lots in 2011.
Ladies and gentlemen, we’re going to flip the switch tomorrow around noon and Autoblog Beta will become the real Autoblog. If you haven’t checked out the beta and given us your feedback yet, there’s still time if you . And don’t think you’re off the hook once the new site launches; we still want to hear your feedback and know about any bug sightings or suggestions.
I’ll save the flowery thoughts and thank you remarks for tomorrow, but we sincerely hope that you enjoy what we’ve done and appreciated the process by which it was achieved. Feedback through the Beta site from readers like you helped shaped the final product and kept us on the right path of evolution. I’ve been involved with every redesign of Autoblog since the very beginning, and feel that v5.0 is far and away the best in both design and execution.
So enjoy your last day with the old girl in her current form. Come tomorrow, she’ll be a whole new woman.
Porsche 928S – Click above for high-res image gallery
Take a look at Porsche’s lineup and you’ll notice one great big gaping hole. There are sportscars of every flavor – hardtops and convertibles ranging from the to the and nearly every conceivable iteration of the iconic the inventive minds in Stuttgart can think up – along with two differently sized crossovers and one high-performance sedan.
So, what’s the problem? There isn’t a single grand touring coupe in the mix.
As such, it’s not surprising that rumors of a 928 revival have been spreading like wildfire across the dry plains of the internet over . The logical reasoning sees Porsche shortening its platform and ejecting the rear seat to make such a grand touring coupe, which would leave the manufacturer with a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive machine in the tradition of its old 928.
According to the Brits at Autocar, such a beast could be christened, rather imaginatively, 929 and be ready for the market as early as 2014, coinciding with the launch of the second-generation Panamera. For those not keeping track, it’s widely thought that same platform could to join the , and if that’s the case, between and Porsche, which both operate under the massive umbrella of influence.
Just as interestingly, rumor has it that, in addition to compacting it for a coupe, Porsche has ideas of lengthening the Panamera platform and is also considering a shooting brake.
Sync Services – lesser-known on-demand, voice-activated news and information service – has begun running a very OnStar-like beta. The new system allows registered Sync customers to connect with a live operator to fulfill business searches and address entry, but don’t think of it as a replacement for the standard cadre of voice-activated features.
Ford has found that 70 percent of all Sync Services calls are for business searches and address input, and in the latter’s case, the system is best used if Sync’s voice-translation function doesn’t input the proper address. All owners have to do to use the service is ask for “Operator” and the Live Operator Assistance feature connects them with a living, breathing human being. Addresses can be sent to the car for turn-by-turnnavigation, along with POI searches, and for the time being, it’s free for all Sync Services customers. for the full details.
NYC Chevy Volt Police Car – Click above for high-res image gallery
As much as the average driver doesn’t really have to worry about “range anxiety” during a normal driving day, we will grant you that an electric police car that could run out of juice during a car chase is a bad idea. That last scene in Blues Brothers wouldn’t have been all that impressive and crash-y had all those cop cars shifted into limp mode at some point. On the other hand, pure EVs can work wonders in reducing a city fleet’s fuel use, and so can most certainly find a home in urban areas. Yesterday, NYC’s Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, announced a best-of-both-worlds addition to his city’s fleet:
50 hatchbacks (some to be used as police vehicles)
10 all-electric cargo vans
10 all-electric Navi-star “E-star” utility trucks
Part of , the plug-in vehicles will join 360 other EVs in the city’s fleet as a component of an effort to reduce emissions and to have the Big Apple “lead by example,” Bloomberg said. Nine different city departments – including FDNY, NYPD and the Department of Environmental Protection (see the whole list ) – will use the vehicles, all in “non-emergency duties” for now. NYC’s plug-in vehicle fleet now stands at 430 vehicles and is being called the “largest municipal electric vehicle fleet in the country.” Hey, Chicago or Seattle or LA or whoever… step up, would ya?
Quality studies can be funny things in the auto business. It’s not unusual to have one completely contradict another, which can result in an automaker that was panned as a loser in one study claiming to be a leader based on another. That’s exactly what and get to do thanks to Strategic Vision’s 2011 Total Quality Index.
Back in June, , which ranks vehicles and their brands based on how many problems are reported per 100 vehicles. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Volkswagen ranked near the bottom as per usual, but Ford was also smacked down from 5th to 23rd place thanks to owner complaints about the automaker’s complex SYNC/MyFordTouch technologies and Powershift dual-clutch gearbox issues.
Well J.D. Power, Strategic Vision thinks your definition of “quality” is terrible, and they believe that their Total Quality Index, which they say measures not just individual problems, but also the “total positive experience created for the owner/driver,” is the way to go.
On those grounds, Volkswagen was rated the best full-line automaker in Strategic Vision’s 2011 Total Quality study, which surveys 37,069 buyers who bought 2011 models late last year. Owners rated Design and Exterior Styling as the most impressive things about their VWs.
Ford, meanwhile, which suffered so harshly at the hands of J.D. Power’s problem-counting study, comes up roses here, tying for second place with and . Strategic Vision does say that Ford owners reported more problems than the industry average, but its designs and brand strength helped it overcome those issues to create an overall positive experience for owners.
for Strategic Vision’s full report, which also shows the best-ranked vehicles in each segment – including surprisingly positive results for , and .
Casey Stoner in slow motion – Click above to watch the video
Modern technology offers us some truly amazing experiences that we’d otherwise never be able to comprehend. Take, for instance, cameras. At its beginning, the camera was a novel invention that allowed mankind to capture brief images in time and record memories in a real, physical form.
Now, cameras have taken on a whole new dimension that adds a great deal of interest to everyday life. Especially since imaging went digital, we’ve managed to create ridiculously impressive devices that can literally slow real-life action to a level that shows details undetectable to the naked eye. Amazing stuff.
Equally as impressive are today’s racing motorcycles. Though bikes, such as the Repsol-sponsored ridden by , aren’t exactly accessible to the Average Joe, when combined with the kinds of cameras we were just considering… well, a whole new world of seemingly incomprehensible action is opened up.
To see what we mean, we suggest you check out the video . Our sincere thanks goes out to Red Bull for offering up this otherworldly clip.
2010 Ram 3500 HD – Click above for high-res image gallery
has announced a recall that affects 242,780 pickups manufactured between 2003 and 2011. This includes the 2008 Ram 1500, and 2003-2011 Heavy Duty trucks.
According to the official recall statement from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, these trucks may have a defective left tie rod ball stud that can fracture during low-speed parking maneuvers. According to NHTSA:
This condition could result in the potential loss of directional stability in the left hand front wheel, increasing the risk of a crash.
To remedy this potential problem, dealers will inspect the tie rod ends and perform an alignment if necessary. NHTSA states that Chrysler has not yet provided an owner notification schedule, but we’d expect this recall to ramp up within the coming weeks. for NHTSA’s official statement.
Driving a car through the scenic highways and byways criss-crossing their way through the countryside can be a messy experience. No, we’re not talking about pollution from tailpipes, we’re talking about something far more insidious: literally trillions of lives are lost each year by nothing short of blunt-force trauma, and it’s all caused by mankind’s need to get from point A to point B.
Granted, the lives we’re talking about aren’t human lives. No, we’re talking insects. A Dutch biologist named Arnold van Vliet took it upon himself to enumerate bug-shaped fatalities, and to do so, he enlisted the help of 250 drivers in The Netherlands. These motorists drove their cars as normal, and after shutting off their engines, counted the number of smashed insects on their front license plates.
A total of 19,184 miles were traveled by these test subjects over the course of six weeks, after which the results were tallied: 17,836 insects had met their demise. That’s a lot of bug guts, but it’s not until you extrapolate that data across the entire frontal area of an automobile and the total number of cars in the world that your head starts spinning.
The friendly buggers from Treehugger decided to do a little math in an attempt to estimate the total number of insect fatalities in the United States. Are you sitting down? An astounding 32.5 trillion insects (estimated, of course) are killed in the U.S. each year by automobiles. Total insect genocide.
2012 Scion iQ – Click above for high-res image gallery
Our man Damon Lavrinc is at the media introduction of the , and he reports that the diminutive hatchback will be priced from $15,995 (including destination charges) when it hits U.S. showrooms. Scion now says the iQ’s U.S. launch, which has been on due to various issues including the March 11 , is set for this fall. Officials say the microcar will actually be launched in four phases, with the West Coast getting the iQ in October, followed by southern states in January, then the East Coast and, finally, the Midwest.
In typical Scion fashion, word is that base models are well equipped and there are few options. The base stereo includes Pandora integration, and an uplevel model will be available with navigation. As with all Scions, loads of accessories (i.e. springs, body kits and wheels) will be available for the iQ.
For comparison, the iQ’s $15,995 price tag means that it’s slightly more expensive than both the and the , both of which off significantly greater utility. There’s still no word on EPA mileage estimates for the iQ.
2012 Toyota Hilux – Click above for high-res image gallery
When we think of icons, we tend to think of vehicles like the , , or perhaps the , the world’s best-selling nameplate. But entire towns have been built and many wars have been fought on the back of Toyota’s Hilux pickup. Celebrated the world over for its legendary ruggedness and anvil-like reliability, it’s been the workhorse of choice everywhere from Africa to for decades. In other words, the debut of a new Hilux qualifies as a genuinely important development in global transportation.
And while this isn’t an all-new model, there are a raft of changes worth noting for the new year. Starting with the obvious, the 2012 Hilux receives a completely new front clip, including new fenders headlights, bumper, hood, and three-bar grille. Additional changes include updated rear fenders, as well as new mirrors and alloy wheel designs.
Inside, the changes are mostly minor, though there’s a new upper dashboard piece and an available 6.1-inch touchscreen multimedia system. Beyond that, Toyota cites “greater colour consistency throughout” and some silver trim bits as key changes.
Underhood, the diesel-powered two-wheel-drive Hilux 2.5 D-4D gets a new variable nozzle turbo to boost power to 144 horses (+24) and 253 pound-feet of torque, all while lowering fuel consumption.
Overall, the Hilux is available in three bodystyles with two engines and transmissions, along with two- or four-wheel drive. Check out our high-res gallery below and learn more in the official press release after the jump.
Turbine-powered Batmobile – Click above for image gallery
Having a real-life Batmobile in your driveway sounds like a fun idea. Upon closer inspection, however, it’s not going to be that exciting. Most often, Batmobile replicas are powered by something like a junkyard-salvaged 350, featuring an interior reminiscent of a hastily cobbled together 24 Hours of LeMons racer. A man by the name of Casey Putsch decided he wanted a Batmobile to call his own, but he wasn’t ready to settle for second-rate.
This particular Putsch is the same man behind , an outfit that restores, designs and appraises all manner of items automotive. When we said that Casey Putsch wasn’t going to settle for a low-rent Batmobile, we meant it. Instead, Putsch has assembled what he says is .
Under the long hood of Putsch’s Batmobile sits a Boeing turboshaft engine plucked from a naval drone helicopter. The power output is rated at 385 horses, which is good for a vehicle that weighs around 2,800 pounds.
Besides the engine upgrade, this Batmobile has an interior that would make Bruce Wayne nod approvingly. That’s all you can hope for really, since it’s impossible to make Mr. Wayne jealous. Putsch strapped an Apple iPad into the center stack of his super(hero)car, which then acts as his avionics system and also supplies GPS information.
We have footage of Casey Putsch driving his creation available for you , which is worth it for the sound alone. We also have a handful of photos in the gallery below. Be sure to check out .
2012 Honda Civic EX Sedan – Click above for high-res image gallery
Have you ever stood around, nervously checking your wristwatch as a friend or significant other cycled through their entire wardrobe trying to find the perfect outfit? If your experience were anything like ours, they probably started with a perfectly acceptable look and finished with an ensemble almost exactly the same as the first one, albeit painstakingly composed of entirely different pieces of clothing. Most people would never notice the difference without the subtle changes being pointed out to them. The sedan’s new duds are kind of like that.
stylists have taken great pains to tug and pull at virtually every bit of clothing their new Civic is wearing. In spite of this, the car looks largely the same as its eighth-generation predecessor, a model that first bowed in 2005. This, despite the fact that the wheelbase has been cropped from 106.3 inches to 105.1 (you’d be hard-pressed to notice unless you had a tape measure handy), a change that makes it the shortest car in its class.
Recent show us that the all-new is already well on its way. But while the XTS will be the biggest sedan in years, it won’t be the top dog in the Wreath and Crest lineup for long.
GM Inside News reports that sources familiar with ‘ product plans claim that a rear-drive flagship Cadillac has been approved for production. The green-lighted rear-wheel-drive platform has reportedly been given the internal name “Omega,” playing off of the “Alpha” designation for the smaller rear-drive platform set to underpin the and the next-gen . The top-dog Caddy, which we’ve heard about over the years, will reportedly receive plenty of Zeta bits, while at the same time using plenty of lightweight materials like aluminum. GMI also speculates that the fifth generation small-block V8 could find its way underhood, though we think powertrain speculation is a bit premature at this time.
The next generation Caddy flagship will reportedly see the light of day between 2015 and 2017, and GMI claims that the model may replace the forthcoming (front-drive based) all-wheel drive XTS. GMI says that its sources claim that current management isn’t all that thrilled with how the XTS is shaping up, though we should point out that we haven’t heard anything along those lines.
A big, luxurious rear-drive Cadillac sounds plenty good to us, but 2015 is a long way away…
2012 Audi A5 – Click above for high-res image gallery
Here she is, the refreshed . And while we’ve always been quite fond of the current model’s styling, the subtle touches to the front and rear fascias of the new car make it look even more elegant than ever before. As for the , well, it just looks downright mean now. We approve.
The A5’s new nose now uses styling cues found elsewhere in the lineup, specifically, the new-for-2012 . Unlike the A6, however, the A5 and S5 do not get Audi’s adaptive LED lighting treatment, instead relying on an attractive wraparound LED running lamp combined with a standard projector-beam xenon unit. Out back, the taillamps are only slightly different than the ones found on the current car, save for a larger, thicker running lamp right through the center of the light cluster.
Powertrain options don’t change much for 2012, with the A5 coming standard with Audi’s turbocharged 2.0-liter, 211-horsepower inline-four. The big news for the new car, however, is that the S5 Coupe will no longer be available with the excellent, free-flowing 4.2-liter V8 – the supercharged 3.0-liter V6 is the only powerplant available. In the S5, it carries over unchanged, rated at 333 hp, though a new, 272-hp version of the 3.0-liter engine will be offered up in the A5, as well.
Look for the refreshed A5 and S5 to go on sale later this year, with prices only expected to increase very slightly. for Audi’s official press release.
The from this year’s is slowly making the journey from pure conceptual creation to full-on production car, albeit, in the form of the sedan. Our trusty spy photographers have caught a GS prototype out on the Nürburgring, and its LF-Gh-inspired cues are clearly in evidence despite heavy camouflage.
Up front, the LF-Gh’s squared-off headlights have translated over to this GS test mule, complete with LED daytime running lamps. Even the “aggressive and bold spindle-shaped front grille” from the concept looks to be intact, as are the upward curving detail lines that form the outline of the lower side air intakes in the front fascia.
Mum’s the word on what’s under the hood, but we’d be shocked if it wasn’t some sort of hybridized powertrain, perhaps similar to what’s already found in the . The production car likely won’t debut until the end of 2011 or early 2012, so we’ll keep our ears to the ground for more information until then.
Toyota Yaris hatchback UK – Click above for high-res image gallery
UK has dropped the curtain on its new . The subcompact hatch – likely identical to the – benefits from a more dynamic design and additional standard equipment on all but its entry-level model. All UK-bound Yaris models, ‘cept for the T2 base version, feature a new “affordable multimedia connectivity” system called Touch and Go.
Over in the UK, the Yaris is offered in four trims: T2, TR, SR and T Spirit. Toyota says the “heart of the range” is the mid-level TR, which is expected to command two thirds of sales. The TR can be ordered up with any of the three available engines (1.0-liter VVT-i, 1.3-liter Dual VVT-i and 1.4-liter D-4D) and a choice of three transmissions (five-speed manual, six-speed manual and Toyota’s Multidrive S CVT) in both three and five-door bodystyles. Key features of the TR include 15-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, stability control, Bluetooth and a rear-mounted parking camera.
The three available engines start with the base 1.0-liter VVT-i gasser with 68 horsepower. Moving up, there’s the 1.33-liter Dual VVT-i gasoline engine with 98 hp. Finally, the 1.4-liter D-4D diesel engine cranks out 89 hp and 151 pound-feet of torque. The fuel-sipping diesel returns an estimated 72.4 miles per imperial gallon (60.3 mpg U.S.).
Prices range from £11,170 ($17,816 U.S. at current exchange rates – including VAT) for the base, three-door T2 version to £15,385 ($24,593 U.S.) for the premium-level, five-door T Spirit. Toyota is now taking orders for the new Yaris and says the subcompact hatch will hit showrooms in the UK by mid-September.
While North America will undoubtedly not get all of these powertrain options, we’re looking forward to seeing our own 2012 Yaris very soon.
2012 Fisker Karma – Click above for high-res image gallery
The first will be delivered by the end of this month and, , film star Leonardo di Caprio will get the keys to Karma numero uno. Al Gore and Colin Powell will be taking delivery of their plug-in Fiskers soon thereafter, according to .
tells the British magazine that five Karmas roll down the lines at Valmet Automotive in Finland a week now. The automaker says production will rise to 300 units a week starting in November and, with 3,000 pre-orders tallied, Fisker estimates the Karma is sold out until early 2012.
Here’s where the report gets fresh. The UK-based news outlet says that sedan, and versions of the Karma will eventually be produced and that the shooting-brake model will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September. Autocar continues by speculating that Fisker’s plug-in, dubbed “,” will be offered in the same three bodystyle variations as well.
2009 Smart ForTwo – Click above for high-res image gallery
The brand has been in flux for the last few years. Sales have fallen off a cliff from the days when the moved nearly 25,000 units in 2008. In 2010, just 5,927 went home with new owners. of watching sales submarine, and plucked back distribution rights, sales and marketing of the brand. Now, the German automaker is looking to inject new life into Smart.
How does Mercedes hope to revive the ailing subcompact brand? For starters, Smart has a new executive team in place, which forms a new group called Daimler Vehicle Innovations USA. This group reports directly to Mercedes-Benz USA sales leader Michael Slagter. The newly formed Smart team is lead by Tracey Matura, who was plucked from her role as general manager of MB’s strategic retail development group.
Matura will work with Mercedes-Benz dealers to incorporate Smart vehicles into their showrooms. In the past, it was required of a Smart dealer to utilize a separate, or even standalone, showroom space. Now, Matura will simply ask for a corner of an existing Benz showroom, and, given the size of a Smart ForTwo, the corner doesn’t need to be very big.
Right now, 75 Mercedes dealerships also sell Smart products, and Matura aims to get that number up to 100 by year’s end. Read all about the new Smart plan .
Own an Apple iPad? Like the app? Love Autoblog? It’s officially your lucky day. The Flipboard crew has deemed Autoblog worthy of being featured in its Living section, and that means you’ll enjoy a more magazine-like reading experience for both our features and daily news. All you have to do to add Autoblog to your Favorites page is click the red “More” tab in the upper right hand corner of the app, select Living and choose Autoblog from the list. Once the feed is up, tap the plus button in the upper left and you’re all set. Enjoy!
