If you’ve got an hour to kill and an itch to watch some exciting Targa Newfoundland action, we’ve got good news for you. SPEED has been kind enough to stream the network’s one-hour special free online. The episode spends plenty of time following both the Modern and Classic divisions with barely a nod toward Open or Grand Touring. That’s a shame for plenty of reasons, both because the competition was incredibly tight across the board this year and because I hung out with in both the latter classes during my .
Still, the Flyin’ Miata guys get a little time on screen. The rest of the coverage details the fight between Scott Giannou in his and Bob Yuille in his . There’s also plenty of interviews with Ralph Gilles. You can check out the full episode by clicking .
We for the coming-some-day-but-not-anytime-soon Acura NSX starring Jerry Seinfeld, but we really wish it would have popped back onto our radar for a different reason than this. (Like a production announcement from .) TMZ is reporting that when the commercial was cast, the ad the agency responsible had sought an African-American actor to play the car dealer who was, “Nice looking, friendly. Not too dark.” And the website has a copy of the document to prove it.
To paraphrase one of Seinfeld’s catch phrases: “Yes, there’s everything wrong with that.”
While we’d like to think that some day the obvious interpretation might be that the casting director was referring to the actor’s mood, clearly that’s not the case here. TMZ says an unnamed source associated with the commercial told it that “not too dark” had something to do with lighting and special effects, and we hope that’s true. Still, the way the brief description reads, it certainly sounds like whomever was casting the spot thinks dark-skinned people are neither nice nor friendly.
We’re not about to throw Honda under the bus – it was, after all, an outside ad agency named RP& that shot the ad, according to Motoramic – as the automaker apologized, issuing the following statement:
We apologize to anyone offended by the language on the casting sheet used in the selection of actors for one of our commercials.
We sought to cast an African-American in a prominent role in the commercial, and we made our selection based on the fact that he was the most talented actor.
The casting sheet was only now brought to our attention. We are taking appropriate measures to ensure that such language is not used again in association with any work performed on behalf of our brand.
While we’re glad to see Honda react promptly and properly, re-watching the commercial gave us further pause: If Honda indeed sought to cast an African-American in a prominent role, did it consider an African-American for the part of the guy who’s first on the list for the NSX, as opposed to the salesperson?
Many privileges come with the title of CEO at one of the world’s top automakers. As top man at and Renault, certainly has his share of perks. Take for instance unfettered access to Nissan’s heritage warehouse in Zama, Japan where 400 Nissan and Datsun vehicles are stored.
Ghosn was given the special CEO tour of the place recently and met some of the engineers who worked on cars such as the 1000 Sports Deluxe. During the visit, Ghosn was treated to a driving tour of the massive warehouse in the 75-year-old Datsun 17 Phaeton seen above.
The impressive collection also includes the once owned by Ghosn himself, several rally cars and, as the narrator says, “a collection of classic Zeds.” Nissan staff and volunteers keep at least 70 percent of the treasures fully drivable.
The warehouse is closed to the public, but there are hints in the video that Nissan could be planning a museum to house the collection. Check out the video by .
You may remember the as the creation that walked away with the honor of being named the most beautiful concept at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The design house decided to commemorate the honor by crafting something else special for the 2012 Milan Furniture Show.
Pininfarina turned to the craftsmen at Riva 1920 to put together a wood sculpture in the Cambiano’s image. The piece is hewn from reclaimed Venice briccola wood – the same stuff that makes up all those mooring poles in the famous Italian city.
The 36-foot beams each carry unique markings, both from the lagoon water and the aquatic organisms that call the posts home. The result is a sculpture with many unique colors and markings.
Riva 1920 used the same wood to create the interior elements of the original Cambiano. for the full press release.
. On a day in which has dominated the news – by and for the auto show – it completes the hat trick by announcing that its new factory will be built in Mexico. Production is slated to begin in 2016, but Audi only announced that the plant would be building “an SUV model.” Speculating on which that might be, we imagine it would make sense for one of the brand’s high-volume nameplates to be built here in North America, which would point to the .
Audi parent already operates facilities in the Mexican cities of Puebla and Silao, so the company is intimately familiar with the nuances of building cars in the country. That should help in getting the facility up to speed quickly, although Audi board members emphasized finding the right location in Mexico in their statement announcing the decision.
Audi also said it could supply vehicles from Mexico worldwide, and reiterated its goal of selling two million vehicles each year by 2020. That, of course, is part of Volkswagen’s stated intent of .
There is a point at which the amount of money poured into any aftermarket-tuned vehicle becomes entirely insane. Heck, that’s half of the appeal of tuner cars – that the best ones show such fanatical devotion to a specific model that you must respect the inspiration and effort even when the result is utterly unimaginable. Which brings us to this: A $156,000 .
Now granted, it’s not just any 1′er that German übertuner Tuningwerk is selling for more than a . There’s a in there somewhere, one that’s been fitted with 19-inch wheels and some of the widest tires we’ve ever seen on a compact : 245/35R19 up front and 285/30R19 in the rear. Available 15-inch carbon ceramic rotors from Mov’it provide stopping power for the 521-horsepower, 453 pound-foot of torque upgrade to the twin-turbo inline six. The car also carries a whole host of carbon fiber body parts, from hood to trunk to even optional carbon fiber doors.
The bottom line is that Tuningwerk says its 1 M RS will do 186 mph. to read the full press release and be sure to check out all the photos in our .
In the pantheon of bad ideas and even worse ideas, capturing yourself on video gratuitously breaking the law and later flaunting your indiscretions to the local constabulary ranks right between and .
Funny thing is, people seem to make this egregious mistake rather often. Exhibit A: . Exhibit B: The video you’ll see below.
First off, it’s seriously stupid and irresponsible to risk your own life and the lives of others by riding at speeds of up to 185 miles per hour while weaving your way through traffic. But it takes even fewer brain cells to share video evidence on YouTube, especially considering that we can all see that you’re riding what appears to be a 2006 Yamaha R1 painted up in factory blue.
According to CBC News, Vancouver Island police are trying to track down the rider in this clip. Scroll to see the video for yourself.
Last week, a battery research lab in Warren, Michigan. General Motors has since said the fire was caused by a battery that was being tested under “extreme stress.” Engineers were trying to get the pack to fail, which it did, but not to ignite, which it also did when gases leaked out and somehow caught fire.
There’s one detail we have not heard yet, and that’s how much the fire could end up costing GM: up to $5 million, the The Detroit News reports, based on information that the automaker’s representatives submitted in a police report. The local fire department has estimated that the damage could be closer to $3 million, with one million of that due to property loss – at least two labs were damaged – and $2 million worth of damage to the labs’ contents. An investigation into the cause and extent of the fire continues.
The battery pack involved was not the same as the one used in the and GM says that the incident . Media reports have suggested the battery is be intended for the and that the prototype battery pack was made by A123 (which has had recently). Multiple people were injured in the fire but only one remains in the hospital because of “an estimated four-inch gash to the back of his head.”
Our sister site, AOL Autos, just dug up one of the largest rebates we’ve ever seen on a new car. If, for some reason, you must have a Maybach before the brand ceases production altogether, you may in line to snag a tidy $100,000 rebate. Daimler previously let slip that the company will kill the ultra-luxury brand in 2013 and replace it with a new high-end . Given that Maybach models never exactly jumped off of the showroom floor, we’re guessing the German automaker needs all the help it can get moving the and .
Even with $100,000 off the sticker price, you’ll still need a suitcase full of C notes to take one of these machines home. The entry-level Type 57 commands a $376,300 MSRP while the Type 62 starts at $427,700. Even at those prices, reports suggest the a staggering $500,000 on each and every model it sold. It’s a wonder the marque stayed around as long as it did.
Youngman has made another bid for bankrupt , according to new reports. The Chinese automaker has offered to buy what’s left of Saab for $470 million at current conversion rates. The news comes courtesy of Dagens Industri. The newspaper also indicates that’s the absolute lowest the Swedish automaker’s pledgees and real estate owners will accept to settle the company’s impressive debt. The deal would also set aside an additional $1.47 billion to restart production at the mothballed Trollhattan facility. Other foreign automakers are also vying over Saab’s remains, including India’s Mahindra & Mahindra.
Pang Da, meanwhile, seems to have no interest in continuing to pursue Saab. The company paid out around $59 million for vehicles Saab was supposed to produce. That never happened, and now the Chinese company has had to undergo the unpleasant task of reporting that loss to its investors.
Saab around $1.9 billion at the moment, and its assets are valued at just $532 million.
There aren’t a lot of automakers that also make motorcycles: Peugeot, , , and perhaps most pertinently, . And now is getting in the game – not with its own four-ringed motorbikes, but with today’s acquisition of Ducati.
In the announcement , Audi confirmed the deal but stopped short of confirming the reported purchase price of $1.1B. Although Audi is, of course, part of the group, it is Audi AG itself that officially bought the motorcycle manufacturer, making Ducati the third Italian operation under its umbrella alongside and ItalDesign-Giugiaro.
Tellingly, Audi also points to certain technologies developed by Ducati – particularly their control systems, combustion chamber process and competence in lightweight construction – as particular assets that “offer great potential for AUDI AG and the Volkswagen Group.” Read more in the official release after the jump.
The arrival of any new is bound to be anticipated eagerly by legions of fans around the world, but few more keenly than the successor to the famed Enzo.
Following in a line that dates back to the 288 GTO, through the F40, the F50 and most recently the Enzo, the new top-of-the-line hypercar from Maranello is now well on the road to readiness. We’re told to expect its arrival in less than a year from now at the , but while endless speculation has filled the void until now, we’ve now got our first batch of spy shots showing – to some extent, anyway – what Ferrari is working on.
While the widened test mule in these spy shots is wearing a hideously humorous hodgepodge of sheetmetal and body cladding evidently thrown together in a back room in Maranello (with the lights off), we’re told this is not an actual prototype for the Enzo successor – sure to wear a different name, but referred to internally as project F70 – but rather a rolling test bed for components that will make up the finished product.
That is expected to include an uprated (and backwards-turned) version of Ferrari’s new 6.2-liter V12 from the F12 Berlinetta, producing more power and augmented by a hybrid electric assist. Despite the added hybrid bigs, the F70 is still said to be light in weight, and it will be sent gunning for the with a targeted 0-60 run in under 2.5 seconds and a top speed in excess of 250 mph.
How do doctors do it? How do they tell people that their loved ones are sick, afflicted, or even terminal? Sure, it’s one thing to deliver bad news like a mechanic: “Your transmission’s fried lady, that’s gonna be three grand.” But doctors need to be sensitive to the great anguish that will accompany their diagnosis. Nobody wants to find out that their formerly healthy family member isn’t well, and a doctor’s compassion is as important as his healing hand. The way the news gets delivered is crucial to how a patient, family and friends come to accept the situation and cope with treatment and its aftermath.
Can we then, get a doctor to write this review of the new Camry? Because after a week behind the wheel of the 2012 SE V6, one thing is clear: This best-seller is ailing.
Now, we understand that the car is a veritable institution – there are presently some 40,000 people snapping up Camrys every month. And yes, for most of the car buying public, the new midsize will continue to provide safe and suitable, if unsurprising, transportation. By our estimation, however, there are at least two, probably three, maybe even four or five other midsize sedans offering a better overall package of price, performance and personality than Toyota’s breadwinner. The short list starts with the and ends with the , but the forthcoming and deserve their shots as well.
Product placement in television and film has become so commonplace that we almost expect any mention of a specific brand on camera to be paid for in full by the company in question. And so we might have assumed with this week’s episode of Mad Men, but apparently that wasn’t the case.
The episode featured an account to advertise for in the United States, with Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce beancounter Lane Pryce coming across the account through his British ex-pat connections and bringing it back to the firm. “I think a man getting out of a Jaguar needs a cold shower,” pitched Don Draper. “The Jaguar XKE is pornographic.” And indeed it is, lauded as one of the most sensuous automotive designs ever to grace tarmac. (For crying out loud, just take a look at the classic cat in the fresh gallery of high-resolution images we’ve put together for you.)
A memorable scene, but apparently Jaguar was as surprised to see it as the rest of us. According to reports, the plug was neither solicited nor paid for by the British automaker. Of course, the particulars of product-placement deals are seldom revealed, but we’ll take Jaguar’s assertion at face value – particularly when two of the show’s starring actors – John Slattery (who plays Roger Sterling) and Jon Hamm (a.k.a. Don Draper)- pitch for rivals and respectively.
That’s the crux of the changes in store for the extended-range plug-in electric vehicle. Changes for the 2013 model year will include a driving mode that lets drivers force the car into gas-powered, extended-range mode in situations where it’s most advantageous to switch out of EV-only mode, GM Inside News reports.
Drivers can choose the Volt’s “EV Hold Mode” in certain cases, such as when the route consists of a bunch of highway driving prior to city driving, according to the publication. Switching over to extended-range mode, in which the gas-powered on-board generator is used, would be better in that situation because high speeds drain a plug-in’s battery charge a lot more rapidly than city driving. “EV Hold Mode” is , the . The closest that U.S. drivers can do with today’s Volt is .”
Additionally, the Volt will eschew its black roof and trunk backing and will go to body colors for those parts of the car for 2013. Other improvements include a lane-departure warning system that’s becoming commonplace on many U.S. vehicles.
GM released details of the 2013 Volt following the model’s since its late-2010 debut. The automaker sold 2,289 Volts in March, a monthly record that is more than three times higher than figures from a year earlier. The Volt missed the 10,000-unit target set by GM for 2011, moving just 7,671 units last year.
The minds at Car and Driver recently took a moment to speak with Robert Davis, senior vice president of U.S. operations, about the automaker’s plans for the future. According to Davis, the rotary engine will continue to play a role in the company’s products moving forward, with engineers applying the lessons learned through the SkyActiv program to the powerplant. That means the next-generation rotary will likely feature reduced internal friction and lightweight internals in a quest to reduce emissions and increase fuel economy. But the engine may find applications outside of its traditional role.
Not only is Mazda pursuing a rotary engine to power a vehicle, Davis admits Mazda is also investigating ways to use the design in tandem with an electric motor, with the pistonless engine responsible for charging an extended-range EV’s batteries. Given the compact size and relatively low torque supplied by a rotary, this application would seem to hold promise. Of course, we’ve heard .
And what of a SkyActiv V6? Davis makes it clear there’s no room in the SkyActiv stable for a six-cylinder, saying that the company will focus on lighter platforms and forced-induction four-cylinder engines instead.
Well lookie what we have here. We’ve been waiting for to pull the silk off its long-awaited compact sedan, and a brace of new concept car images have started leaking onto the Internet this morning as further proof that a production model is almost here. Dubbed Concept Style Coupe, or CSC, the showcar seen here is expected to debut at the next week. had this hot bit of hardware dubbed CLA, though that nomenclature could still be reserved for a production model.
Looking more than a bit like a that’s been run through a dryer after mating with the and , the rakish four door is expected to spawn a production model that will be available in North America.
According to reports, the CSC will roll onto the stage in China powered by a 208-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder that also sees duty in the new A-Class hatchback. Like the A-Class five-door that , the CSC is expected to ride atop Mercedes’ new MFA platform, scaled to take on models like the (which is also pegged to get a sedan variant) and .
We’re also expecting Mercedes to unveil a related concept in North America very shortly at the music and media festival that begins in LA on April 20, so keep your eyes peeled for that vehicle as well.
Iran just became a bit less interesting for automotive enthusiasts with the by that it will no longer do business there. The announcement was made Monday by and .
“Consumers here have the power to force these companies out of Iran and tighten the screws on Tehran’s regime,” De Blasio said in the statement. “Our message is clear: you can do business with the Iranian regime or you can do business with the American consumer – but you can’t do both.”
This follows news that will also stop selling or servicing its cars in Iran. But despite the ongoing international embargo against Iran, car shoppers there still have plenty manufacturers from which to choose. , , , , , , , , , and are all still selling and/or servicing their models there. Sadly, for Iranians, nothing on par with Porsche.
But then again, most Iranians aren’t exactly flush with cash. A from March says car sales in Iran were down 20 percent with prices up by about the same amount. For example, an imported sells for about $151,000 over there. Even in good times, that’s a tough monthly payment for the average Iranian. In that same report, a Tehran car dealer said he hasn’t replenished his stock of Porsche models for months because no one can afford them.
So either for political or economic reasons, we may soon see other carmakers pulling out of the Iranian car market. Check out the UANI press release .
The self-driving-vehicle fleet has grown by one. According to Wired, the tech giant has added a black to its autonomous stable. The hybrid SUV was spotted out on the road for testing wearing a new roof-mounted sensor array that’s significantly more streamlined than the gear found on the company’s autonomous models. Google says it is constantly testing its driving algorithms on a wide range of vehicles in order to refine the technology, and that the RX450h is merely the latest step in that process.
Google first began unleashing its driverless cars onto public streets in 2010 using a fleet comprised of six Prius hybrids and one . The company’s work has spurred the legislature to draft a bill requiring the California Highway Patrol to outline safety standards for autonomous vehicles. Wired reports the legislation passed the state’s Senate Transportation Committee with an 8-0 vote and is now headed to the Senate Rules Committee. Nevada has already .
There’s any number of cars that can be used for taxis. The Ford Crown Vic, , … pretty much anything with a useable back seat, a cargo area and a roof on which to put a dome light. But a ? Surely that has to be overkill, right?
Maybe for most taxis, but this is no ordinary cab. This is the Ring Taxi. Operated by and OK-Speed-Marketing at the Nürburgring, the Ring Taxi allows passengers to book a high-speed ride around the harrowing Nordschleife, chauffeured by a professional driver who knows the track’s every twist and bump like the back of his (or in the case of Sabine Schmitz, her) capable hands.
For a few years the service was run in the previous-generation M5, with its high-revving V10 engine, but when that model was phased out of production, so was it retired from Ring Taxi duty. The for a while, but now the M5 is back at it in its new iteration: all 560 twin-turbocharged horsepower of it.
Tickets for what will undoubtedly prove the ride of any enthusiast’s life go for 216 euros ($282 by today’s rates), with rides taking place once a week: on Mondays at 10 am. But BMW warns that if past experience (of which it has plenty) is any indication, hopefuls had better reserve well in advance as they tend to book up as fast as the new M5 will sling you around the Karousel.
