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Carlos Ghosn has announced the Nissan Power 88 midterm business plan, effective immediately, containing goals that will raise a number of eyebrows. Built on four pillars emphasizing “brand and sales power enhancement, growth, sustainable mobility and mobility for all,” Power 88 is in effect from now until 2016, at the end of which time Nissan wants eight percent of global market share and eight-percent operating profit (hence the “88″). That would represent a 2.2-percent increase in market share and a 1.9-percent rise in operating profit versus last year’s levels.

Continue reading Nissan announces “Power 88″ business plan, all-new vehicles every six weeks for six years [w/video]

Nissan announces “Power 88″ business plan, all-new vehicles every six weeks for six years [w/video]

If you’ve been saving your pennies in anticipation of the upcoming pickup truck from Jeep, get ready to wait a little longer. According to PickupTrucks.com, Jeep CEO Mike Manley has said that resources at Chrysler are all tied up in other projects at the moment. With the full brunt of the company’s operations directed towards transmission and small car development, there’s simply not enough cash on hand to go creating a whole new member of the Jeep family. That means the Jeep pickup has been put on ice, at least for the time being.

Interestingly enough, Manley also said that when the versatile Jeep does touch down on American soil, it will also likely launch in international markets as well. The head honcho said he could easily see a metric-ton version of the pickup selling well outside the States. PickupTrucks.com reports that markets in Southeast Asia and Europe are particularly fond of trucks with a cargo capacity of around 2,205 pounds.

For now though, we’ll just have to content ourselves with the JK-8 pickup conversion.

Jeep pickup put on the backburner

You can now satisfy your hankering for a 2012 Audi A6 by spending a little time on the recently unveiled configurator. The sedan we called “a smaller, livelier A8” starts at just $41,700 for the 211-horsepower, 2.0 TSFI in Premium trim with a CVT and front-wheel drive, but online ballers can jump right into the $56,780, 310-hp, 3.0 TSFI Prestige with the eight-speed automatic and quattro.

Hint: if you want to open up the full world of options then head straight for the big-money guy (as you can see in the image above, we did just that), but there’s fun to be had throughout the range by clicking the link below.

2012 Audi A6 configurator comes alive

Paul One and Paul Two each took a shot at marrying Cadillac’s edgy and modern Art and Science design philosophy for a recent series of episodes from the long-running American Chopper television program. While it’s generally accepted by motorcycle fans that the show is really all about the drama and hysterics of the extremely dysfunctional Teutul family, the automotive connection in this build piqued our auto-obsessive interest enough to check in with the custom bike creating family.

In case you’re behind in your American Chopper history, the Senior and Junior Pauls are no longer working together at Orange County Choppers. Paul Jr. is running his own shop and design firm (the imaginatively named Paul Junior Designs) and has been pitted against his own father in the last few seasons of the hit reality television show. So, as you might have figured, the father and son each designed and built (with the help of their respective crews, of course) their own takes on the Cadillac CTS-V.

Both builders went long and low with an emphasis on looking fast, and both painted their machines metallic black with plenty of chrome accents. But the details of each bike are unique, with the elder Teutul pushing the power angle with a monstrous V-twin engine and an extra shot of ponies courtesy of a hidden shot of nitrous. Paul the Younger differed in his approach by injecting as much of the actual CTS-V into his two-wheeled machine as possible.

Push come to shove, we think Junior’s design more accurately depicts the Cadillac design theme. In any case, neither motorcycle would be all that useful as actual transportation devices, and neither is likely to be ridden more than a few feet in any direction for loading, unloading and general “See, it does work!” showing off.

In any real competition, there must be a winner and a loser. Discovery Channel, Cadillac and the two Teutuls have teamed up to pit these two motorcycles up against one another to raise money for the Cure Duchenne charity. Judging from the total number of fans, views and current top bid, it appears Junior’s design holds the edge in the eyes of the public. Bidding on the two bikes will continue until July 31, 2011 at 5:59 PM EST.

Feel free to browse both bikes in our photo galleries, then pick your own winner in our included poll.

View Poll

American Chopper takes on Art and Science with Cadillac CTS-V build [w/poll]

Typically when the Pentagon puts out a tender for a new contract, it goes to to established defense contractors. Not so with the new XC2V FlypMode combat vehicle. This time, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) crowd-sourced the project, meaning that it opened up the contract to the general public to design.

The result is the vehicle you see here. Designed by the same Local Motors behind the Rally Fighter, the XC2V – shorthand for Experimental Crowd-derived Combat-support Vehicle – is, for the time being at least, a “proof of principle project,” so we’re not likely to see it go into production any time soon.

Whatever becomes of this impressively capable-looking vehicle, that Local Motors managed to put the whole thing together in just 14 weeks could be the most impressive part of all. Especially considering it would probably take us longer to build a kit car, and those have all the components and instructions ready to go. Follow the jump to watch the time-lapse video of the build from start to finish.

Continue reading Local Motors builds XC2V Flypmode prototype for DARPA

Local Motors builds XC2V Flypmode prototype for DARPA

This is not a Porsche Cayenne, but something told us you already knew that. What you’re looking at is the new Renault Koleos. But the French softroader is available in Cayenne Orange, as pictured above. Hmm.

Previewed in the initial leaked images we brought you late last week, Renault has now fully unveiled the new Koleos, also known as the Samsung QM5. So what’s new about it? Well, aside from the new color, it’s got a refreshed front end, sideview mirrors with integrated LED indicators and an updated interior with such optional amenities as TomTom sat-nav and Bose sound systems.

Otherwise, it’s essentially the same crossover introduced just a few years ago, engineered by Nissan (Renault’s corporate cousin which holds far more crossover expertise than its French ally) and built in South Korea. It’ll be available to customers around the world with two diesels (in 150 and 175 horsepower status of tune) or a 170-hp gasoline engine, all re-tuned for lower emissions, driving either the front wheels or all four.

Follow the jump for the press release and scope out the images in the gallery for more.

Continue reading Renault fully unveils updated Koleos crossover

Renault fully unveils updated Koleos crossover

We’re not really sure why, but a Skoda has been sacrificed to recreate Robert Kubica’s near-fatal February rally crash that threw his future into question. Using a completely stock Skoda Fabia, they ran the car into an Armco barrier at about the same angle and clip Kubica was going (you may recall that this same crash was already subject to the computer simulator treatment).

Simply put, the results are horrifying. This video proves suggests that not only was Kubica extremely lucky during his Andora incident, but the structural improvements to his race car almost certainly saved his bacon. Click past the jump to see the video for yourself.

Continue reading Robert Kubica’s disastrous rally crash recreated with real Skoda

Robert Kubica’s disastrous rally crash recreated with real Skoda

Aston Actually Makes An App For Drivers

Automaker apps are a dime-a-dozen. But unless you’re shopping for a new car or a hyper-obsessive brand devotee, they’re about as entertaining as a trip to the service department. So when Aston Martin put out its Experience iPhone app, we weren’t entirely enthused. Nor were we ready to shell out $5.99 for another me-too marketing ploy. But then we took a closer look.

In addition to the standard model listings and engine/exhaust sound player (surprise! the One-77 doesn’t sound as sweet through a puny set of phone speakers), Aston upped the app game by including a video function that can record your drive, a telemetry display that shows your speed and Gs, and a database of the world’s best roads. That last part sold us.

So we called up the crew from Aston and made a pitch. Let us test out the app on one of the routes in North America. All you have to do is supply the car. Two weeks later, Autoblog Director of Photography Drew Phillips and I are blasting up the Pacific Coast Highway in the world’s largest iPhone accessory: A 2011 Aston Martin Rapide.

Continue reading Aston Martin Experience iPhone App

Aston Martin Experience iPhone App

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb may get all of the mountain-climbing attention this time of year, but it’s far from the only game of the season. Heck, it’s not even the only game of the weekend. Mount Washington plays host to the Climb to the Clouds, and this weekend, it saw the event’s record fall to none other than David Higgins, who set a new best time of 6:11.54 from behind the wheel of his Subaru WRX STI rally car. That’s nearly eight seconds quicker than his first run, which snagged him a time of 6:19, which was record-setting in-and-of-itself. Frank Sprongl set the old quickest time of 6:41.99 way back in 1998.

The Climb to the Clouds snakes up 7.6 miles of the Mount Washington Auto Road with patches of asphalt and gravel along the way. All told, drivers and their machines must climb all the way to the summit at 6,288 feet above sea level.

Dave Higgins smashes Mt. Washington Auto Road hillclimb record by 30 seconds

Ah, the Nürburgring lap time board. Perhaps the ultimate in bragging rights for any performance automobile worth its Nordschleife bumper sticker. An unreliable indicator, maybe, since climate conditions can have adverse affects on a lap time around the massive, undulating German road course, but so it stands just the same.

The leader boards are populated by all manner of supercars, from Italian exotics and German muscle machines to Japanese monsters and barely street-legal racecars for the road. What binds them all is that they’ve all got two doors. Or no doors, as in the case of the Radical trackday racers that top the list. But what if you want to bring three or four friends along for the ride around the Green Hell?

Only four sedans have dipped below the venerable eight-minute mark: the Porsche Panamera, the Audi RS4, the Cadillac CTS-V and this, the new F10-generation BMW M5. That is, at least, according to reports, which state that a BMW factory driver posted a 7:55 lap time. The reports are completely unconfirmed and unofficial, and our man on the ground Michael Harley heard nothing about it while on location this past weekend for the Nürburgring 24 Hours. If true, however, the new M5 would stand as the fastest four-door on the Ring yet – and a good eighteen seconds faster than the model it replaces.

Unofficial: BMW F10 M5 sets fastest production sedan time at the Ring with 7:55 lap

One year ago, a Buick Regal wagon was deemed “unlikely.” However, General Motors is reportedly looking to expand the Regal lineup, not just with a rumored coupe, but with the estate seen here. Sources within GM say that the Regal wagon could debut as early as the end of this year, making it a 2012 model year vehicle.

In addition to these live photos (note the “turbo” script on its rump), our spies are offering up a rendering of what the production version of the Regal Wagon could look like, complete with the larger 19-inch wheels from the Regal Turbo sedan. If produced, the Regal wagon would aim squarely at the recently introduced Acura TSX Sport Wagon.

If the Regal wagon is indeed set to debut this year, the Los Angeles Auto Show is probably a safe bet. We’ll keep our ears to the ground for more details in the coming months.

Buick Regal Wagon spotted naked and unashamed

Kia is putting some distance between itself and the racy ads for the company’s dual-zone climate control on the Sportage. According to the automaker, the sultry print ads were penned by the Brazilian ad agency Moma. Apparently, Kia Motors America has no business relationship with the company and didn’t approve the print ads in any way. The manufacturer called the clever spots “undoubtedly inappropriate” in a short release. Despite disavowing any association with the marketing company that created the spots, the KMA statement goes on to apologize to anyone who may have been offended by the materials.

The ads featured children’s tales in two temperatures, with a safe, cool telling of the stories in the left panels, and a more heated variant to the right. You can check them out for yourself in the gallery below. The art was reportedly displayed at a festival in Cannes, though we wouldn’t expect to see them resurface stateside anytime soon. Hit the jump to read KMA’s official statement on the ads.

Continue reading Kia disavows sexy cartoon ads

Kia disavows sexy cartoon ads

SPEED has released the first volley of promos for its upcoming Top Gear U.S.A. rival, The Car Show with Adam Carolla. While one of the videos gives us a quick glimpse into what the show will bring to the table when it debuts next month, the rest introduce us to the program’s four hosts. Each of the guys take time to tell us about their very first vehicles and driving experiences, from a Honda 400 Four in the case of Adam Carolla to multiple pilfered rides in the case of Dan Neil.

It’s clear that each of the guys have a penchant for all things automotive, and there are some pretty entertaining personalities in the bunch. The Car Show hits the air on July 13, so we’ll have to wait awhile before we can say with any finality whether Carolla, Neil, Matt Farah and John Salley make for more lively hosts than the Top Gear U.S.A. three musketeers. Hit the jump to check out the videos for yourself.

Continue reading First promos released for SPEED’s The Car Show, hosts talk about their first cars

First promos released for SPEED’s The Car Show, hosts talk about their first cars

Bankruptcy Brings This EV’s Range To Zero

We’re all passionate about saving the world, but the amount of enthusiasm we each have is different for everybody. What’s your passion level? Let’s turn the question into a sliding scale; on one end sits, say, BP, while on the other end, we find Ed Begley Jr. It’s a big scale. If you find yourself edging close to the Begley side of the spectrum, you’re no doubt paying attention to the fresh crop of all-electric cars on the market.

Electric automaker Think hopes you’ve been paying attention.

At least, it did up until last week when the company filed for bankruptcy a second time. Clearly, attempting to bring a relatively affordable electric vehicle to the masses is difficult without federal funding (Tesla Motors) or the bank account of a major automotive manufacturer (Nissan Leaf). Think has been down this road before, and it’s possible that a group of investors could arrive to save the day. But for the company to be successful, the cost of its car, called the City, would need to come down and marketing dollars would need to go up, both of which are easier said than done. Is Think’s machine even worth saving?

Continue reading 2011 Think City

2011 Think City

The next installment in the Transformers franchise is set to hit theaters on Tuesday, June 28. Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon will continue the trend of providing a massive stage on which to showcase General Motors vehicles. One of those vehicles in the Michael Bay explosion-fest is a yellow Chevrolet Camaro that goes by the name Bumblebee, and the banana-and-black Autobot is set to spawn a special edition automobile that fans can put in their driveway.

It’s called the 2012 Transformers Special Edition Camaro, and you can order one starting in July. If you do so, your Bumblebee decoy will arrive on dealer lots sometime this fall. The Transformers Camaro wears Autobot badges on the fenders, black stripes down the hood, roof and tail, a Bumblebee-specific rear spoiler and blacked-out 20-inch alloys sporting Autobot-logo center caps. Dealers will also be able to offer and install a ground-effects package and a set of 21-inch wheels so that customers can more closely mimic the on-screen Camaro.

The interior of the 2012 Transformers Special Edition Camaro also gets unique accents. Black leather surfaces are contrasted with yellow stitching, while Autobot logos can be seen on the headrests and center console lid.

Interested in picking one up? You’ll have to start with either a 2LT or 2SS Camaro that’s already wearing the RS appearance package. Tack on another $3,000, and you can drive like Shia Labeouf every day.

Continue reading 2012 Chevrolet Camaro Transformers Edition ready to hit the street

2012 Chevrolet Camaro Transformers Edition ready to hit the street

In redesigning the Chrysler Sebring, the decision-makers at Team Pentastar wanted to give the vehicle sort of a fresh start, and opted to rename the car “200.” Sure, the new 200 may look a lot like its forsaken forefather, but early returns show that the sedan and convertible have gained back a measure of respect – and sales, to boot.

But while the 200 has been an improvement, the The Detroit Bureau reports that the next-generation Chrysler mid-size sedan will not carry the numeric moniker. Chrysler and Fiat have long asserted that the long-term replacement to the 200 will feature Fiat architecture, and The Bureau says the designs are frozen and a names have already been chosen.

This doesn’t mean that the 200 nameplate is history, however. If Chrysler does decide to change the name of the 200, it will lose the momentum it created for the name with the infamous Eminem Super Bowl commercial. Further, another new advertising campaign to introduce a new name will likely cost many millions of dollars. But if Chrysler wants to forever disassociate itself from the Sebring, changing the name one more time may be the right thing to do.

Chrysler 200 nameplate a stopgap?

Saab may have finally found a willing partner to buy the company’s assets and lease them back to the automaker. According to Reuters, the Swedish real estate firm Hemfosa has agreed to make the move, but the complex financial situation surrounding Saab may make the deal difficult. The European Investment Bank must first sign off on the plan, and both Pangda and Youngman – two Chinese partners in the Saab dance – are also required to pay some money. Saab needs the deal to go through in order to secure short-term funding so that the manufacturer can continue to pay its employees. Right now, that’s not happening.

Still, Hemfosa isn’t entirely sold on picking up the Saab holdings. The properties are more valuable with the automaker in place and turning out vehicles, but since the company’s future is anything but certain, there’s more than a little risk involved in the deal. Reuters reports that the purchase and lease agreement is valued at around $46 million at current conversion rates.

Meanwhile, another unnamed Chinese buyer purchased a total of 582 Saab vehicles, offering an additional short-term lifeline worth €13 million, or $18.47 million USD. Even so, that’s only enough cash to pay the company’s workers, not its suppliers. The news wasn’t enough to stop the company’s union members from resigning from the automaker’s board of directors.

Saab scores €13M order, Swedish real estate firm’s property offer in the wings

The Monster has taken the mountain. The wind was whipping wildly, yet the sun shone brightly on one particular Colorado peak. We imagine if felt like a spotlight for Nobuhiro Tajima – the Japanese Hill Climb pilot managed to reduce his 2007 Pikes Peak record time by just over 10 seconds. Monster had said his goal was simply to break his own record, but we all knew he wanted to get under the 10-minute barrier. He did just that – and then some. Clearly, the adjusted setup applied to the Monster Sport Suzuki SX4 Hill Climb Special, has paid off. The new time to beat at Pike’s Peak is 9:51.278.

Unfortunately, The rest of the Unlimited Class wasn’t able to walk away smiling like Monster. Paul Dallenbach had recorded seriously quick times with his 1,300-horsepower hill climb machine during practice thanks to Banks Power, who supplied a pair of turbochargers. The Dallenbach team had high hopes for race day, but a stalled start was an early bad omen. Less than a minute later, a broken axle left him stranded just one mile into the race.

Rhys Millen and his RMR Hyundai-powered PM580 also ended the day with disappointment. For the second year in a row, mechanical issues caused Millen to run far slower than he’s capable. Millen’s brakes gave out with around four miles left in the course, which would be a game-ending occurence for lesser drivers. Rhys plugged on, and passed the finish line in 10:09.30. Rhys believes he was losing two seconds per corner due to the damaged stoppers, so the time was surprisingly quick for the hampered PM580.

Dacia’s entry finished in third in the Unlimited class and fared quite well for it’s first competition on a mountain. With Frenchman Jean Philippe Dayraut behind the wheel, the GT-R-powered Duster crossed the line with an impressive time of just 10:17.707.

Rod Millen, returning to the mountain for the first time in more than 10 years, managed to set a new record in the 2WD Time Attack Class. Millen used his son’s Formula Drift Hyundai Genesis Coupe and ran from bottom to top in 11:04.912. His close friend and rival, Jeff Zwart, finished less than three seconds behind in his Porsche 911 GT2 RS. After the race, the elder Millen said this would most definitely be his last year to compete at Pikes Peak, although he greatly appreciated his son’s invitation to drive the mountain one last time.

In the 4WD Time Attack Division, a wreck by Stephan Verdier in his Subaru Impreza WRX STI and a flat rear tire for David Kern’s Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution left the victory to Brianne Corn of San Marcos, Texas – one of five females to enter the race. Corn is the first woman to win her division since Michele Mouton in 1984.

Finally, Colorado Springs native Randy Schranz, 63, completed his 37th Pikes Peak Hill Climb, breaking the previous record of 36 set by Louis Unser. Schranz won the Pikes Peak Open division with a time of 11:55.132.

Pikes Peak Wrapup: Monster Tajima breaks 10-minute barrier, captures sixth consecutive victory

Lots of strange stuff shows up in pawn shops, but rarely does something as rare and valuable as a 2009 Ford Mustang Lee Iacocca pass through the crosshairs. The guys at American Jewlery and Loan, subject of the TruTV show Hardcore Pawn, recently had the opportunity to get their hands on car number 11.

We aren’t sure what inspired the couple who owned the car to sell it to a pawn shop (they did win the car at a casino, however), but they came away with a cool $66,000. We shudder to think what American Jewelery and Loan will try to hock it for. Click past the jump to watch how the deal went down.

Continue reading 1 of 45 Iacocca Mustang coupes shows up on Hardcore Pawn

1 of 45 Iacocca Mustang coupes shows up on Hardcore Pawn

Thus far, the Cruze has been a big success for Chevrolet. Although you could chalk up part of its meteoric rise to a lack of supply from Japan, the Cruze was the best-selling compact in America last month. To build on that success, General Motors is reportedly developing a two-door coupe Cruze for future production.

Although officials have yet to confirm the Cruze coupe, reports indicate that development is already well under way, with production earmarked for the Orion, Michigan, plant where the Sonic is being built. Why not the Lordstown, Ohio plant where the Cruze sedan is built? That facility is already running at full capacity – even into overtime – just to meet demand.

It would be interesting to see the Cruze spawn a coupe variant, particularly since two-door versions of the Cobalt and the Cavalier that preceded it, lamentable though they were, proved popular among teenagers as first cars. We particularly miss the Cobalt SS, which was available in both coupe and sedan bodystyles before the model was discontinued, as it offered one of the best performance to price ratios on the market.

Chevy developing two-door Cruze