| Prius gets 83 mpg over 3,450 miles More miles and more miles per gallon. |
Not secretive, exactly, but less open – maybe. |
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Lincoln Follows Ford and Takes the Refresh to a New Level
If there’s a sales star of the lineup, it’s the . luxury arm has managed to move over 100,000 of the leather-lined crossovers since 2006, and that pace doesn’t look to be slowing anytime soon. Lincoln says the crossover market here in the U.S. is bound to swell considerably in the coming years, and since it already represents nearly four percent of the automotive industry as a whole, everyone seems to know that this is no place to cut corners. Fortunately, the MKX is set to enjoy its second refresh since hitting the market four years ago.
Given the vehicle’s significance, it should come as no surprise that Lincoln is using the 2011 MKX as a springboard for its vision of the company’s future. The refreshed MKX benefits from a raft of updates that include many of the changes we saw hit the crossover’s Blue Oval clone, the . With more power, a quieter cabin and an interior that’s finally becoming of a true luxury brand, the MKX has the makings of a sales winner. We’re just not sure the Lincoln high-rider is far enough away from its kissing-cousin.
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Photos copyright (C)2010 Zach Bowman / AOL
Italy’s equivalent of America’s Blue Angels is called the Frecce Tricolori, or Tricolor Arrows. Otherwise known by its official name, the 313th Gruppo Addestramento Acrobatico, the aerobatic team celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The squad recently brought the smoke and cartwheels with its fleet of Aeromacchi MB-339 jets, while Pagani added a little extra razzle-dazzle by taking its special edition to the Rivolti Air Force base for some fun-and-gun. As usual, there’s beauty everywhere. for the vid.
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The Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), which oversees various Le Mans series in Europe and elsewhere, to the 2011 LMP1-class cars, aiming to equalize performance between diesel- and gasoline-engined cars. Sniffing a chance to not only steal some thunder, but perhaps beat and Peugeot over the head with it, plans a brand-new LMP1 entrant for 2011 to go for overall Le Mans victory.
An open cockpit, monococque single-seater with a new engine, it would be the first racing Aston developed entirely in-house in fifty years. The biggest X factor is whether, and how much, the regulations will actually work to close the diesel/gas disparity. If it’s close, Aston Martin Chairman Dave Richards believes his company is in with a shout. Follow the jump for the press release.
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[Source: Aston Martin]
Since the departure of Stefan Jacoby, has been hunting for a new helmsman for its U.S. operations. Word is that VW have found that man. Jonathan Browning, a former managing executive for and , is set to take over when taking the CEO spot at .
Browning initially joined the Volkswagen team in June to head the national sales effort for all 10 brands under the VAG umbrella. He began his career with General Motors back in 1981, working with Vauxhall and then moving on to manage GM Turkey. Browning eventually left the General for the Blue Oval where he was involved with marketing and served as managing director for (then Ford-owned) from 1997 through 2001. GM got him back and he climbed its ladder, rising to the position of Head of Global Sales – a post he resigned from in 2009.
While Browning’s appointment isn’t official yet, Volkswagen will be holding an event tomorrow at 11 AM EST to announce its new U.S. CEO, so expect confirmation before noon on Monday.
[Source: - Sub. Req.]
Whether it’s wrestling a 3,000 lb NASCAR bruiser around a tri-oval for hours on end, sliding a rear-wheel drive or coaxing a GT350 around Laguna Seca with a flock of similarly vintage iron, knowing the limits of a vehicle better than anyone else on the track will earn our deference in a hurry.
It’s in that spirit that we bow down before Shin Kinoshita.
As one of the stunt riders with the Icon-sponsored Empire team, Kinoshita’s several notches above the rest of his crew in terms of the blatant insanity required to bend a motorcycle to one’s will. While each of his individual stunts are supremely impressive, it’s the transitions between them that will send your jaw skittering off your desk. Lest you think we exaggerate, please and check out the promo video. Your concept of physics may never be the same. Thanks for the tip, Matt!
[Source: via ]
“When all is said and done,” wrote the English poet Margaret Sackville, “monotony may after all be the best condition for creation.” That may be, but it sure doesn’t bode well for motorsport, where the domination of a single team can (and often does) lead to boring racing.
Enthusiasts tuning in for Saturday qualifying have been met with just such monotony, as Red Bull Racing has taken the pole in all but two races so far. The exceptions came when Lewis Hamilton took pole (and rode it all the way to the checkered flag) in , and this weekend, where the final starting grid could hardly have given the local fans more hope if Silvio Berlusconi, Leonardo da Vinci or Luciano Pavarotti had taken it himself. Follow the jump to find out how it went down.
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Like The Six Million Dollar Man going through his paces for Dr. Wells, the Lancia Stratos was recently thrown around the track for its patron, Michael Stoschek and his son Maximilian. The commentary and interviews are in German, but that’s beside the point; the language spoken by the Stratos is 483-horsepower mid-engined Ferrari – a dialect anyone with a pulse can understand.
Follow the jump for the vid. (Warning: if you click the link to Autojunk, the video autoplays.)
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More than 450 executives from ’s white collar force, going all the way back to Lee Iacocca, have sued Daimler and Cerberus for gutting the value of their collective supplemental pensions to the tune of $100 million. They class action suit took the noted step of not suing Fiat-owned Chrysler, with the lead attorney saying that “Everybody involved in this suit loves that company and like everybody else wants to see it succeed.”
Plaintiffs accuse Daimler and Cerberus of not adequately protecting the supplemental pensions from creditors as Chrysler’s health slid from trouble to terminal. Those pensions weren’t moved to the new Chrysler, and now the former execs are paying the price. Follow the jump for a press release from the lead firm handling the case.
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Perhaps on the corporate side hasn’t had much to gloat about lately, but on the product side it’s cigars and bubbly and told-ya-so’s. When the took to the track it in the Italian Supercar series, and that came just as the 25,000th four-door was being . It’s a good thing the factory was working so hard: 22,518 of those Panameras have been sold after just a year on the market.
A finer peek into the numbers reveals the Panamera 4S is the sales king, followed by the Turbo and the Panamera S. And in the “No Surprise At All” file, Los Angeles leads individual markets with 890 deliveries. Follow the jump for the press release on the ugly-but-quick duckling turned sales swan.
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Photos Copyright (C) 2010 Drew Philips, Michael Harley / AOL
[Source: Porsche]
UK company HPI recently put out a list of as chosen by its customers, with Lynyrd Skynyrd über alles. Now AOL Radio has put together its own list of car songs chosen by listeners, but these are songs about cars, not necessarily the ones you’d choose to play in cars.
Not quite as oddball as the HPI list, it still runs through eras and categories: Tracy Chapman (Fast Car), Foghat (Slow Ride), Metallica (Fuel) and the Clash (Brand New Cadillac) are among the chosen, as well as Gary Numan – who’s – with Cars. At number one: War’s Low Rider. Take a little trip for the rest of the list and to have a listen.
[Source: ]
You can quit biting your nails waiting for to unveil pricing information on the2011 , , and . The company has just announced that, starting next year, the Pathfinder will start at $27,840 for the two-wheel drive, V6 S model. That marks a $300 increase over the 2010 version. Topped out, the SUV will set you back $42,600 for the four-wheel drive V8 LE.
Meanwhile, the base, two-wheel drive Xterra X commands an MSRP of $23,850, which is about $1,100 more than the outgoing model. Option up to the range-topping four-wheel drive PRO-4X with an automatic gearbox, and you can expect to hand over $30,100 of your hard-earned cash.
If a pickup is more your flavor, Nissan will let you hop into a Frontier S King Cab two-wheel drive for $17,750, though the topped-out SL Crew Cab with four-wheel drive, long-wheelbase chassis and a V6 engine coupled to a five-speed automatic gearbox will cost significantly more at $31,630.
Finally, the company has priced the 2011 Nissan Altima sedan at $19,900 when equipped with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and a CVT gearbox. Look to pay $22,940 for the Altima Coupe and $26,780 for the hybrid sedan.
None of the prices above include destination, so you can expect things to be just a bit more expensive by the time you leave the dealer lot with keys in hand. for the full press release.
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[Source: Nissan]
Earlier this month, we mentioned that . It’s time for Scuderia fans to brush up on their virtual F1 skills, because the Ferrari Virtual Academy is now available for download. The racing sim took 12,000 hours to develop and utilized the input of Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella.
The first course available for purchase is the Fiorano circuit. It costs €14.90 (about $18.97 USD) and allows players from around the globe to compete against each other in Ferrari F10 Formula One race cars. Lap times are already up on the and the competition will continue to heat up as more tracks are released. Next up is Mugello, and then players will get their shot at taming the Nürburgring. The two extra tracks will run €9.90 (about $12.60 USD) each, with all three tracks painstakingly reproduced down to the tiniest details.
All drivers will be able to record and post their lap times as part of an international competition and each week, will send out prizes for the top times. At the end of the competition, the five fastest drivers will win a trip to Maranello and take part in a Ferrari Driver Academy course.
Time to stretch those gaming thumbs and take on the world.
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[Source: Ferrari]
Just six weeks remain until the Korean Grand Prix takes place on October 24. The track itself is only barely ready and the surrounding infrastructure is , but that didn’t stop Karun Chandhok from running a few fast laps. On leave from HRT F1 for a few races, Chandhok piloted a Red Bull on grooved tires through the dusty 3.49-mile circuit. It looks a lot more exciting on paper than it does behind the wheel – save for the massive straight – but hopefully the championship battle will provide enough excitement on its own. for the video.
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received a €200 million loan from the European Investment Bank in March of this year, and sought another €300 million to cement its finances as it navigated the process of being sold by Ford. The rest of the funds were put on hold as Ford concluded the deal with China’s Geely, but now that Volvo is ready to take delivery of the additional sum.
Geely-owned Volvo has revised its product timeline compared to when when it first applied for EIB assistance, however. As a result, . At the moment, the process is on hold while Geely discusses loan guarantees with the Swedish government, but perhaps that extra dosh – assuming it’s approved – will help pay for Volvo’s .
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Canada’s SR Autos’ formula appears to be as follows: Drape cars in light-swallowing shades of black, add some performance to the package and then hang a military-operation codename on it.
This is the Typhön, a former beauty queen turned Black Ops mission leader. Underneath the Leios matte black wrap are a tuned ECM; Milltek downpipe and sport exhaust; Reiger carbon fiber aero mods front and back; H&R coilover suspension and ADV 5.1 wheels in 20 inches of complementary matte ebony. If Bruce Wayne ever decides to go with something a little more subtle, this’d fit the bill. Have a look at the high-res gallery of photos below.
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You can get graphics for your , , and now the joins the wrapped-up bunch. There will but one customization option: a black hood inspired by the racing Broncos of the 1970s – wilder trucks in wilder days. As well as lending a little bit of old-school-style badass, a side benefit of the new graphic is a reduction of glare coming off the hood. The digital mud bedside graphic available since the Raptor’s debut remains an option. Follow the jump for the press release and see what hath wrought in the gallery of high-res photos below.
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[Source: Ford]
F-150 SVT Raptor
Ben Collins, the artist driver formerly known as The Stig, is making sure he keeps everyone tabbed on his side of the story. Most recently, he has accused the BBC of bullying him when he informed them that he was writing a book about his years of anonymous lap times. Furthermore, he alleges that it was the BBC that actually in a piece for one of its own magazines, the Radio Times. After that, Collins says, he felt that his time in the white suit was tenuous and that he should “either jump or be pushed.”
Collins’ assertions appear a little shaky. The BBC article he highlights as “outing” him was a piece that took names from UK betting outlet William Hill to wonder about The Stig’s identity. At the top was Damon Hill, next was Ben Collins and at the bottom was A Giant Wasp, so Collins as a potential Stig was already a matter of speculation — at least with the bookmakers. As for the bullying claims, the BBC refutes the accusations. Collins says he was “ of his BBC bosses,” but is anyone really surprised that the BBC wanted to keep a secret… secret?
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My first time going to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance was back in 2003. There were some incredible classic cars on the 18th fairway, with celebrating its 100th anniversary and as the featured marque. In the multitude of millions of dollars worth of cars, though, there was one car that stood out from all the others – Peter Williamson’s 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic. Despite my complete lack of knowledge of pre-war cars at the time, even I could recognize that the car had a presence about it that no other vehicle at the show could boast. My intuition was right, and the Bugatti eventually went on to win the coveted Best of Show award that year.
The Bugatti made the news again earlier this year when Gooding & Company announced it had . Soon after, it was announced that the car would be on display at the recently-opened Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, CA. Since I’m always looking for an excuse for the museum to let me look at their incredible collection of cars, I called them up and convinced them to let me have a look.
After an hour of inspecting and photographing every inch of the car, I’m declaring the 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic worthy of its title as the world’s most expensive car. Hit the jump for my top ten reasons why.
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Photos copyright (C)2010 / AOL
The Stig drama continues from the land of Top Gear. Former employee Sophia Vaizey was a production coordinator on the popular television show for 18 months. When she left, she was presented with a helmet worn by the Stig from 2002 to 2005, signed by Richard Hammond, members of the production crew and The Stig, himself.
Now that the frenzy surrounding Top Gear’s former wheelman has reached a fever pitch, Mrs. Vaizey is looking to cash in on her parting gift. Her family points out to her, perhaps quite wisely, that the helmet will likely be worth far less in 10 years than it is right now. Thus, she is bringing the iconic white brain bucket to market – Stig’s helmet is heading to Gorringes Auctioneers on October 20th.
We wouldn’t be surprised if Jeremy Clarkson had some choice words for Sophia Vaizey. for following the money and Mrs. Vaizey appears to be going the same route. The helmet may have been a gift, but it’s her gift and she has every right to make some money off of it. However, if that helmet were placed on our shelf, it would stay there…
…Unless the offer was really high.
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