Canada had its own , and they went for a more elusive beast: Sasquatch. Created to push the , the “Country Drive” spot highlights a couple who are amazed at what they find on a drive through the woods. From the Sasquatch’s perspective, the feeling’s mutual.
The Canadians didn’t stop there: they made nine “Sasquatch on Set” clips to show what it’s like working with yeti. Strangely, he never takes an interest in the Genesis Coupe when he’s not working, but you can check out all the spots .
Motorsport is full of amazing spectacles, and many of them are directly caused by the various peculiarities of specific race tracks. To wit, is known for The Corkscrew, will always be linked to the Mulsanne Straight, The has The Carousel, and the ability to take Spa’s Eau Rouge and Raidillon corners flat-out is what separates the men from the boys.
And then there’s The Mountain at Cadwell Park. Though not nearly as well known outside the U.K. as many other race track features, The Mountain may be one of the most exciting places to point a video camera in all of motorsport. It’s a small hill that comes up directly after a tight left-to-right S-turn, and it routinely launches the bravest riders high into the sky as they try to get the best drive from the corner possible… and it spits many of them sprawling back out the other side on their bums.
If you’re not familiar with The Mountain, we suggest you watch the video . Aim high, boys and girls.
A California woman last week, receiving nearly $10,000 in damages after getting lower-than-advertised fuel economy in her Hybrid. Early next week, we may have a better idea of how many people intend to follow her lead.
A key deadline arrives Saturday that affects all U.S. residents who bought a Civic Hybrid between 2003 and 2009. Those owners are considered part of a class-action lawsuit regarding the fuel-economy issue – unless they opt out of the case by Saturday.
Owners who opt out will not be entitled to the expected settlement of up to $200 and a coupon off their next purchase. But opting out preserves their right to go it alone in court, as Heather Peters did, and seek a more substantial payout.
In order to opt out, owners must send a certified letter to the settlement administrator postmarked no later than tomorrow. More information can be found at hchsettlement.com.
Automakers, legal experts and consumer-rights advocates are all keeping an eye on what happens in the class-action suit, both in terms of how the case is settled and how many people forgo a smaller settlement with the intent of filing individual cases.
The first few racers have made their first appearance in the United States, ahead of their competition debut in the the . Although the machine is labeled with the 2012 designation, the latest GT3 RSR is actually still based on the 997 model, not the latest 991 variant of Porsche’s long-running model range.
Still, there are plenty of updates that make this GT3 interesting to racers. For starters, a mandatory air-restrictor still lets in enough oxygen for the 4.0-liter boxer six to deliver 460 horsepower to the 310-millimeter rear wheels, which necessitate bodywork that is 48 millimeters wider than before. Like 911 Turbo models, new air scoops are incorporated into the rear fenders – just one small part of a completely revised aero package.
Three images of the 2012 911 GT3 RSR in race trim during shakedown testing at Sebring have been released, and you can see them above. A full press release is , if you’re so inclined.
Bound and determined to get your hands on an Aston Martin One-77? If so, now’s the time to get serious. According to duPont Registry, the very last factory-built One-77 is finally up for sale.
The car is located in Tampa Bay, Florida, and its exact build number is not known. According to the report, the and last One-77, build numbers one and 77, were pre-sold to wealthy buyers expecting them to appreciate in value faster than the other 75 One-77 models created.
In any case, duPont Registry claims there are between five and eight One-77 supercars roaming the streets in the United States, making this one rare . Interested? Better get a move on… and bring along something in the neighborhood of $2 million.
Bound and determined to get your hands on an Aston Martin One-77? If so, now’s the time to get serious. According to duPont Registry, the very last factory-built One-77 is finally up for sale.
The car is located in Tamba Bay, Florida, and its exact build number is not known. According to the report, the and last One-77, build numbers one and 77, were pre-sold to wealthy buyers expecting them to appreciate in value faster than the other 75 One-77 models created.
In any case, duPont Registry claims there are between five and eight One-77 supercars roaming the streets in the United States, making this one rare . Interested? Better get a move on… and bring along something in the neighborhood of $2 million.
clearly wants to get as much mileage as it can out of the “duel” it staged between its Hybrid and the S Hybrid. You’ll remember , ahead of the hybrid . got Guinness World Records to proclaim it the fastest accelerating full hybrid last year, which served as the inspiration for filming the online ad.
Now, a new video has been posted to YouTube, showing some behind the scenes footage of the filming of the ad. It’s not exactly earth-shattering stuff, as the parts we found most interesting were the shots of the camera chase car, which is neither an Infiniti nor a Porsche, but actually a .
While we like the spot, this second go-round with it had us contemplating other things. We always wonder about the effectiveness of comparing your brand to another when it’s clearly done to try and rub some of that competitive luster onto your own badge. And backing it up by throwing out a name that we most closely associate with ? We like the M Hybrid, and we’re happy to get more of a look at it, but if Infiniti really wants to impress, we’d like to see some more competitive comparisons, like how it performs on a road course or even how it matches up with non-hybrid models.
According to a report from The Associated Press, the has opened a probe into possible driver-side door fires in sedans and crossovers. A total of 830,000 vehicles may be affected.
Six fires have been reported to NHTSA, all stemming from the door-mounted power window switch. Five of the fires are said to have been minor, with one resulting in the total loss of a Camry that burnt to a crisp before firefighters were able to respond.
It’s important to note that this is not (yet) a recall. NHTSA opened an investigation on Monday, February 6, and a recall could potentially be announced depending on NHTSA’s findings. Toyota has said in a statement that it is cooperating fully with the investigation.
Yesterday, Car and Driver called out GM in a snarky blog post for to refresh the . GM didn’t confirm C/D’s suspicions at the time, but after we called and asked politely, PR did answer our request.
According to spokesman Joe LaMuraglia, the liftgate glass, spoiler, rear quarter panel and rear side glass are all sourced from the . The hatch is also the same as the , but that’s always been the case, as the old Acadia used the same part.
Now before you rush to judgment here, we suggest you take a good hard look at the new Acadia and tell us you don’t think it looks better than the old model. We’ve always thought the Saturn Outlook was the more attractive of the siblings, so we don’t have any issues with GM’s parts-sharing tactic, especially considering all these parts are in the rear of the vehicle rather than up front in the all-important “face.”
Considering that GM is likely to still be producing service parts for the thousands of Outlooks on the road, this is actually a really good move. Needless spending to refresh the Acadia when this suitable alternative already exists is the kind of smart decision that we hope GM continues to make.
With the demise of the in the United States, the fate was sealed. With no chassis rolling out of Hethel, had to end production of the Roadster and shift its focus to the and the .
But some kind of Roadster successor has always been in the cards and as , the new sports car was supposed to arrive next year. But according to Elon Musk, the release of the next Tesla Roadster could be as far as four years away. And probably longer.
Speaking with Inside Line, Musk said said that Tesla’s next project will be its “Gen 3″ electric car; a smaller, mass-market EV that will carry a more affordable price tag. Originally, this new model was going to launch in 2016, but Musk revealed that the automaker is now “thinking early 2015.”
While the escalated timeline is good for EVs, it’s not good for EV enthusiasts. According to Musk, the next Roadster won’t be out until after the Gen 3 launches, and that means Tesla won’t have another sports car until 2016 at the earliest.
Expect the next Soul to look something like the Track’ster, with Kia deploying more than one variant.
is one of the big hits of the , one of the rare concepts that just screams, “Build me!” But after a thorough interrogation of Kia’s PR team and an interview with design chief Peter Schreyer, we realize that’s just wishful thinking. We do, however, expect the next to look something like the Track’ster, with Kia deploying more than one variant when the second generation appears in a few years.
“If the Soul were to evolve into a family, it would be nice,” Schreyer told us.
Kia spokesman Scott McKee repeatedly said the Track’ster was just a concept and not intended to be production feasible, all the while issuing the standard auto company disclaimer, “Every concept car we do is about gathering information from consumers and media.”
One of the big pieces of information Kia is likely looking for is whether performance cars from Kia would play with the notoriously cliquish enthusiast community. Even more importantly, however, Kia will be gauging interest in additional body styles for the Soul. Schreyer said he thinks the Soul would be “more substantial” if it were also offered in a two-door version, or in a more performance-oriented flavor. All-wheel drive is a feature Schreyer also specifically mentioned as being on his wish list.
Most concepts you’ll see on the show stands of the will come packing some manner of sci-fi powertrain and ultra-expensive chassis and body materials. That’s where the FT-Bh concept stands apart.
Toyota is calling it a “full hybrid city car study,” so the FT-Bh isn’t destined for production. However, Toyota’s goal was to create an inexpensive, fuel efficient urban runabout that doesn’t rely on expensive materials or complex manufacturing, but rather uses existing technology to make an affordable hybrid for the masses – something that would be perfect for Europe.
Thing is, Toyota is bringing just that to Geneva in mass-market form.
Joining the FT-Bh on stage is the production version of the Hybrid, which for all intents and purposes is exactly what the FT-Bh is: an inexpensive, small hybrid based off an existing platform and using tried-and-true technology. Packing a 1.5-liter gasoline engine mated with an electric motor, the Yaris Hybrid outputs 98 horsepower and is some 20% lighter than the Auris Hybrid. Toyota is calling it “Europe’s first full hybrid supermini,” which begs the question: Where’s the line between a “supermini” and a “city car?” We’ll find out when we’re on the floor in Switzerland next month.
Get all the details on Toyota’s Geneva plans in the press blast .
Turin-based styling house has released a couple of sketches teasing its upcoming Nuccio Concept car. To be debuted at the in March, the Nuccio will reportedly be based on a mid-engine platform and is meant to commemorate the company’s 100-year anniversary.
The Nuccio is named after founder Giovanni Bertone’s son, who took over the company and separated it into two divisions, one for building cars and one for designing them for clients. Giuseppe “Nuccio” Bertone died in 1997 and was , having led his eponymous company through its most successful years.
The Nuccio Concept will be a berlinetta (Italian for little saloon) of classic Bertone design, sporting a pronounced wedge shape that sits very low to the ground. No real details were provided with the two sketches, so we’ll have to wait until the Geneva festivities kick off for any hints on the powertrain or seating configuration.
Some 36,000 owners will soon be getting mail from . Automatic transmission-equipped 2012 Versas built between June 9, 2011, and January 13, 2012, may have defective shifter knobs or shifter assemblies, which could allow the car to be shifted out of park without first pressing the brake pedal.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report says that the defect increases the risk of crash or injury to pedestrians. The recall campaign is scheduled to begin on February 20, and concerned owners can call Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
There’s something undeniably enthralling about watching a vehicle perform outside of its intended element. It’s why we love seeing semi tractors weaving their way around a road course and rally cars bashing down a rock-strewn desert path. It’s also why watching a Formula car dash around the snow-covered Nürburgring paints a big ol’ smile on our faces.
When winter weather recently set in on Green Hell, Andy Gulden, the chief instructor for the Nürburgring Driving Academy went out to have a little fun. After a quick tire change, Gulden and the Formula racer were happy as could be flicking around the infamous track.
Gulden doesn’t hold back on the accelerator as he tackles the course, either. Fortunately for us, he was kind enough to strap a few cameras to the car before he rolled out of the garage. The resulting video is a look at the Nürburgring as you’ve likely never seen it before. to check out the clip for yourself.
Toyota’s new doesn’t look like a math problem, but that’s what it is.
Hidden behind its attractive hatchback body and Toyota Synergy Drive hybrid powertrain, the Prius C is just a bunch of numbers. Numbers like the car’s miles per gallon rating, its MSRP, how many can be produced and how many Toyota hopes to sell. ran these numbers through its “Do we build it?” formula, which is what caused the Prius C to come into being, but the good news is that this smallest of Prii adds up to more than what was put into it, and even introduces a bit of fun to the appliance-like Prius driving experience. Not much, mind you, but enough that its target audience – young people who want to buy the most efficient gas-powered vehicle on the market today – should take notice.
Here are some of the calculations that Toyota is making for its new Prius family. Instead of selling 136,463 “normal” as it did last year (down from 140,928 in 2010), the Japanese automaker believes that three new models – the , the smaller C and the – will push cumulative Prius sales up to 220,000 in 2012 and then go up from there.
Last year, Toyota’s group vice president for U.S. sales, Bob Carter, said he expects the Prius to be the automaker’s number one nameplate by 2020. Sure, the Prius continues to sell well in green car circles and has been the best selling car in Japan for a year and a half, but for Carter’s statement to come true, the Prius family would have to outsell the almighty . Think about that. Think about the ambition – and challenge – behind those words. This is the equation that the Prius C needs to solve.
These days, you only have an Egg chair in your office if you’re an evil genius or confused enough to think it’s still 1962. The clever artists at Racing and Emotion Design are out to change all that, though. The company has taken it upon themselves to slather the spherical seating in some of the world’s most famous racing liveries. Want to kick back in the same style as the Gulf Porsche 917? Nor problem. What if the Pink Pig is more your style? Racing and Emotion Design have you covered.
The French designers have even worked up an Egg chair in Ayrton Senna’s helmet livery, as well as the colors found on the racer’s Lotus 97T. In all, there are 21 separate liveries to chose from. We’re particularly smitten with the BMW 3.0 CSL piece, though the various Gulf liveried thrones are likely to be sure winners. Unfortunately, we won’t be dragging one of these home to the lair anytime soon. The chairs each cost around $3,788 at current conversion rates, which means we’ll just have to control our death ray from the comfort of the couch. Head over to to take a look at the full range.
General Motors took dead aim at the during the Super Bowl by airing a spot for the . The ad featured a post-apocalyptic scene where only Silverado owners survived the end of the world and customers were left to fade into the fossil record. Interestingly enough, however, the spot may not have had the intended effect of pushing more eyes toward products.
According to TheCarConnection.com, the ad may have benefited Ford more than . Kelley Blue Book keeps an eye on which vehicles visitors to the site are interested in, and Ford saw an immediate uptick directly after the GM commercial aired. Ford didn’t have a big Super Bowl ad this year.
That wasn’t all. Ford continued to see a swell in shopping in the days after the Super Bowl. Interest in the Silverado, meanwhile, rose slightly when the ad aired before leveling off during the remainder of the game and falling shortly thereafter. Interest in the F-150, meanwhile, continued to surge. According to TheCarConnection.com, the F-150 saw a greater boost in shoppers week over week while the Silverado fell off by 25 percent. Turns out Ford shouldn’t have been after all. Click to see the ad one more time.
A few months ago, we heard word was hard at work on an of its , and as it turns out, those rumors were true. Well, sort of. The German automaker has unveiled the Audi TT RS ‘plus’ in the EU, though the vehicle produces the same 360 horsepower as the fire-breather we sampled last year. The 0-60 mph dash takes the same 4.1 seconds, though buyers in the old country will have the option of outfitting their purchase with a seven-speed dual-clutch S-tronic gearbox. Likewise, the TT RS plus is available in both hardtop and convertible configurations, whereas buyers in the U.S. can only have theirs as a fixed-roof coupe with a manual gearbox.
Interestingly enough, Audi lists the vehicle’s curb weight at 3,196.7 pounds, which is just over 100 pounds lighter than what the company quoted us for the U.S.-spec model back in October. Given the weight reduction, we would expect slightly improved performance over the American TT RS, but the 0-60 mph figures are nearly identical.
It wasn’t long after we drove the TT RS that whispers of an even brawnier TT RS ‘plus’ surfaced. The vehicle was rumored to have 385 horsepower and weigh in at 130 pounds less than the standard model. You know what they say: One out of two ain’t bad… or something. for the press release.
Peter Nefischer, head of engine development for , has said the automaker is currently working on developing three-cylinder engines to be used across the company’s vehicle line. The powerplants would likely be different than the one found in the BMW i8 and wouldn’t be partnered with an electric motor. Instead, engineers would turn to forced induction to maintain acceptable power levels. Nefischer said engineers have gone as far as possible with current engine technology, and the next step is smaller, more powerful variants.
So, when can we expect to see a three-cylinder hit the streets? According to the report, the vehicle could be here in two years. BMW has already demonstrated the sort of gains that can be made by dropping cylinder count. Just look at the F30 328i with the vehicle’s impressive power and fuel economy as an example. Will BMW bring 3 Series to the table with half the cylinders of the tried-and-true I6? Stranger things have happened.
