The Auto Blog .ru

Most days, California must seem like Kazakhstan for the Big Three. Domestic products aren’t so popular out West, where Toyota and Honda have long stood atop the sales charts. But not in 2011.

According to a report in Automotive News, both General Motors and Ford managed to bump Honda from its silver medal position in 2011, though Toyota still holds a commanding market share lead. In a storyline we’ve heard before, the twin natural disasters in Asia curbed Japanese production, causing a 4.5 point loss of market share. Toyota’s market share dropped from 22.8 to 19.2 percent, while GM and Ford tied at 12.6 percent – ahead of Honda at 12.1.

Booming sales in the Golden State helped the domestics to their 1.8 point gain. New vehicle registrations in California were up 9.9 percent, according to the report. The biggest sales gains last year were made by Kia and Jeep, which were up 53 and 49 percent, respectively.

Wagons West: Domestics picked up market share in California last year

Business was a-boomin’ in the auto industry last year, and while a number of factors conspired to keep cars moving through dealerships, chief among them was discounts. How do we know that? This infographic contains part of the answer.

Compiled using data from car-shopping website CarWoo!, the infographic tells us which automakers gave the most discounts last year, where they were given, who got them, and more. Which automaker doled out the most discounts? Jeep, which CarWoo! says was selling its vehicles at a 17.7-percent discount in 2011. Which automaker also posted the largest percentage gain in sales last year? Jeep, whose sales jumped over 44 percent compared to 2010.

Mitsubishi and Kia, which posted the second and third largest percent increases in sales last year, also make CarWoo!’s list by having offered high discounts of 11.7 and 12.1 percent in 2011.

Big savings didn’t always equal big sales, though. Infiniti, for instance, is on record offering discounts of 12.2 percent in 2011, but still saw its sales fall 4.8 percent.

Check out the rest of what CarWoo!’s infographic has to say about savings after the jump.

Continue reading Infographic: Which automakers gave the biggest discounts?

Infographic: Which automakers gave the biggest discounts?

Even though spy shots signal that exterior adjustments on the next Mercedes-Benz GLK will be subtle, there’s one giant adjustment coming under the hood, and it smells like oil – in a good way. Automotive News says the revamped softroader will gain a new diesel engine option. For its part, Mercedes-Benz hasn’t said which of its oilburners it will offer with the GLK, but it’s been hinted that it could be the 2.1-liter turbo diesel mill with 204 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque that sees duty in models like the C-Class and M-Class in other lands.

The addition of the GLK and next C-Class will make seven Mercedes model lines offered with diesel in the U.S. With the GLK’s fuel economy addressed, the hope is that the entry-level crossover can find roughly 13,000 more buyers per year and close in on 40,000-sales-per-annum threshold. The brand already offers far more diesels than its German competitors here, but still wants to raise percentage of diesel sales from 12-to-20 percent to 15 to 20 percent.

Refreshed 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK to get diesel option

Which were the best-performing brands and automakers in 2011? We’ll tell you, and the answers may be surprising. The top two best-performing brands surprised us. Jeep led the pack with a 44.04-percent sales increase for the year, followed by Mitsubishi, whose sales jumped 40.07 percent.

Behind those two are the two brands we knew early on would have great years: Kia and Volkswagen. Kia gained significant ground on fellow South Korean automaker Hyundai last year by posting a larger sales increase for the year, 36.27 percent to 19.97 percent, respectively. Volkswagen, meanwhile, proved everyone wrong who questioned its decision to make the redesigned Jetta more cost competitive with a sales gain of 26.21 percent for the year on the back of that little compact car’s 54.5-percent increase in sales.

The bottom of our table is also not surprisingly occupied almost entirely by Toyota, Honda and their luxury brands, which are joined by Infiniti and Lincoln. One could too easily argue that Toyota’s and Honda’s sales trouble in the U.S. last year had everything to do with natural disasters and their effect on production, but that would be ignoring their aging fleet of products, some not-so-well-received redesigns and how much more fierce their competition has become.

Finally, since we teased you last month with a select group of particular sales races we were interested in, we thought we’d let you know which models won.

• 2011 Best-Selling Minivan: Toyota Sienna (111,429), Dodge Caravan (110,862)
• 2011 Best-Selling Pony Car: Chevrolet Camaro (88,249), Ford Mustang (70,438)
• 2011 Best-Selling Small Car: Toyota Corolla (240,258) vs. Chevy Cruze (231,732)
• 2011 Best-Selling Mid-Size Sedan behind Camry (308,510) and Altima (268,981): Ford Fusion (248,067), Honda Accord (235,625)

*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 307 selling days in 2011 and 306 selling days in 2010, so the change in monthly sales volume will be different than the change in average daily sales rate (DSR) for each brand/company.

2011: Onward and Upward Edition

Exhilaration At 1 MPH

When thinking about the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, one tends to picture an orange meteor barreling across the desert at absurd velocities, flying through the air, long-travel suspension dangling its dirty bits below. That’s partially because desert storming and bombing down muddy, root-strewn fire roads was the Special Vehicle Team’s design brief, and partially because those environs have dominated Ford’s advertising efforts. Marketing shtick aside, there’s little doubt that the Raptor has that Kool-Aid Man “Oooh, Yeah!” wall-crashing thing going on better than any other vehicle on sale today.

In fact, if you tend to picture the Raptor exclusively in terms of yumps and dry creekbeds, you’re not alone. Ford and SVT kind of admit they did, too. But in building this street-legal trophy truck, they’ve come to realize that they unwittingly created a vehicle that’s far more versatile than originally envisioned. Case in point: Back in 2009, a massive snowstorm crippled the ability of Ford staffers and media members trying to reach the Chicago Auto Show. In particular, Mark Fields and other key execs had to journey from Dearborn to the Windy City, and company pilots refused to take off in the horrible weather. Fields and some other executives settled on boarding the train, arriving haggard eight hours later and barely making their press conference. SVT boss Jamal Hameedi and his crew elected to travel by Raptor. Driving their trucks through inches of thick slush and ice in the fast lane at more-or-less normal highway speeds (while what little traffic was sharing the road crawled along with hazard lights aglow) was a revelation. Despite building the thing, Team SVT simply didn’t expect something with wide, knobby tires and a higher center of gravity to cut through the frigid slurry like that.

It’s exactly this sort of discovery process that led us to the foot of the smoothly picturesque red rocks seen here. We had arrived in a convoy of eight 2012 Raptors, having taken the easy hour’s drive from Grand Junction, Colorado to Moab, Utah to tackle Hell’s Revenge, a well-known 4×4 trail over this otherworldly terrain that doesn’t take kindly to larger vehicles like our full-size SuperCab pickups. Solid bets for tackling Hell’s Revenge include Jeep CJs and Wranglers, Toyota FJ Cruiser 4×4s and so on – vehicles with exceptional arrival, departure and breakover angles. Even with its raised suspension and ground clearance of 11.2 inches front and 12.1 rear, we couldn’t help but feel a bit sheepish about the Raptor’s chances.

Continue reading 2012 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

2012 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

It’s been a serious year for automotive advertising. From dancing hamsters to big-name talent like Jennifer Lopez, Eminem and Dr. Dre, we saw automakers go all out in an attempt to lure buyers to their showrooms. But which spots garnered the most eyes? SkiddMark.com has taken the time to rank the top ten most popular automotive commercials of 2011 on YouTube, and it likely comes as no surprise that Volkswagen took the top spot with its The Force commercial. The spot debuted during the Super Bowl and featured an adorable Darth Vader. The combination was good enough to win the company a staggering 47.5 million views and over 4.8 million shares.

By contrast, Ken Block’s Gymkhana Four drug home 13.1 million views and 2.1 million shares to take home second place. That’s a massive gap, though Block also took the fifth and eighth place spots with his Gymkhana Three and Two, respectively. Not too shabby for selling sneakers.

Other winners included the Team Hot Wheels Yellow Driver’s World Record Jump and the Chrysler Eminem Super Bowl Commercial. Head over to SkiddMark.com for the full list.

What automotive ads went viral in 2011?

Christmas just came a few days early for Audi fans with the announcement of the A1 Quattro, a high-performance, limited-edition version of Audi’s subcompact hatch.

As its name would imply, the A1 Quattro comes equipped with the automaker’s legendary all-wheel-drive system, with power provided by the same 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder used in the S3. The reworked mill puts out 252 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 258 pound-feet of torque from 2,500 to 4,500 rpm – a boost of more than 70 hp and 74 lb-ft over the standard 1.4-liter A1.

A six-speed manual shuttles that power to a Haldex AWD setup and on to center-locking 17-inch wheels that ape the original 80s-era Quattro’s style. There’s no word on weight, but Audi claims the hi-po A1 will match the S3’s 0-60 mph time of 5.7 seconds and top out at 152 mph.

In addition to grippy 225/35 R18 rubber, the wheel wells are filled with a modified MacPherson strut suspension in front and a multi-link setup out back, while the braking hardware has been upgraded with larger discs at all four corners with black painted calipers. The electromechanical steering has also been tweaked to provide a 14.8:1 ratio, the ESP has been modified for high-performance duty and a new electronically controlled differential lock will keep wheelspin at bay. Although Audi decided to keep the rear seats in place, the AWD components have reduced trunk space to 7.4 cubic feet – or 2.1 cubes less than the standard model. Not that you care.

The exterior speaks for itself, drawing cues from past Audi concepts and a few bits from the S and RS lines, while the interior receives a new instrument panel, aluminum pedals, seriously bolstered buckets and black leather with red contrast stitching.

The A1 Quattro is an S1 in everything but name, and it’s set to go on sale later next year with only 333 units on offer. And naturally, the U.S. is left out. We’re as irritated as you. Get even more disappointed by reading all the details in the press blast below the fold.

Continue reading Audi creates limited edition, 252-hp A1 Quattro

Audi creates limited edition, 252-hp A1 Quattro

Production of the original Bugatti Veyron may have drawn to a close, but that doesn’t mean the end of the Veyron altogether. Of the 150 examples of the Grand Sport earmarked for production, only 45 of them have been accounted for. That leaves another – carry the two, divide by the square-root of pi – 105 examples still available for order. And no two of them are likely to end up the same.

That’s because Bugatti offers a nearly endless array of customization options both inside and out, the permutations of which could stand to overshadow even its seven-figure price tag. And so to demonstrate what can be done with a Veyron, Bugatti has brought three specially outfitted examples to no less fitting a location than the Dubai Motor Show.

The first example is the most garish, but combines founder Ettore Bugatti’s favorite colors – black and yellow – with bright yellow bodywork contrasting with the exposed carbon fiber and black wheels. The second employs blue carbon fiber and anodized aluminum, and the third incorporates a newly developed weave of green carbon fiber along with polished aluminum. Each features matching wheels as well as an individually-tailored interior.

If you’re not planning on hitting the Persian Gulf for the exposition, you can check ‘em out in the high-res gallery above and the press release after the jump. And if you like what you see and manage to get to it before the oil-rich sheikhs do, you can place your order: 1.58 million euros (approximately $2.15M) will get you the bumblebee example, while the uniquely-tinted carbon examples are available at 1.74 million euros ($2.37M) per.

Continue reading Bugatti brings three special Veyron Grand Sports to Dubai

Bugatti brings three special Veyron Grand Sports to Dubai

It took Delphi four years to exit bankruptcy, but after a major restructuring and staggering losses, the parts maker is once again ready to sell shares to the public. The Detroit News reports that Delphi will offer a $550-million stock offering later this month. The move comes after Delphi announced in May of 2011 that it would seek an Initial Public Offering, though the $550 million sum is nearly half of the originally announced $1 billion IPO.

Though Delphi suffered massive losses over the past decade, the past two years have been very solid. The parts maker made $703 million in 2010, and through nine months of 2011 Delphi has earned $911 million. Investors will likely like the fact that the $911M in profits came on only $12.1 billion in sales. That’s a very healthy margin of 16.3 percent, and with auto sales seemingly only going up, future profits could look even more impressive.

Delphi’s labor costs are another reason for the vastly improved profits margins. Delphi got rid of 45,000 U.S. employees during bankruptcy, and now 90 percent of the auto supplier’s workforce is located in low-wage countries. That’s not a good sign for U.S. manufacturing jobs, but it’s likely exactly what investors want to hear.

Delphi planning $550M IPO

Even though DuPont’s automotive paints, or “performance coating,” division brought in 12.1 percent of the firm’s 2010 revenue, the pretax operating-profit margin was only seven percent, said to be about “half the corporate average.” With the highly diversified firm making plays in more lucrative “megatrend” areas, Automotive News reports that DuPont has retained Credit Suisse to find a buyer for its two coatings divisions valued at $3-4 billion.

An analyst has said selling the units will improve the portfolio, but the question is what other company will have the will (and the financial wherewithal) to take them. DuPont says it wants to up the division’s profit margins to ten percent in 2012, but with automakers still hammering supplier prices, it will take some healthy productivity engineering to make that happen. Credit Suisse hasn’t begun the sale process yet, but a buyer could be sought among the other three large auto-coatings companies, PPG, BASF and Arko Nobel.

DuPont to sell $4B auto paint business?

It’s not out of the question to think that Vauxhall could win a shootout for the best fuel economy. But you’d figure the honors would be taken by something like the Ampera plug-in hybrid or one of its EcoFlex models, not the VXR8 muscle sedan, what with its huge 6.2-liter V8 engine. But it’s precisely the VXR8 that took the prize at the end of the day.

The Fleet World MPG Marathon doesn’t just measure overall fuel economy, but how much of an improvement over its combined city/highway rating they can eke out of a given car. The goal is to demonstrate just how much a driver and his/her driving style can effect the amount of fuel consumed.

By that standard, the VXR8 was a shocker: the vehicle is rated (on the European cycle) at 21 miles per gallon, but with Top Gear online editor Chris Mooney behind the wheel and Vauxhall’s own Andrew Duerden coaching from the front passenger seat, they managed to squeeze out a much more pump-friendly 32.14 mpg – a remarkable 53-percent improvement.

Second place went to a likelier candidate in the Suzuki Swift DDiS, which managed to get an astounding 86.4 miles per (diesel) gallon on a 67.3 mpg rating for a 28.3 percent improvement over specification. Follow the jump for both press releases.

Continue reading Vauxhall wins fuel economy shootout… with 6.2-liter VXR8

Vauxhall wins fuel economy shootout… with 6.2-liter VXR8

The U.S. auto industry appears to be roaring based on sales figures for the month of September 2011. This, despite every other economic indicator wafting between stagnant growth for the economy and an outright plunge into another recession. Don’t tell the folks selling cars in these great United States, though, because people are buying despite the doom and gloom coming out of Wall Street.

Special note must be paid to Chrysler Group, whose brands not only all scored positive sales results on their own, but collectively gave the company the largest rise is sales volume last month versus the prior year. Enough units were even sold to push the Chrysler Group ahead of Toyota Motor Company in sales for September, making the top three sellers all domestics.

In fact, the only brands really hurting besides Saab (-61.93 percent) and an inexplicably bad showing by Mini (-18.12) were Toyota, Honda and their respective luxury brands. These two giants from Japan are still clawing their way back from the earthquake in Japan earlier this year and neither has their global production back up to full speed quite yet. That’s in stark contrast to their cross-island competitor, Nissan North America, which hasn’t been shy in letting U.S. customers know it’s inventory is fully stocked, and which posted a healthy sales gain by volume of 25.28% last month in the U.S.

Check out the rest of last month’s sales numbers in the table below.

*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 25 selling days in September 2011 and September 2010, so the change in monthly sales volume is the same as the change in average daily sales rate (DSR) for each brand/company.

September 2011 – What Double-Dip Recession Edition

Before we delve into the details of the RAK e electric concept, let’s step back in time with a brief historical primer. The oldest industrial division within General Motors’ current portfolio, Opel started as a sewing machine manufacturer way back in 1862. Evolving to the production of bicycles soon after, Opel’s presence in wheeled transportation turned to automobiles in 1899. Now, at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, Opel looks to the future with its debut of the ultra-modern RAK e Concept.

Back in 1928, Opel captivated the media with its experimental rocket-powered RAK 2. Its streamlined shape and solid-fuel rocket propulsion system demonstrated Opel’s vision of the future. Developed 83 years after the RAK 2, the RAK e tandem 1+1 concept projects Opel’s take on personal urban mobility.

As an experimental design and technical platform, the RAK e is a narrow four-wheeler built around a steel space frame. Built with an eye toward inexpensive materials, the RAK e is a lightweight (838 pounds) concept presented as a vehicle that Opel says even the youngest of buyers could afford.

Propulsion for the RAK e comes from a 49-horsepower electric motor that draws juice from a five-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Range is listed at up to 62 miles and operating costs are claimed to be only one euro per 100 kilometers ($2.19 per 100 miles).

Follow the jump to read over the complete press release from Opel and be sure to check out our live photos of the RAK e in the high-res image gallery.

Continue reading Opel RAK e electric concept looks to the future of low-cost urban motoring

Opel RAK e electric concept looks to the future of low-cost urban motoring

As you may already be aware, there is no official production car record at the Nürburgring. That hasn’t stopped well-meaning automakers from warming up the great German marketing machine in an attempt to outdo previous marks set by their competitors, and that includes the fine folks at Dodge.

Way back in 2008, Dodge shipped one of its Viper ACR coupes to the ‘Ring with the goal of setting a blistering time. Suffice it to say, the outing was a complete success. For quite some time, Dodge claimed with a time of 7:22.1 that it held the fastest lap time of any production car around the famous circuit.

Since then, a number of manufacturers and machines have bested that still-stellar time, notably the 2012 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (7:19.63) and more recently the Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition (7:14). Now, according to a new forum post by Viper Club of America president Marv Spatz, Dodge Viper owners can cheer the return of the crown, because a Viper ACR has reportedly just reclaimed the title with an unofficial time of “7:12 and change.”

Keen enthusiasts will note that the Dodge Viper is no longer in production, so SRT sourced a pair of brand-new 2010 models from Tomball Dodge of Texas before having them prepped for action by Mintgen Motorsports, a shop just down the road from the Nordschleife.

No word yet on who was behind the wheel or how many shots at the record they took, but we have a feeling that once the results are certified, all that information will be released in a hail of press releases, in-car videos and so on. For now, check out our exclusive gallery of the two Vipers making their attempts.

UPDATE: Added exclusive gallery of images showing both Dodge Viper ACRs making their record attempts.

Dodge Viper lays claim to Nürburgring record with 7:12 run [UPDATE]

As you may already be aware, there is no official production car record at the Nürburgring. That hasn’t stopped well-meaning automakers from warming up the great German marketing machine in an attempt to outdo the previous marks set by their competitors, though, and that includes the fine folks at Dodge.

Way back in 2008, Dodge shipped one of its Viper ACR coupes to the ‘Ring with the goal of setting a blistering time. Suffice it to say, the outing was a complete success. For quite some time, Dodge claimed that, with a time of 7:22.1, it held the fastest lap time of any production car around the famous circuit.

Since then, a number of manufacturers and machines have bested that still-stellar time, notably the 2012 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (7:19.63) and Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition (7:14). Now, according to a new forum post by Viper Club of America president Marv Spatz, Dodge Viper owners can cheer the return of the crown, because a Viper ACR has just reclaimed the title with an unofficial time of “7:12 and change.”

Keen enthusiasts will note that the Dodge Viper is no longer in production, so SRT sourced a pair of brand-new 2010 models from Tomball Dodge of Texas before having them prepped for action by Mintgen Motorsports, a shop just down the road from the Nordschleife.

No word yet on who was behind the wheel or how many shots at the record they took, but we have a feeling that once the results are certified, all that information will be released in a hail of press releases, in-car videos and so on.

Dodge Viper lays claim to Nürburgring record with 7:12 run

*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 26 selling days in August 2011 versus 25 selling days in August 2010, so the change in monthly sales volume will be different than the change in average daily sales rate (DSR) for each brand/company. Also, brands are combined and reported as companies only if their sales figures are released jointly.

August 2011: Slow Recovery Edition

Wards Auto is reporting that China is attempting to put a stop to rampant corruption by its government officials, especially when it comes to automotive purchases and embezzling. The People’s Republic currently spends somewhere between $46.5 billion and $62.1 billion at current conversion rates maintaining its fleet of 3 million official vehicles. Those figures mark between 6 and 12 percent of the government’s total costs. According to Wards, 464,000 of the 4 million vehicles registered in China in the first five months of the year were purchased for official use by government workers. That’s a little over 11 percent of every vehicle on the road.

In response, China has enacted new legislation to limit the number of official vehicles on the road. Moving forward, there will only be one governmental vehicle for every 20 workers. Engine size will also be limited to 1.8 liters and the total cost can be no more than $27,950. Currently, workers can snap up any vehicle with an engine up to 2.0-liters of displacement with a cost of $38,280 or less. This year, government buyers have favored models like the Audi A6L, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Volkswagen Passat.

Chinese officials tied to growing gray market

Diesel-lovin’ Audi is slowly, slowly coming to grips with this whole hybrid thing. Earlier this year, the “We’re not against hybrids” automaker finally gave out some real information about its hybrid Q5 (after years of teases and killing the program once,) and we saw the A6 hybrid at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Today, Audi is making good on the promise it made at the Geneva Motor Show in 2010 when it showed off a thinly disguised hybrid A8 concept.

Due out in 2012 (coincidentally, the 15th anniversary of the Toyota Prius), the A8 hybrid should appeal to customers who crave the German automaker’s style and dislike stopping for petrol every third day. The A8 hybrid uses a 2.0 TFSI engine and an electric motor to crank out a peak output of 180 kW (245 horsepower) and 480 Nm (345.03 lb-ft) of torque. Audi says all that power and style will come with 37 mpg (U.S.), which doesn’t put the A8 at the top of the hybrid efficiency pack – remember, the A8 is huge – but it beats the pants off of the gas-only A8, which the EPA rates at 18/28/21 (city/highway/combined) mpg.

Even better for late night stealth missions to the golf course, the A8 hybrid can go three kilometers (1.86 miles) and up to 60 km/h (37.28 mph) using nothing but energy stored in its 1.3 kWh lithium-ion battery. Once the luxury sedan is up to speed, it can move down the highway at speeds of up to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) on battery power, too. These are all good numbers (if only estimations from Audi, for now), and we eagerly await the chance to see how the A8 Hybrid operates in the real world. Until that time, check out the gallery below and read more details in the press release available after the jump.

Continue reading Audi spills the beans on production 37 mpg A8 Hybrid

Audi spills the beans on production 37 mpg A8 Hybrid

There are places you expect to find a Škoda, and places you don’t. European streets, for example, fall squarely into the former category. Dried up lake beds in the United States, however, belong firmly in the latter. But someone forgot to tell that to the people who make the Czech Volkswagen derivatives.

In between ripping the top off the Fabia for the Wörthersee show and preparing to enter the British Touring Car Championship, that cadre of lead-footed Škoda personnel announced their intention to take the Octavia to the slat flats at Bonneville. The occasion was the tenth anniversary of the automaker’s vRS performance brand, and while their target – breaching 200 miles per hour – may have seemed distant to anyone who’s ever sat in the old Jetta with new clothes, they got theirs.

The world’s fastest Škoda achieved an official run of 202.15 mph four days ahead of schedule at the [currently ongoing] Bonneville Speed Week. The Octavia vRS with which they did it was aerodynamically optimized, dropped closer to the ground, reinforced with a roll cage and other safety equipment and fitted with a larger turbocharger and intercooler. Otherwise, however, it’s the same Octavia vRS available at dealers overseas.

Far from calling it a day and heading back to the Czech Republic, Škoda’s Bonneville team are sticking around in pursuit of the 2.0-liter production car land speed record, which currently stands at 216 mph. We’ll be watching, but in the meantime you can follow the jump for the full press release and scope out the images in the gallery for more.

Continue reading Škoda Octavia vRS blows past 200 mph at Bonneville

Škoda Octavia vRS blows past 200 mph at Bonneville

First Drive: 2012 Morgan 3 Wheeler [w/video]

It weighs just 1,090 pounds, chuffs out 115 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque, and can launch to 60 mph in less than 4.5 seconds. Oh, and you definitely feel every bit of it.

Video: 11-year-old cuts the grass in Audi R8, forgets seatbelt

Our legal team, parental sense of responsibility, and landscapers everywhere can’t help but heap scorn on the adult(s) who helped make this happen, but a small part of us is pleased this young man already has a fine understanding of throttle-induced oversteer.

Autoblog Podcast #238

Chris, Dan and Executive Editor Paukert are joined by Senior Editor Lavrinc.

Also of interest:

• 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class priced at $49,865*, same as 2011 model
• BMW gears up for London Olympics with Performance Edition 1 and 3 Series
• Report: Ford first to support bill banning handheld phones while driving
• Ferrari standing in the way of Lancia Stratos revival’s production?
• Mercedes-Benz previews new B-Class ahead of Frankfurt debut
• Spada unveils Codatronca Monza roadster in all its glory [w/video]

Browse our archive of Daily U-Turn posts or subscribe to the RSS feed

What you missed on 7.12.11