The Auto Blog .ru

First Apple, then Intel, now BMW. We’re not sure what it is about the letter ‘i’ (in lower case, naturally) that various marketing professionals the world over are so enamored with, but word has it that the Bavarian automaker plans to use the moniker for its fuel efficient MegaCity range of vehicles.

According to a post on the e90.com web forums, BMW has registered trademarks for i1, i2, i3, i4, i5, i6, i7, i8 and i9, making us wonder exactly what the company has in mind for its newest sub-brand. Will there be high-efficiency versions of each of the automaker’s models, or is it just holding on to these designations so that others don’t attempt to gobble them up?

Whatever the case, we think they missed one golden opportunity… Where’s the iSetta trademark?

[Source: e90post.com]

BMW registers ‘i’ nameplate for MegaCity range

Acura has been toying with us for some time. We’ve been waiting patiently for an NSX replacement soon after the original Japanese supercar disappeared, and while we’ve been waiting around Acura told Car and Driver that something “unconventional” is coming in the very near future. The only hint we have is the use of the word “sporty.” Unfortunately, that tag can apply to nearly anything these days, with exhibit A being the 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon.

Car and Driver was able to confirm that the car will not be the front-engined camo-clad car we saw from time to time. However, they got a very confident “probably” from Acura regarding the resurrection of the NSX nameplate.

[Source: Car and Driver]

Report: Acura releasing something ‘unconventional’ next year?

Chrysler has finally been kind enough to serve up a few official details on what buyers can expect from the innards of the 2011 300. While we know that the company’s big bruiser will be available with either the new 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 or the familiar 5.7-liter V8, but the company has just now let us all in on what they’ve done to update the vehicle’s exterior. The next-generation 300 now wears a windshield that’s been raked back by three inches, and combined with slightly thinner pillars all the way around, Chrysler says that visibility has been improved by around 15 percent. Given the tank-slit views from the cockpit of the old 300, that’s no bad thing.

Inside, buyers can expect to be met with a smattering of chrome accents and what Chrysler calls “cast-skin” instrument and door panels. But for us, the really good news is that, like it’s platform mate the Dodge Challenger, the 300 comes with the company’s new, fantastically huge 8.5-inch LCD touchscreen. Joy to the world. Hit the jump for a peep at the full press release.

[Source: Chrysler]

Continue reading Officially Official: Full details on the 2011 Chrysler 300

Officially Official: Full details on the 2011 Chrysler 300

“Real” racing on a cellphone? Turn up your nose all you like, but after millions and millions of downloads, the original Real Racing for the iPhone and iPod Touch is certainly the real deal when it comes to sales performance. A sequel arrived in the iTunes Store this month that adds a suite of licensed cars, 16-player online racing and a new career mode promising 10 hours or more of mobile gearhead engrossment. Despite the game’s name, it’s hardly a hardcore driving simulator for your phone, but read on to see why it’s just about the best $9.99 a car-loving iPhone or iPod touch gamer can spend.

Continue reading…

Continue reading Review: Real Racing 2 for iOS

Review: Real Racing 2 for iOS

Word on the web is that Mitsubishi is bracing for the electrification of the automobile in a big way. According to Motor Trend, the Japanese automaker is in the midst of developing all of its future products so that they easily support an EV drivetrain or an internal combustion get up. That line of thinking seems to mesh well with the rumors of the upcoming hybrid crossover from Mitsubishi. The lumbering beast will supposedly take plenty of cues from the PX-MiEV that showed up at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show, with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine working in conjunction with a pair of electric motors.

Additionally, Motor Trend seems to think that the current Montero is a likely platform to adopt a battery pack. The SUV may have died off from the American market, but it’s still alive and kicking in Asia and Europe, and a little help from an electric motor would go a long way toward inching the vehicle’s fuel economy down to more manageable levels.

And what of our beloved Lancer Evolution? From the sounds of things, even it might show up with electron-power in the near future, with the gasoline engine kicking at the rear tires and the front axles spun by a motor or two.

[Source: Motor Trend]

Report: Future Mitsubishi models may each get their own EV variant

The extreme sports and motorsports worlds have collided in recent years, with the X-Games set trading in their small wheels for much larger ones. In that same spirit, rally driver Wyatt Knox is looking to reverse that trend and bring rallying into the action sports world. Take a front-wheel drive 1992 Subaru Legacy, a well-placed log on Team O’Neil Rally School’s closed course, a couple of HD video cameras and you have the recipe for an automotive railslide.

The end result actually turns out pretty well because Knox knows what he is doing behind the wheel. His backside car slide can be seen in the video after the jump.

[Source: YouTube via Jalopnik]

Continue reading Video: How to railslide a front-drive 1992 Subaru Legacy

Video: How to railslide a front-drive 1992 Subaru Legacy

General Motors has made some excellent cars over the course of its hundred-plus years of existence. As we’re all painfully aware, though, it’s also produced some horribly bad cars. It’s debatable as to when GM’s fortunes really turned south, but many critics point to the early 1970s, when a series of poor decisions led to the automaker’s eventual near demise in 2009.

And so it’s fitting that, when tasked with choosing cars from GM’s often illustrious, often horrendous lifetime, the crew from Top Gear USA chose three models built between the early ’70s and the late ’90s as examples of what the modern-day GM should consider reviving: a 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass, a mid-’80s Pontiac Fiero and a late-’90s Buick Roadmaster wagon. Interestingly enough, only one of those brands is still in existence…

After putting the three machines through a battery of tests, a clear winner was crowned, and it’s probably not the vehicle you were expecting. The car that General Motors should reintroduce: the Buick Roadmaster station wagon. Here at this link you’ll find the complete episode, where you can see what led up to the surprising conclusion (hint: it involved steep inclines, eggs and a few thousand gallons of water – challenges that should be familiar to Top Gear UK followers).

What we’re most interested in, though, is the show’s rendering of what a 2011 Buick Roadmaster might look like. We like the basics – a big pushrod V8 engine up front, six-speed manual transmission, rear-wheel drive, a cavernous interior with seating for you and your seven closest friends and their stuff, and, of course, portholes and Buick’s signature ’sweep-spear’ profile design language. Okay, maybe we can do without the vinyl wood siding… but maybe not. See for yourself in our image gallery below.

[Source: Top Gear USA]

What would a 2011 Buick Roadmaster look like? Top Gear USA takes a crack at it

As difficult as the past few years have been for the U.S. auto industry, automakers and analysts alike continue to hope for a better future. 2010 has been a vast improvement over 2009, with sales up 11 percent. Even better, the last three months have seen sales rise above an annualized rate of 12 million cars and trucks, and analysts see 2011 sales approaching 13 million units.

Nearly all automakers have benefited from customers’ renewed faith in the economy, but few have fared as well as Ford. The Blue Oval has seen sales rise by 21 percent so far in 2010, and the Dearborn, MI-based automaker appears destined to reclaim its spot as the number two automaker in the States. Ford analyst George Pipas points out to The Detroit News that the automaker has seen two consecutive years of market share increase for the first time since 1993, going from 14.2 percent in 2008 to an expected 16.8 percent for 2010. At the same time, Toyota has seen its share shrink to 15.2 percent due in part to the recall of 6.75 million vehicles in the U.S. alone and over 10 million cars and trucks globally. Should sales trends continue, Ford will overtake Toyota in sales for the first time since the Japanese automaker wrestled away the number two spot back in 2007. General Motors remains at the top of the U.S. sales food chain, stabilizing its market share at 19.3 percent despite shedding four brands during bankruptcy.

Ford had a fantastic 2010, and with the 2011 Explorer and 2012 Focus on their way to showrooms and continued momentum from cars like the Mustang, we’re thinking 2011 will be a winner as well. Meanwhile, Toyota will need some fresh product in its showrooms if it hopes to re-engage Ford and take back its place in line. And it will be tougher than ever to steal sales from GM or Chrysler, as both companies have stabilized market share and have new product for 2011.

[Source: The Detroit News Image: Paul Sakuma/AP]

Report: Ford looks ready to overtake Toyota for No. 2 sales position

When Michael Vick went to prison for bankrolling an illegal dog fighting operation, sports journalists and fans the world over threw dirt on his once highly successful career as an NFL quarterback. Vick did his time and eventually made his way back to the big time, but it appeared that his days as a starting quarterback were over. Not so fast. An injury to Philadelphia’s starting quarterback meant that Vick got a second chance to run an NFL offense. And he’s been excelling; perhaps enough so to become the league’s MVP. But can he sell Nissan vehicles? Not a national campaign, mind – we’re talking about a local dealer.

Woodbury Nissan, a dealership in New Jersey just outside of Philly, has hired Vick to hock new and used vehicles. The move probably doesn’t endear the dealership to dog lovers (or animal owners in general), but the hope is that Eagles fans really won’t care. Interestingly, USA Today notes that Vick isn’t getting paid for his appearance, though he is getting use of a $54,000 Armada for his troubles.

Hit the jump to watch the commercial (scripted to mimic The Office)l for yourself. Vick isn’t wearing a cowboy hat and he’s not yelling about amazing deals. Instead, the nearly two-minute spot is very well done for a local add, and it’s pretty funny, too. The dealer even takes a shot at the diminutive Versa, which may not sit well with corporate, but it gave us a chuckle.

[Sources: YouTube, USA Today, Automotive News - sub. req.]

Continue reading Video: Michael Vick hawks for Nissan dealership, skirts shame

Video: Michael Vick hawks for Nissan dealership, skirts shame

Competing Against Edge More Than Other Luxury CUVs

With Mercury dead, hundreds of former Lincoln-Mercury dealerships will be forced to rely on Ford’s 93-year-old luxury brand to bring home the bacon alone. These dealers are nervous about their future, and rightfully so.

Every Lincoln on sale today is a gussied up version of a Ford. True, most mainstream automakers with luxury divisions, like Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura and Volkswagen/Audi, use a similar strategy of platform and technology sharing to save costs, but U.S. domestic automakers have never been particularly good at it. A Volkswagen is usually praised for being Audi-like, but a Lincoln is usually decried for being too similar to a Ford. Sharing can so easily become rebadging, and Lincoln dealers are wondering how they’ll live off a lineup of simply “more expensive” Fords.

The answer may lie in the 2011 Lincoln MKX, which is the lux version of the Ford Edge. Since the latter received a significant mid-cycle freshening for the 2011 model year, so has the former. With their first significant update since 2006, the duo is poised to upset the status quo in the premium mid-size CUV segment. We’ve already told you how impressed we are with the 2011 Edge, so you won’t be surprised to learn we feel much the same about the new MKX. The difference is that the Lincoln has a lot further to go to be competitive within the luxury CUV set. Does it succeed? Will we now praise the Edge for being Lincoln-like?

Continue reading…

Photos copyright (C)2010 John Neff / AOL

Continue reading Review: 2011 Lincoln MKX

Review: 2011 Lincoln MKX

The fight against E15 is heating up as a group of automakers have joined together to file a lawsuit that seeks to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to make available higher blends of ethanol for newer vehicles.

Ford, General Motors and Chrysler represent Detroit as part of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which also includes Jaguar, Land Rover, Porsche, BMW, Toyota, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Volkswagen and Volvo. The Auto Alliance is now part of a lawsuit that includes the International Automobile Manufacturers, the National Marine Manufacturers Association and the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute.

The groups are looking to overturn the EPA’s decision to grant a partial waiver for E15. Besides the environmental and possible vehicular effects that E15 can cause, the idea that the EPA can even grant a partial waiver is also being questioned. Thanks for the tip, Jesse!

[Source: Detroit News - sub. req.]

Report: Detroit carmakers join lawsuit against EPA looking to overturn E15 approval

In the eyes of international automotive media, the Tokyo Auto Salon tends to be overlooked, mostly due to its proximity to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Nonetheless, there’s still quite a bit to see at Tokyo’s aftermarket extravaganza, and Nissan, together with Autech Japan and the automaker’s Nismo performance division, will be showing nine models at the 2011 Auto Salon, which runs from January 14 to 16.

Nissan’s two freshest offerings, the Leaf and Juke, get added doses of sportiness, though apprently only in terms of appearance. The Leaf Aero Style Concept “expresses an image of futuristic sport EV driving,” says Nissan. All we know is, those wheels are excellent (albeit perhaps less than excellent for brake cooling). The Juke, on the other hand, wears dealer-installed parts designed for Europe and North America. Called the Juke Sporty Package, the show car includes things like chrome trim accessories and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Also on hand are two very different versions of the new Nissan Elgrand (that’s the Quest to us Yankees), one of which is designed to be a premium, luxurious cruiser while the other gets some help from the Nismo division (yes, a Nismo minivan). From there, Nissan is also displaying new versions of the March, Fairlady Z and, of course, the GT-R. See them all for yourself in the gallery below, and follow the jump for the official press release.

[Source: Nissan]

Continue reading Nissan plans nine debuts at Tokyo Auto Salon including Leaf Aero Style concept

Nissan plans nine debuts at Tokyo Auto Salon including Leaf Aero Style concept

It looks like Toyota isn’t finished shelling out cold, hard cash for its transgressions in handling its recalls. According to the Associated Press, the automaker has agreed to pay another $32.4 million in civil penalties. The money will effectively settle an inquiry into how Toyota handled recalls associated with both sticking accelerator pedals and faulty steering rods. The new penalty is stacked on top of the already record-setting $16.4 million that Toyota paid earlier this year, and brings the grand total up to a hefty $48.8 million. Even with that steep price tag, AP says that by agreeing to pay the fines, Toyota isn’t admitting to any wrongdoing.

The federal government contends that Toyota failed to notify officials in a timely manner when the automaker discovered potential safety defects. Meanwhile, Toyota seems to be willing to do whatever it takes to put the safety fiasco behind it so that the company can move forward.

[Source: AOL Autos]

Report: Toyota agrees to extra $32.4M in fines over recalls

Cadillac is no longer focused on having actress Kate Walsh ask us whether our car turns us on. Instead, the automaker is moving in a new direction and that requires a new voice. General Motors has just signed on Laurence Fishburne to become the new voice for Cadillac.

The first commercial with Morpheus Fishburne is set to run on January 1 during the Rose Bowl telecast. The new advertising campaign with which he’ll be a part of is called “Red-Blooded Luxury.”

With a title like that, we can only hope the focus will be on that pretty red 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon we recently got the chance to drive. We’re fans of Fishburne and eager to see where this all goes, but we can’t help but wonder what Caddy’s marketing campaign would’ve been like had Samuel L. Jackson been a bit closer to his phone. Check out the official press release after the jump.

[Source: General Motors Image: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty]

Continue reading Laurence Fishburne tapped to be new voice of Cadillac

Laurence Fishburne tapped to be new voice of Cadillac

Ford is looking to put you in the driver’s seat of its all-new 2012 Focus – in Europe. We already knew that the Blue Oval has been planning a large charity campaign around the launch of the car, and now we have more details. If you’re interested in participating, you can submit a video to Ford’s Focus Facebook fan page. The video should focus (*ahem*) on why you think you deserve the chance to test drive the car, because Ford’s Global Test Drive program isn’t just your standard test drive experience. Ford will fly you to Spain in February, where you’ll get to spend time behind the wheel of the 2012 Focus with GT2 Champion and Le Mans vet Justin Bell will be riding shotgun. Better still, you’ll get $10,000 to donate to the charity of your choice.

Since we would love one of our own readers to win this thing, here are a few helpful hints: Make sure to be creative and explain not only why you should be selected, but also what you would do with the $10,000 charitable donation. Ford is particularly interested in snagging some social media mavens, so it probably wouldn’t hurt to say that you found out about this because of Autoblog.com, either.

So now that you have the basics, go and grab your video camera. Once your video is done, it’s time to head over to Facebook.com/FordFocus and click “Global Drive” to enter the contest. Good luck – and be sure to let us know if you win!

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Submit a video, win Ford Focus Global Test Drive experience in Spain with Justin Bell

Submit a video, win Ford Focus Global Test Drive experience in Spain with Justin Bell

Is there anywhere Top Gear hasn’t gone? The hosts have crossed countries, continents, volcanoes and poles. The show has branched out from the UK to Australia, Russia, and the United States. The road show has gone around the world. And now Top Gear is landing on your Apple device with the launch of two new iOS games.

First up is Top Gear: Stunt School. The game challenges players to modify cars with over two billion different combinations of add-ons, from jet engines and wings to oversize wheels, in an effort to beat The Stig’s time around the Top Gear test track.

The Stig makes an even bigger appearance in the second game, called Top Gear: Where’s Stig? Based on the Where’s Waldo-style kids’ books, the game challenges players to find the “tame racing driver” in a variety of locations.

Prices range from $2.99 to $4.99 depending on the game and the device, with versions available for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, available directly from iTunes. iWant more details? Follow the jump for the press release and check out the images in our high-res gallery below.

[Source: BBC]

Continue reading Top Gear ‘Where’s Stig?’ and ‘Stunt School’ games hit iTunes

Top Gear ‘Where’s Stig?’ and ‘Stunt School’ games hit iTunes

In the two decades plus since Toyota launched Lexus as its premium marque, the brand has spread from its original market in North America to new markets around the world. Karl Schlicht has been with the company even longer: he’s now head of global marketing and product planning for Lexus, and he’s got a big job on his hands.

The trouble is that while North American buyers may want one thing from their luxury automobiles – values which Lexus was built on from the get-go – customers in Europe or Asia may want something else. Satisfying everyone’s taste is no mean feat, but Schlicht’s working on remaking Lexus to that end.

According to Automotive News, the idea is called “progressive luxury”, and it’s already taken hold with the new CT 200h. That’s the direction Lexus is heading, with more sport models and more hybrids. The future that Schlicht and company have in store for the marque involves more “expressive, daring designs” than the largely derivative and bland styling statements on many current and past models, more hybrids, more advanced telematics (navigation and communications) systems, more performance-oriented F and F Sports packages, as well as reaching into new segments.

Along the way, Schlicht says Lexus will need a new coupe to replace the discontinued SC430 as well, and while new crossovers or SUVs could be in the works (in addition to the LX, GX and RX lines), going even smaller than the CT to tackle Mini territory isn’t in the cards.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Lexus to skew “progressive luxury” with edgier, sportier designs and… more hybrids?

In spite of being busy making deals, preparing the Tesla factory and watching the stock price shoot up, the upstart automaker has still found time to remember the people who helped get it where it is today – it’s early adopting, Roadster-buying customers. And to share the good cheer, Tesla is giving them yet another Tesla Roadster.

The beneficiaries of Tesla’s largess won’t be driving these new battery-powered electrics over the river and through the woods to Grandma’s, though. These are radio-controlled Roadsters, which could go some way to reinforcing the notion that this new automobile company has a focus on customers like no other. This is an idea that will serve Tesla well as it moves forward toward a brave new oil-free motoring future. Hit the jump for video of the RC Tesla Roadster getting put through its paces.

[Source: Tesla Motors Club]

Continue reading Tesla catches Christmas spirit, gives away hundreds of Roadsters [w/video]

Tesla catches Christmas spirit, gives away hundreds of Roadsters [w/video]

	Tesla catches Christmas spirit, gives away hundreds of Roadsters It’s not what you think.		West Virgina McDonald’s to feature 2 plug-in charging stations Fill up while you fill up.
	The new reality: California resident plans to buy both Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf Why fight?	Other news: E15 lawsuit against EPA gets support from big automakers Video: MonoTracer E cruises the American southwest at 300 mpge Honda shows off Accord plug-in hybrid

AutoblogGreen for 12.21.10

The beauty of the BMW 1 Series M Coupe isn’t that the bean-counters let their best performance engineers have at the smallest car in the range. The real beauty is that the car goes back to the very roots of the M division, before the M3 went all V8 on us and took a hefty weight penalty in the process.

To illustrate the point, BMW took the new coupe out to the track, and brought along its spiritual predecessor, the original E30 M3. Fortunately for us, they filmed the encounter – all 11 and a half minutes of it. And while half of it is stock promotional footage, there’s a good few minutes of on-track action spliced in for good measure. Check it out in the video after the jump.

Continue reading Video: Over 11 minutes of BMW 1 Series M Coupe and E30 M3 hotness

Video: Over 11 minutes of BMW 1 Series M Coupe and E30 M3 hotness