Every year at the , the Eyes on Design awards honors the best designs among production vehicles and concepts debuting that year. Unlike, say, the , the only vehicles eligible for an Eyes on Design award are the ones that introduce themselves to the world – well, really just North America – in Detroit.
What’s particularly interesting is that the judges for these two awards (one for production vehicles and the other for concepts) are all active or retired designers themselves, so they know a little something about the topic. This year’s group includes, among others, head of design Walter de Silva, President and CEO of SRT Ralph Gilles, and GM Vice President of Global Design Ed Welburn.
This year, the Eyes on Design awards were handed out to the in the production category and the in the concept category. The Fusion’s fellow finalists were the and , while the LF-LC eked out a W over the and .
Automotive News reports General Motors may begin manufacturing the in Europe. The vehicle would likely be produced at an Opel plant in Poland, while a handful of other models may see their production move elsewhere in Europe. The move is said to be the first step toward moving GM European operations toward profitability. The automaker would pull some production out of South Korea, which would then free up the company to proceed with cost-cutting measures at Opel. Automotive News reports Opel has lost approximately $13 billion since 1999.
Under the plan, Cruze production would find a home in Gliwice, Poland. Meanwhile, GM would spread the vehicles currently built at the facility across other Opel plants in the EU. Additionally, GM is considering moving the Orlando crossover to the Opel facility in Bochum, Germany. That plant currently builds the Zafira minivan, and has been rumored to face a closing in the future.
Last year, GM exported around 250,000 vehicles to Europe from South Korea.
If you happen to call the East Coast home, there’s a good chance you recently woke up to plenty of winter weather. Given that we’re facing down a few long months of snow and ice ahead, we thought we’d take the time to explore one of the more interesting innovations in snow removal.
Behold the TowPlow: a steerable trailer that allows one truck to clear up to two and a half lanes of roadway in a single pass. The machinery effectively doubles the efficiency of a truck and driver, but it comes with a heady price tag. The TowPlow will set your local department of transportation back around $100,000 a pop.
The TowPlow can also be fitted to disperse sand, salt or liquid calcium chloride, which makes it a triple threat when it comes to keeping roadways free of the slippery stuff. The machine was pioneered in Missouri, but states like Pennsylvania have also taken to using the TowPlow when the worst winter weather hits. for a few videos of the mega plow in action.
With 2012 now upon us, has released a series of updates across its ever-expanding range, but the most noteworthy among them are a pair of special editions in the .
First up is the Edition Exclusive, which packages a chrome grille, exhaust tips and window frames to contrast with the special grey metallic paint (or one of five standard colors), along with unique wheels and an interior decked out in special black or grey top-stitched leather with aluminum trim, anthracite headliner, chrome-trimmed steering wheel and handbrake and special sill plates and floor mats.
The Edition Sport, meanwhile, includes the M Sports suspension, wheels and aero kit, offset by high-gloss black exterior trim. The interior likewise benefits from some M touches, and grippy textile upholstery with contrasting blue stitching and aluminum trim.
Both packages are available on either the 1 Series Coupe or Convertible, and with a broad range of engines, with deliveries beginning in March. for the full press release and check out the high-res images in the gallery for a closer look.
The faithful fondly remember the (pictured above). Launched at the in 2006, the GP edition was the fastest version of the first-gen Mini hatchback. It packed 218 horsepower, 180 pound-feet of torque, a beefier suspension and – thanks to the removal of the back seats and air-conditioning – 88 fewer pounds to motivate. The result was a 6.5-second sprint to 60 and a 146-mph top speed. Only 444 examples were made available shortly before the second-gen Mini was introduced.
Now, word on the street is that Mini is preparing a new GP version. Few details are available at this point, but considering that the current JCW packs 208 hp from its 1.6-liter turbo four, we ought to be looking at 220 horses or more in the new GP. To make things simpler, in fact, Mini could be preparing to shoe-horn in the engine being developed for the , which is expected to pack more power than the JCW hatchback in order to get its heftier curb weight moving.
Given that the previous GP edition was a two-seat affair, we can’t help but wonder if Mini will turn to the new for this GP. But for now, we’ll just have to sit tight and see what the Anglo-German automaker has in store for its most hard-core fanatics.
Teams come and teams go from the World Rally Championship. But while this season will see the arrival of and on the WRC stage as newcomers, one perennial challenger that will return is .
Having replaced the long-serving RS last season, Ford will carry on with the new RS for another crack at the title it narrowly lost once again to Citroën last season. No fewer than twelve examples will be on the stage this season, but only two will be fielded by the factory-backed Ford World Rally Team, which has just revealed their new livery for the upcoming season at the Autosport International show in Birmingham, England.
Castrol returns once again as the main sponsor, its logo dominating the new color scheme which will be sported by returning five-time rally winner Jari-Matti Latvala (with co-driver Miika Anttila) and former champion Petter Solberg (with Chris Patterson). The latter replaces perennial runner-up Mikko Hirvonen, who left for Citroën this season. Check out the new livery in the high-res image gallery and the press release after the jump.
factory drivers are used to racing in all sorts of conditions: under the baking sun, in the pouring rain, at night and at sunset. Competing in the snow has historically been beyond their usual purview, but then again, Ferrari never made an all-wheel-drive vehicle before. That’s where the comes in.
The Ferrari Four, as you may recall, channels its 660 horsepower to all four wheels through an innovative new all-wheel drive system that ups the traction but ditches much of the weight penalty usually associated with these types of systems systems. Ferrari has taken the occasion of its annual Wrooom event – a pre-season retreat at Italy’s Madonna di Campiglio ski resort – to demonstrate the FF’s abilities by putting its star Formula One drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa behind the wheel for a downhill slalom.
So who won? Ferrari says it was a dead tie. But while we don’t believe that bit any further than we could throw one of their sportscars (light as they may be), there ought to be plenty of time to see which driver is quicker when the F1 season kicks off in a few months. In the meantime, you can check out the video and press release , along with our high-resolution gallery above.
Robert Kubica has hit an impressive stretch of bad luck. The former Formula One driver with both and Renault saw his chances of returning to the sport dashed in early 2011 when he was . After the driver’s forearm was partially severed in an accident, Kubica missed the entire 2011 F1 season. He also suffered a fractured right leg. In November, the racer made it clear he wouldn’t be ready for the start of the 2012 season, either. Now Kubica has fractured the same leg after slipping and falling on ice while walking.
Kubica was taken to a local hospital, where x-rays showed the fractures in his right leg. He’ll require surgery to install a single metal screw above his ankle.
Previously, rumors had circulated that Kubica would replace Felipe Massa at , though team boss Stefano Domenicali has been quoted as saying there are currently no plans for the Polish driver to join the team.
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Audi looks like it’s accidentally let slip the exterior design of its upcoming 2013 A3.The German automaker set about with a static display at Las Vegas’ CES ahead of the vehicle’s expected unveiling at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The display gives the world a sense of what to expect from the luxury compact’s front seats, center console and dash, which features a stand-alone LCD display that rises out from above the instrument panel’s center air vents. Like other Audi displays, the screen features various vehicle menus, including two that show off the full exterior of the three-door model.
Judging from these two quick glimpses at the hatchback, the three-door will feature a new, more aggressive face. From the looks of things, buyers can expect to continue to find a large, signature Audi single-frame grille flanked by more purposeful headlights and sporty air intakes set low int he front fascia. Head over to for a closer look at the vehicle inside and out. Don’t get too attached to what you see, however. Past reports have suggested the vehicle will only debut here in the States.
Polk has handed out its annual Automotive Loyalty Award for 2011, and walked away with a total of six honors, including two of the highest. The Dearborn-based automaker took home the top nod in both the Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer award as well as the Overall Loyalty to Make award categories. The manufacturer received both awards in 2010 as well. Ford also received the African American Market Loyalty to Make, and the Ford F-Series and brought down wins in the Mid/Full-Size Pickup and Compact SUV categories, respectively. Additionally, the drove away with the Luxury Car category.
Polk prides itself on organizing and distributing the industry’s only fact-based owner loyalty award, and the organization analyzes over 4.5 million household records and consumer transactions each year to determine the winners. Polk also examines state registration and lease information.
Ford wasn’t the only automaker to receive a node from the Polk Automotive Loyalty Awards. took home its fair share of hardware. Polk awarded its Most Improved Loyalty to Make award, and the and took home trophies in the Sports Car and Minivan segments. for the full press release.
Saying the Toyota 2000GT holds a special place in our hearts is akin to calling oxygen and water kind of important to our survival. The long-nose two-door was envisioned as a suitable competitor to the likes of the European sports cars rolling out Italy and the UK at the time, and in many ways, the was far superior. Built at a time when Japan Inc. wasn’t exactly known for beautiful automobile designs, the 2000GT may have been influenced by European cars of its day, but it has stood the test of time as one of the country’s all-time design greats. The low-volume coupe is a piece of automotive legend, which is exactly why choosing to use a 2000GT as a platform for an electric conversion strikes us equal parts blasphemous and awesome. But that’s exactly what Japan’s Crazy Car Project has done.
The engineers behind the exercise ditched the standard 2.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine in favor of a 161-horsepower electric motor. A 35kWh lithium-ion battery provides the system with power, and the hood has been covered with photovoltaic cells to help keep the car going. Likewise, the back glass is covered in a transparent solar panel. All told, the system can propel the vehicle to around 124 mph.
Inside, the 2000GT SEV features a modernized interior with plenty of tech-laden gadgets. The vehicle was built in cooperation with Toyota and debuted at the . Let’s hope they started with a real basket case, eh? to see a video of the car in action.
One man’s new toy can be another’s Moby Dick. Typically we’d mean that in a figurative sense, but has taken things one step towards the literal – or literary – with its latest advertising spot.
The commercial centers around a Captain Ahab-like tow truck driver who has, when the roads turn white with deep snow, hooked just about everything on the road. Everything, that is, except the elusive Quattro.
The 60-second spot – called “Ahab” – features the latest , and is scheduled to air tomorrow during the NFL division playoffs (making it something of a junior Super Bowl ad). It will be followed by a 30-second version that will air nationally on other broadcasts, and Audi is building a broader digital content campaign around the ad as well, including a Facebook app to follow. You, however, don’t have to wait for all that to see the clever clip: just .
What Are You Willing To Sacrifice For A Low Price?
The compact car market is white-hot. The new , and have lifted the segment to new levels of refinement while at the same time improving fuel economy to 40 miles per gallon on the highway and beyond. Instead of turning their attention back to trucks and SUVs, manufacturers are going even smaller. Automakers have begun pouring vast resources into the smaller subcompact segment, and the result has been a wealth of all-new models. The , and are all-new or updated and vastly superior to prior subcompacts that still linger in our memories like an unpleasant aftertaste.
has put its subcompact under the knife, too, as the features all-new sheetmetal, revised powertrains and a fresh interior. The previous Versa was known for being larger and less expensive than its competition, and its sales reflected that – it’s been the most popular model in its segment. But we’ve been curious to learn if this latest redesign may help or hurt the Versa’s standing, so we borrowed the keys to a top trim 2012 Nissan Versa SL Sedan for a week to find out.
With press days for the now behind us, our focus is shifting eastwards. Make that Far East, as the tuners have rolled in for the , where performance tuning arm Nismo has taken on its third compact and given it an attitude adjustment.
Following the recent debuts of the and comes this March Nismo, based on the small hatchback also known as the Micra or (in Taiwan) as the Verita. Nismo has given it a enhanced sportiness through lightweight wheels, updated grille and aero kit, new door mirrors and sportier seats and steering wheel inside.
It’s all capped by a pearl white finish with red highlights, but while the Nismo parts catalog is sure to offer bolt-ons for the March, this particular configuration is strictly a concept. Check it out in the pair of high-resolution images along with the press release .
March Nismo concept debuts at Tokyo Auto Salon [w/video]
Here’s a surprise: has announced the company will produce the first unveiled at the 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon in limited quantities. The automaker has confirmed the development at the . The vehicles will be built by partner Gazoo Racing and will feature a brawnier version of the same 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine found in the standard . With a little forced induction on its side courtesy of a supercharger, the engine should be good for 130 horsepower and 133 pound-feet of torque. That’s an increase of 36 ponies and 44 lb-ft over the stock configuration.
Like the concept, the production model will wear a not-so-subtle widebody kit, stiffer suspension and more aggressive brakes than its standard siblings. A six-speed manual transmission will be the only gearbox option. Indoors, buyers can expect to find custom seats and gauges that read all the way up to 124 mph.
Toyota and Gazoo Racing only plan to produce 100 of the muscle-bound iQ Supercharger models, and there’s no indication its cousin sold in the States will receive a similar treatment. What a shame. for a brief introductory video featuring the original concept as well as the full press release.
Fiat may have returned to the U.S. market, but Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn doesn’t plan on seeing the his French marque stage a comeback in the Land of the Free. According to The Detroit News, Renault will instead focus its efforts on introducing the brand to the Chinese market. Ghosn said Renault won’t return to the U.S. within the foreseeable future. That’s no real surprise given how fiercely competitive the fully mature U.S. market is compared to the explosive growth possibilities in . According to the report, Chinese car buyers took home 17.3 million vehicles last year. That number is up from just 600,000 in in 1999.
Ghosn made the comments at the Automotive News World Congress, which ran along with the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. The executive also made mention of the fact that has 65 models as of right now, and all of them are either profitable or on their way to becoming so. That wasn’t always the case – In 1999, the company featured 43 models. Only four of those were profitable for the company at the time.
Do the star-based safety ratings of the work? We’d point out that automakers work hard to ensure the best ratings possible, and shows that our roads are now safer.
NHTSA has made the five-star rating more difficult to obtain, and now Wards Automotive reports that the government agency is looking to advance the technology that helps avoid accidents altogether. The agency reportedly told attendees at a Society of Automotive Analysts event at the that it is considering credits that reward safety avoidance tech, though NHTSA didn’t detail what technologies would be highlighted.
Technologies that avoid accidents are likely to decrease the amount of accidents over time, and one technology NHTSA finds promising are vehicle-to-vehicle communications systems. V2V tech enables vehicles to “speak” to one another, and the agency feels it could drop fatalities from about 33,000 per year to 20,000. NHTSA is reportedly testing V2V communications, and several automakers are involved.
Volkswagen has repeatedly told the world that it will soon be the largest automaker in terms of global sales volume. As it stands, it may already be number two. Car Advice reports that VW sold 8.16 million units in 2011, marking the first time it has eclipsed eight million global sales.. finished 2011 with 7.9 million sales, in part because of production disruptions resulting from the March earthquake in Japan.
That’s an incredible feat made all the more impressive by a 14.3-percent surge in sales compared to the auto giant’s 2010 totals. Volkswagen has plenty of reason to celebrate, but it’s not quite time to erect a statue in honor of the year’s sales success. hasn’t yet reported full-year sales, but analysts expect that the final tally could reach nine million units.
The German automaker should feel pretty good about its accomplishment, but there is more work to do if VW is to reach its lofty goal of 10 million units annually by 2018. If VW can continue to roll out waves of successful new products and global auto sales continue to climb, we’re not going to bet against them.
Fiat/Chrysler sold about 4.2 million cars in 2010, and company CEO Sergio Marchionne expects to improve that by more than 33% come 2014, predicting sales of 5.7 units that year (analysts, on the other hand, predict average Fiat/Chrysler sales of 4.9 million in 2014). Operating profit for 2011 has been pegged at around $600 million, a rewarding bump from the $200 to $500 million predicted earlier in the year and dwarfed by the predicted $3 billion operating profit for 2012.
For Marchionne, though, those numbers need help from the outside: he says that an automaker needs to sell ten million units per year globally in order to reach “a new level of efficiency” and get development costs where he wants them. To wit, he is considering a partnership with a third car company to make that happen. He has repeatedly stated that he hasn’t spoken with anyone yet, but Italian paper Corriere della Serra has said that Peugeot is ready to talk, while other analysts have mentioned makers in emerging markets as potential partners.
This is hardly the first time Marchionne has mentioned his quest for -like scale – in fact, he’s been quite consistent on his desire to rationalize costs throughout the carmaking process. Based on that, it’s inevitable that he’ll tie up, the only questions now are who and when. He could wait until Fiat of Chrysler it doesn’t own and “merges” with The Pentastar, or if the right partner raises a hand, it might be sooner. Whoever it is, if it results in more novelties like the , we tentatively say we’re all for it.
All automakers are under pressure to hit more stringent Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations, figures set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In 1978, the CAFE standards were just 18 miles per gallon, but they have increased gradually each year. This summer, the bar was raised high when . While that is a very steep ladder to climb, hit the 2016 CAFE requirements in 2011 – the Korean automaker seems to be jumping the rungs on the way up.
The announcement that Hyundai hit a 36 mpg average four years ahead of the requirement is impressive, but there is never good news without some controversy. A that the doesn’t meet its U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel economy in real-world driving. Hyundai acknowledges that consumers may not achieve EPA estimated efficiency, but the Elanta’s discrepancy was consistent with the other vehicles in its segment when tested by Consumer Reports (and just about every vehicle on the road, says our experience).
It is interesting to note that, while the EPA has not altered its fuel economy ratings on the 2012 Elantra, the automaker has added its ActiveECO feature to the model that reportedly improves fuel economy up to seven percent.
What’s particularly interesting is that the judges for these two awards (one for production vehicles and the other for concepts) are all active or retired designers themselves, so they know a little something about the topic. This year’s group includes, among others, head of design Walter de Silva, President and CEO of SRT Ralph Gilles, and GM Vice President of Global Design Ed Welburn.
