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A design studio and contract manufacturer, when Pininfarina builds a car it’s typically under another brand’s auspices. That could change, however, with the Cambiano.

Unveiled just last week at the Geneva Motor Show, the 680-horsepower plug-in hybrid coupe concept – which we had the opportunity to examine close-up in the ramp-up to the show – is being considered for limited production.

If built for public consumption, the Cambiano is tipped to ditch the concept’s diesel turbine in favor of a more conventional electric powertrain with its range extended by a diesel engine. If Pininfarina were to build just ten examples, the pricetag on each would amount to about 1 million euros (approximately $1.3 million at today’s conversion rates) but if ramped up to 70 or 75 units, each would fetch around 400,000 euros (about $525,000).

Pininfarina mulling limited production run of Cambiano PHEV concept

It’s pretty obvious that automakers’ definition of the word ‘coupe’ these days is a far cry from the traditional meaning. (We do live in the world of the “four-door coupe,” after all.) That said, Car and Driver reports that Mini will call the company’s two-door Paceman Concept the Countryman Coupe once it hits production.

While it’s true that both the Paceman Concept and most coupes have two doors, the vehicle is more of a CUV/hatchback/crossover, at least to our eyes. Even so, the fact that the vehicle will reportedly share the Countryman moniker is no shock. Both vehicles wear the same nose front fascia, grille, headlights, fenders and hood. Even so, based on the automaker’s current naming convention, that means we’ll have to get used to saying something like “Mini Cooper S Countryman Coupe.” Because that won’t get confusing or anything.

Last we heard, the three-door Countryman will go on sale in 2013 as a 2014 model, and rumor has it that the production model will debut at the Paris Motor Show later this year. A few patent drawings have already made their way to the web, indicating the final version will be remarkably similar to the concept we’ve already seen.

Mini changing Paceman name to Countryman Coupe for production

General Motors is recalling 2012 model year Buick Regal sedans for, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number 108: lamps, reflective devices and associated equipment.” Specifically (and in layman’s terms), it means that the Regal’s parking lamps may be defective.

Vehicles affected by this recall were built between February 22, 2011 and February 22, 2012 – a grand total of 3,633 Regals.

GM will begin notifying owners about the recall this week, and dealers will reprogram the Regal’s body control module (that controls the parking lights) free of charge. Follow the jump for the full details in NHTSA’s official statement.

Continue reading Buick recalls 2012 Regal over lighting concern

Buick recalls 2012 Regal over lighting concern

This year’s Geneva Motor Show served up a scintillating buffet of vehicles, but the Lamborghini Aventador J may very well have been our favorite. With no roof, no windshield and all of the insane running gear of the standard Aventador, the roadster is the embodiment of exotic. But according to Top Gear, the car went from design sketch to reality in record time. Designer Filippo Perini told TG he first sketched up the Aventador J in mid-January after CEO Stephan Winkelmann asked his crew to to come up with something special for Geneva.

Despite the apparent similarities between the Aventador and the new Aventador J, the two models share only a handful of body components, including the front hood, fenders, headlights and rear fenders. Everything else is bespoke just for the concept.

If you like what you see as much as we do and want to take one home, too bad. The world’s only Aventador J is already sold to an unnamed collector for the lofty sum of $2.74 million at current conversion rates.

Lamborghini Aventador J Geneva star conceived, built in six weeks

Robots have been a part of every automaker’s manufacturing arsenal for three decades now, but that doesn’t make this latest effort at improving plant automation any less cool. While most factory robots are neither humanoid nor particularly interesting, the only thing more exciting than this pseudo-cyborg hand for rivetheads is ordering up the entire run of The Six Million Dollar Man from Netflix.

While General Motors clearly doesn’t have the cash or inclination to turn each of its roughly 50,000 United Auto Workers employees into Colonel Steve Austin, the new Robo-Glove would allow its wearer to have super hand strength. GM says the force required to grasp tools could be reduced by a third to a half for those wearing the special gloves, which are operated by a standard lithium-ion battery like the ones used to power cordless hand tools. The gloves would allow workers to hold their tools comfortably for longer periods of time and possibly reduce the risk of repetitive stress injury.

The gloves were an outgrowth of GM’s partnership with NASA in developing the Robonaut 2, the first humanoid robot to be launched into space when it went up to the International Space Station last year. GM developed the first prototype gloves in March 2011, while the second generation was completed three months later. They weigh about a pound each and contain all the electronics, actuators and a small display.

Click past the jump to read the full press release, plus watch a video demonstration.

Continue reading GM shows off robotic glove for use in vehicle assembly [w/video]

GM shows off robotic glove for use in vehicle assembly [w/video]

Geneva Motor Show Recap

Episode #273 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan hosts and is joined by Autoblog Executive Editor Chris Paukert and Zach Bowman. Topics range far and wide around our recap of the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. Your questions and comments power the end of the ‘cast, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. We’ve embedded our Q&A module after the jump for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!

Autoblog Podcast #273:

• Geneva Motor Show recap

In the Autoblog Garage
2012 Hyundai Accent
2012 Honda Civic Hybrid
2012 BMW 740i

Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Paukert, Zach Bowman

Feedback
Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com

Review the show in iTunes

Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #273

Autoblog Podcast #273

When we initially reported on the incredible Drendel Family Porsche collection that would be up for sale at Gooding & Company’s Amelia Island auction, we figured that many of the cars would command impressive sums. Now that it’s over, we doubt that even the auction house could have guessed just how successful the sale could be.

Held in conjunction with the Amelia Island Concours in the beginning of March, the auction smashed eleven world records for Porsches. A 1973 Porsche 917/30 Can-Am Spyder broke the record for both the most expensive Porsche and a 917 at $4.4 million, a 1955 Porsche 550 dropped the hammer at a record $3.685 million, and a 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR Turbo sold for $3.245 million. Other records broken include top prices for a Porsche 935, 962, 911 GT1, 906, 934, 924, 968 and 944. In total, ten cars sold for more than a million dollars, and all sales combined for a final sum of $36 million.

See below for more details on Gooding & Company’s 2012 Amelia Island auction as well as a full list of the most expensive cars sold.

Continue reading Million dollar Porsches highlight record-breaking Gooding & Company Amelia Island auction

Million dollar Porsches highlight record-breaking Gooding & Company Amelia Island auction

Fastest roadster ever. That’s one heck of a claim, but if anyone can assert it, it’s Bugatti. And the Alsatian automaker has brought 1,200 horsepower to back it up.

What we’re talking about, of course, is the Vitesse – the “best of both worlds” version of the famed Veyron. First announced in February and officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show last week, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse (as it’s known in full) has just had its full details released along with a fresh batch of rather fetching high-resolution images, which we’ve included in our gallery for your viewing pleasure.

So what are we looking at here, exactly? In short, a Grand Sport (that’s the targa-topped model) with the engine from the Super Sport (the record-holding top-speed model). That means a quad-turbo W-16 engine with 1,200 horsepower, good for a 255 mph top speed with the wind in your hair.

That, for comparison’s sake, is incrementally faster than the 253 mph top end of the “base” Veyron, yet slower than the 267 mph of the Super Sport with the same engine and a fixed roof. Crucially, however, it’s faster than the 229 mph top end of the 1,001hp Veyron Grand Sport roadster. Want to know more? There’s plenty to digest in the full press release and spec sheet after the jump.

Continue reading Bugatti opens up about Veyron Vitesse with more details, images

Bugatti opens up about Veyron Vitesse with more details, images

It appears that a British arbitration panel has shattered any hopes of seeing a small diesel Mahindra pickup truck in the States. According to PickupTrucks.com, the panel ruled in favor of the Indian automaker in Global Vehicles’ lawsuit against the company, saying the contract between the two companies had expired. Furthermore, Mahindra was not found to have violated any U.S. laws. The ruling is the final chapter in a saga that began six years ago when the companies announced that Global Vehicles would distribute Mahindra T20 and T40 compact diesel pickups in America.

In 2010, the deal began unraveling, with Mahindra saying Global Vehicles allowed the contract to expire. Global Vehicles, meanwhile, pointed the finger right back at its former Indian partner. It wasn’t long before the American company then sought arbitration.

Global Vehicles has been ordered to pay court costs.

In a separate case, a group of would-be Mahindra dealers sued the Indian company in U.S. District Court, but that suit was thrown out after the judge ruled Global Vehicles was not the recognized agent for Mahindra in the United States.

Global Vehicles’ plans for Mahindra in the U.S. officially toast

Infiniti has loosed the hounds of advertising on behalf of its new three-row, seven-seat crossover, the 2012 JX. The four spots, set to run throughout NCAA March Madness, are focused on features like a novel Backup Collision Intervention System, live personal assistant and tri-zone entertainment. They aren’t the most creative spots we’ve ever seen, but they do a good job of showing a number of the CUV’s unique features while placing the vehicle in a luxury context.

Infiniti also teamed with GILT yesterday, the same luxury-minded e-tailer that sold Volkswagen Jetta sedans for $5,995 for a day back in 2010. This time, there was only one loaded JX35 up for grabs, but the lucky buyer got the luxury ute for half price: $27,425. Follow the jump to watch the ads and check out the press release.

Continue reading 2013 Infiniti JX ad blitz to tip off with NCAA March Madness

2013 Infiniti JX ad blitz to tip off with NCAA March Madness

Residents of Amish communities famously eschew almost all trappings of modernity. No TV, no telephones, limited use of electricity, and, gasp, no Autoblog! But there comes a time in a young Amish person’s life when they’re allowed to go out and taste the world. And sometimes alcohol.

Case in point: Sunday evening, police in Sherman, N.Y. were responding to reports of a group of young Amish having a “buggy party.” Before they could get there, though, another buggy carrying four Amish allegedly switched lanes abruptly and collided with the patrol car.

The buggy flipped, injuring one of the passengers and, we imagine, spilling what police say was the fruits of a beer run.

The crash must have been loud enough for the partygoers to hear, because when the cops finally showed up, several buggies were observed fleeing the scene.

The four passengers of the bashed-up buggy are charged with underage possession of alcohol. The driver, 20, faces additional charges since police say he admitted to being the host of the party.

And, by the way, the horse is fine. Police say it, wisely, fled the scene and took shelter in a nearby barn.

Four Amish charged with illegal alcohol possession after crashing into police car

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began an investigation of the 2003 and 2004 Infiniti M45 late last year over inaccurate fuel gauge readings, and now that probe has resulted in an official recall. The culprit has been identified as a faulty circuit board that causes the gauge to register more fuel in the tank than the car actually has.

According to NHTSA, Infiniti will begin notifying owners in mid-April, at which time they can take their sport sedans to the dealer to be replaced free of charge. Follow the jump for the official word from NHTSA with more details.

Continue reading Infiniti recalling 2003-2004 M45 sedans over potential fuel gauge issue

Infiniti recalling 2003-2004 M45 sedans over potential fuel gauge issue

U.S. District Judge James Selna – who has presided over the unintended acceleration cases against Toyota since 2010 – says the automaker does not have the right to compel 20 named plaintiffs into arbitration. The plaintiffs are seeking class-action status for lawsuits covering economic losses from the alleged issue of unintended acceleration. Toyota had maintained that leasing and purchase agreements signed by the owners denies owners the right to class-action litigation.

According to Bloomberg, although the ruling covers all 20, the are two kinds of plaintiffs in this instance. The judge decided that Toyota had lost its right to arbitration with fifteen of the plaintiffs only because Toyota waited so long to pursue it. Selna concluded that since the plaintiffs had come so far in the litigation process that “They would be prejudiced if their claims were required to be submitted to arbitration now.”

Selna further denied Toyota’s right to arbitration with the remaining five because “the carmaker wasn’t a party to the arbitration agreements between the plaintiffs and the Toyota dealers.” The ruling finalizes the tentative decision Selna issued last month.

Class-action status for the plaintiffs, however, has not yet been granted. Three trials are scheduled for next year, and they will be used to set precedents for evidence, liability and theories. It is expected that a final decision on class-action status will come after the conclusion of those three cases.

Ruling says Toyota can’t require arbitration for unintended acceleration plaintiffs

Fisker has found itself struggling with a range of technical issues shortly after the launch of the company’s Karma extended-range EV, from faulty battery packs to pesky software updates. According to one former employee, that’s no surprise. According to GigaOM, the worker in question reportedly left the company because of a push to get the production model out the door to satisfy Department of Energy loan requirements even though the early cars had a range of technical issues that still required sorting. The report lacks much in the way of specifics, and the unnamed defector now works for another EV startup, Coda, leading some to question the individual’s motives.

Fisker, meanwhile, says quality and customer satisfaction are top priorities for the company, and that the automaker has been quick to solve any issues that have surfaces thus far. Owners have access to a 24-hour VIP help line in the case of a technical problem.

While the DOE awarded the company a $529 million loan in 2009, Fisker has only been able to draw on a portion of the funds due to delays in the Karma development.

Whistleblower alleges Fisker Karma pushed to market prematurely to meet DOE loan conditions

The mantra of the builder of this R/C DeLorean replica from Back to the Future is: “куда мы идем, нам не нужны дороги.” According to Google Translate, that’s Russian for, “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” Appropriate, eh?

With a painted foamcore body and blue LEDs, this Mr. Fusion-equipped DMC-12 sits on a quadrotor platform and is powered by a distinctly non-nuclear lithium-polymer battery juicing four motors, a speed controller and stabilizer. While no plutonium is required, this homebuilt’s cool is practically radioactive. Check it out after the jump.

Continue reading R/C flying DeLorean drone doesn’t need roads

R/C flying DeLorean drone doesn’t need roads

All-Wheel Drive Sans Compromise

One can hardly mutter the words “German,” “luxury” and “all-wheel drive” without invoking visions of Audi. The company has worked hard to make its Quattro all-wheel-drive system synonymous with each of the phrases above, and its tireless marketing, successful motorsports programs and loyal fans have inextricably married the Four Rings to the power of all-wheel drive luxury. But Audi isn’t the only German manufacturer putting power to all four wheels. Buyers have been happily bringing BMW xDrive models home for years, and Mercedes-Benz has a long and storied history of grips-at-all-four-corners innovation as well.

From vehicles like the globe-conquering Unimog to the somewhat more civil G-Class, the Silver Arrow has more than a little experience when it comes to overcoming uncertain terrain. Beyond four-wheel drive systems, Mercedes has sold over one million 4Matic all-wheel drive vehicles in the U.S. since the system’s debut here in 1989. These days, Benz offers 4Matic on 10 of its vehicle lines in a total of 21 variations, and for 2012, luxury coupe buyers can rejoice in the inclusion of both the E350 4Matic Coupe and the C350 4Matic Coupe to the horde. With rivals like the Audi A5 and BMW 335i xDrive Coupe already default choices for two-door shoppers who prefer the foul weather capability of all-wheel drive, will the newest additions to the Mercedes-Benz stable be able to keep the pace? We took to the C350 4Matic Coupe to find out.

Continue reading 2012 Mercedes-Benz C350 4Matic

2012 Mercedes-Benz C350 4Matic

You may never have heard of the French carmaker Facel. After starting out as a coachbuilder for companies like Delahaye and Bentley, Facel moved on to crafting entire cars. From 1954 to 1962, the company produced the Chrysler Hemi-powered Vega. Facel closed its doors in 1964, but some intriguing sketches and renderings have stirred up a lot of chatter on the Internet of a possible revival of the brand.

Details are scarce and almost impossible to verify, but if Google’s translation of French websites are believable, the image above is a rendering of what the resurrected Facel could show off at this September’s Paris Motor Show and we might even see a production version in 2014. But rumors written in French translated by Google are not exactly credible. The images all appear to come from a constantly updated Facebook page called “Facel Vega Concept.”

Swoopy fenders, and a slick greenhouse wrap the four-seater concept in a sports car disguise. The interior sketches show minimal seating that seem more suited to racing than relaxing.

Speaking of performance, there’s no mention of what would power such a car, but it sure is fun imagining that car barking with the power of Dodge’s 392-cubic inch, 470-horsepower, 6.4-liter Hemi. Sinister sexiness.

Facel Vega revival in the works?

The DeltaWing project now has two major corporate backers and, more importantly, an engine. Nissan and Michelin have signed on with the innovative project of designer Ben Bowlby, Dan Gurney’s All-American Racers and Don Panoz. Now called the Nissan DeltaWing, the Japanese firm will provide a turbocharged, direct-injected 1.6-liter, four-cylinder with an output of around 300 horsepower. Known as DIG-T, the powerplant shares the same roots as the engine in the Nissan Juke.

That’s about 200 hp down on the 510 horsepower developed by the diesel V6 in the Audi R18 e-tron Quattro and about half the horsepower developed by other LMP1 racers. However, Nissan says the engine is half the weight of a typical LMP1 motor, and paired with the DeltaWing’s minimal aerodynamic drag, the lap times are said to be somewhere between those of the LMP1 and LMP2 classes. Why does this matter? Because Nissan and Co. are taking this needle-nosed baby to Le Mans.

Of call cars and classes, Nissan says this strangest looking effort is one that will “showcase the pioneering technology that will show one potential direction for the future of motorsport and will feed into the research and development of future technologies, that filter down to Nissan’s road car product range.”

The Nissan DeltaWing will be allowed to run in the 24 Hours of Le Mans following a special dispensation for an experimental car that doesn’t follow any technical guidelines offered by ACO, the organizer of Le Mans. It will use Garage 56, it will wear Number 0, and won’t be classified in the results. Even so, we’ll be watching closely. Follow the jump for a video of the racecar’s development and a press release detailing Nissan’s involvement.

Continue reading Nissan backs DeltaWing racecar, headed for Le Mans [w/video]

Nissan backs DeltaWing racecar, headed for Le Mans [w/video]

If you have your heart set on picking up a new Subaru BRZ, you better get moving. Car and Driver reports the automaker is only shipping 6,000 of the coupes to the U.S. for the 2013 model year. The news reportedly surfaced via a Subaru dealer. While the automaker hasn’t officially announced exactly how many 2013 BRZ Coupe models will be allocated for American buyers, it has said the vehicle will arrive in “extremely limited quantities” in the past.

The news dovetails with earlier reports, which indicated the company would need to sell somewhere between 5,000 and 7,000 units at $25,000 a piece to break even, though at the time, no one mentioned Subaru wouldn’t bump up production if there was demand.

We’ve reached out to the automaker for comment and will keep you posted on any forthcoming information. In the mean time, we’ll leave you to pour over your finances to figure out how to bring one of these fine-handling machines home before there are none left. Word has it Subaru is already accepting pre-orders.

Preorder Now: Subaru only sending 6,000 BRZ Coupes to U.S. in 2013

If you’ve ever wanted to flag down one of Mexico City’s classic Volkswagen Bug taxis, you’d better book your travel now. The last of the iconic cabs will be decommissioned by the end of the year, according to the Associated Press.

VW hasn’t built the classic Beetle since 2003, the same year that Mexico City began requiring that taxi operators switch to four-door vehicles. The last Bugs that entered service as cabs back in 2002 have already been given two extra years of service compared to most taxis, according to the report.

The cabs are considered particularly dangerous, not just because they are essentially 74-year-old cars, but also because cab drivers generally remove the front passenger seat to facilitate access to the cramped rear quarters of the Beetle. But the cars are cheap to operate and according to one former Mexico City cabbie, help make the streets safer.

“Today the cars are bigger, and they drive faster,” Vera Perez told the AP, “Before, they drove more cautiously, because any accident would destroy them.”

Mexico finally stomping out its fleet of VW Bug taxis